Throwback Thursday: May 2015 Review

Winter Rose

Winter Rose is just growing and changing so quickly. She is so cute and fun. Despite the sippy cup in the picture below, she mostly drinks from a regular cup. She likes most food and will try just about everything. She also wild fuzzy hair after taking a nap. I have so much fun spending my days with her.

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Elementary School night

Both Brooke and Jonathan were so happy to show us their classrooms and samples of their schoolwork at the Elementary School Night. Brooke has had a wonderful year in third grade with a structured and artistic teacher. Jonathan has done so well in kindergarten and works so hard at school. 

A Visit from My Kentucky Kin

My beautiful younger sister visited me with her daughter, Saucy Belle. Our girls had a lot of fun together. I took my sister to the Metropolitan Museum of Art where we enjoyed looking at the Impressionist Paintings and the Medieval armor. Winter totally rubbed it in to Saucy when she was allowed to get out of the stroller. I also took Nicole to Boscobel, a restored home from the early 1800s that overlooks the Hudson River. We enjoyed a hilarious luncheon at Kathleen's Tea Room where the staff kept cracking us up with their comments. It was such a nice visit and one I hope to repeat.

The Taconic Opera Performs the oratorio, Daniel

Brent and I joined the Taconic Opera Chorus and spent months learning the music for an original oratorio, Daniel. Our friend is the composer and director. We loved singing the choruses. We put on two different performances--one in Ossining and the other was in White Plains. Here is my handsome husband in his tuxedo ready to perform in White Plains.

Building an Addition

We have a huge deck in the back of our house. I have been anxious to make it more usable and functional in the summer. Brent built a couch and we purchased an awning and table so we can eat outside. It made a huge difference and now we can sit outside anytime we want.

 Memorial Day at Fahnstock Park

We are lucky to live pretty close to a great lake with a nice beach. Memorial Day the lake was open and so we spent the afternoon there enjoying the water and playing in the sand.

© 2007-2016 TIFFANY WACASER ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Travel Tuesday: Washington Headquarters in Newburgh, NY

One of my favorite parts of living in Hudson Valley is that you can hardly throw a stone without hitting some important relic or place that relates to the Revolutionary War. I have gotten a lot of pleasure out of exploring the different historical sites. I'm not so sure about my children as they seem to mostly tolerate my explorations.

Over the course of the American Revolutionary War, George Washington occupied several different headquarters as he moved up and down the colonies. He would settle where it was strategic and convenient. One such home was located on the west bank of the Hudson River in Newburgh, NY. There he spent several months with his staff writing letters, directing the war, and planning. Washington resided in this home for longer than any other headquarters throughout the duration of the war.

To get to the museum and headquarters, you have to drive through a rather unfortunate part of town. As I understand it, Newburgh used to be a gorgeous river town. You can see it in the decrepit Victorian homes that must have been stunning at one time. Sadly, the town has gone downhill in almost every way. You are safe enough parking by the museum, although the first time I was worried about my car. 

There is a separate museum by the original headquarters with artifacts and information to give you context about the war. The Hudson River was a really important part of the Revolutionary War and both sides tried to gain control of it so they could control access and hopefully prevail. 

For a small fee, you can go on a guided tour of the Headquarters. I think that is the only way one is allowed to see the interior. No photos are allowed of the interior, so you'll have to go see for yourself what it is like.

The home itself was rather small by our modern standards with all the rooms on the main floor, with a grand staircase going up to an empty attic. The interior of the home is set up so you can see how Washington would have set up his staff, what accommodations they had, and what kind of work they did, which mainly involved a lot of letters. I most enjoyed seeing the camp beds that the staff brought with them. Many of them were raised beds that had curtains allowing them a modicum of privacy when they were packed in the rooms like sardines. They had a bit of comfort instead of sleeping on the hard floor. 

I think this is a great place to visit to get a feel for the period and how daily life unfolded while trying to conduct a war with the superpower of the world at the time. 

If you go, I recommend that you visit the NY State Parks site to see the fees and hours operation. Try to go on a sunny day when you can enjoy gorgeous views of the Hudson River. 

© 2007-2016 TIFFANY WACASER ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

June 2015 Review

When June approaches, my heart changes. I just want to be outside. I hate that my kids have to be in school. Homework in June seems criminal! I have a hard time making the kids do homework, because the weather is gorgeous and we all long to be outside. Thankfully, June wasn't too packed with events.

Meeting Old Friends

In May, a friend from our Riyadh days sent me a message saying she was going to be in New York and would love to meet us for a few hours. It took some planning, but we found a date and place to meet. Our friend, Alana, lived in Riyadh around the same time we did. She came as a teacher at a women's university. Her experience was quite different from ours because she lived in an apartment building with other teachers. Because she was single, her movements were restricted in a different way from our family. Alana is one of the most adventurous women I know. She is very intelligent and also quite optimistic. She found a way to live happily within the restrictions she faced. I loved spending time with her. Sometimes she would come to our house and spend the day swimming and just hanging outside sans abaya.

She moved back to the U.S. and stayed in Utah to work. We were delighted when we met her in NYC following church. We met up at the Natural History Museum. Alana and I spent the few hours together talking and catching up. I am SO grateful for the friends we have made in different places over the years. We've gained so much from our travels.

We also got to meet the Karumo family--friends who lived in New York before we moved to Riyadh. They were a Finnish family living in NY for a couple years. It was so fun to catch up with them.

Breakfast with the Little Ones

Our morning schedule is staggered. Brent takes Walter to Seminary around 5:30 a.m. Trent and Josef get on the bus around 7:20 a.m. Brooke and Jonathan go to school around 8:55. I find this schedule suits me so much more. I am less stressed because I have time to help one or two children. Once I get Trent and Josef out the door, I really enjoy the time spent with Brooke, Jonathan, and Winter. Winter has gotten the hang of eating with utensils and enjoys eating like a big girl.

Deer in our Backyard

Most people living in the west have no idea that New York is crawling with wildlife. Once you leave the confines of New York City, New York state is actually pretty rural. Our home is surrounded by many trees. It's beautiful. We also have a lot of wildlife visiting us. I often see squirrels and chipmunks running around the trees. Birds of all kinds--the Red and Blue robins are my favorite--enjoy our birdbath and bird feeders. Raccoon, foxes, groundhogs, and even coyotes hang out in the woods. They are afraid of people so I don't see them very often. Although one time a raccoon wandered into our garage. We also get a lot of deer-which are terrible pests and eat all our plants. The deer are very over-populated and with extremely restricted hunting laws this is not likely to change. I think the deer are beautiful, but they also frustrate me because they eat my roses and love my vegetable garden. Our garden is fenced but sometimes they get in there and mow their way through our vegetables. One day, I found several deer hanging out in our backyard. I just had to snap a few pictures.

Don't we have a pretty and lush backyard? I love it!

Winter's Hair

Ok, I know this is totally silly and very shallow, but I just love it when my girls start to get hair. Winter's hair has always been pretty thin and wispy. I was so excited when I finally was able to put it into a teeny ponytail. I think she looks darling!

Barn Dance

Our friends, Peter and Christie, invited us to a Barn Dance in Garrison. It was a nice chance to get out and smell cow manure (and I mean that sincerely) and tromp around in fields. When I do that, my country girl roots come roaring back to me!

We enjoyed some yummy food, pony rides, and a barn dance.

Wacky Day at School

Brooke and Jonathan had a wacky day at school. They dressed in silly clothes and we did Brooke's hair in a funny way. I think they looked pretty cute.

Last Day of School

Hooray! School's out!

Hitting the Water

The weather has been absolutely gorgeous and our favorite lake and beach are now open. We invited some friends to enjoy playing in the water and sand.

© 2007-2016 TIFFANY WACASER ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

July 2015 Review

Oh July, how much I love you! I love the sun, the trees, and the magic of being outside to enjoy the fresh air. We have such beautiful property surrounding our home, that I continually feel joy and pleasure looking out my window and being outside. One of my favorite things is how we finally utilized our deck adequately. We have a nice shade with a good table underneath. We ate outside often for lunch and dinner--despite complaints from the peanut gallery.

Scout Camp

Brent,Walter, Trent,  and Josef attended camp in western New York the first week of July. I won't write much about it because they were all rather reticent about their experience other than enthusiastic comments about having fun. Walter was the Senior Patrol leader and kept extremely busy keeping the boys in the troop on track and on schedule. He acted like a true leader and I was proud of him.

Walter Gets a Job

Walter's hard work and diligence garnered recognition at the scout camp. He was approached by the staff and offered a position as a Counselor-in-training at the camp. Because he was underage (not quite 16), he worked on a stipend-which was extremely small. The experience was beneficial. Brent and I both agreed that it was a good opportunity for him. The week after scout camp, he worked hard at home to read 10 academic articles and reported on them in preparation for his Science Research class. Then we packed him up and he went off to camp. He worked most of the summer, working from Sunday evening to Saturday morning. We'd pick him up on Saturday morning and bring him home. After church on Sunday, he would return to the camp. In preparation for the experience, he got his first smartphone so he could contact us in an emergency. He did well at his job, working hard and diligently. They offered him a counselor position next summer. I don't think he'll take it because he has other obligations this summer.

Mama and Batch #2 Home Alone

The three younger children and I stayed home. I tried to make our time as engaging and fun as possible. We went to the beach, played outside, watched Inside Out at the Hyde Park Drive-in.

Independence Day

The boys returned home from camp on July 4th. They were quite exhausted. Both Walter and Trent collapsed on the couches and slept. I was anxious to do something fun that evening and convinced the rest of the family to go to the West Point 4th of July Celebration. The event was really fun with great music, the MoTab choir, and incredible fireworks.

Swimming Lessons

Brooke and Jonathan took swimming lessons this year. Brooke put her whole heart and soul into her lessons and really progressed. She has gone from a fearful, agitated swimmer, to a confident fish. Jonathan advanced a level, but spent half of the class fearful and cold. Finally the instructors coaxed him to really try. When he stopped worrying about being cold, he did really great.

Trent Turns 14

Trent had his birthday at the beginning of the month. He's a funny, quirky kid with a definite sense of what he wants. Sometimes he drives me crazy, but I am also extremely proud of him.

Driving to Wyoming

We had planned to go to Wyoming over the summer but had a tough time pinning down an exact date. Then Brent got really, really ridiculously sick. He got into a patch of poison ivy and had a horrific allergic reaction to it. His entire body was covered with a terrible rash that totally wore him out. Then he got hand, foot, and mouth disease. It was awful. We debated forever on whether or not we should go. We finally decided to go because the University of Wyoming asked him to present some work to them.

Driving across the country is a tough endeavor. We try to do it as fast as possible to maximize time with our family. The kids are good travelers, understanding that complaining is unproductive and unhelpful. 

University of Wyoming in Laramie, Wyoming

I went to UW once when I was in Junior High. This was my first time on the campus, which didn't exactly impress me. While Brent presented some work he has done for a group of professors in the Science Department, I took the kids around the campus.

They have a small dinosaur museum that interested us. When my boys were little and we lived in Sweden, they had a movie called The Story of Big Al, about an almost intact allosaurus skeleton that was found in Wyoming. Using the findings of the paleontologists who studied the skeleton, they reconstructed Big Al's life. A replica of the skeleton is on the display at this tiny dinosaur museum on campus.

Baby Jack

My sister gave birth to our her fourth baby, a boy, the day we drove to Wyoming. Because Brent had been so sick, I ran to the hospital to see her. Otherwise the rest of us were going to stay out of the way so as not to get the kids or baby sick.

I was so happy to see my sister, but she had a really rough delivery. I also got to see my Mom and Dad. I can't even say how much I miss them on a daily basis. Getting to hug them and talk to them in person filled me with so much joy.

A Week With the Wacasers

Spending time with Brent's parents was a big treat. They are wonderful people who happen to have the most amazing son in the world. We enjoyed spending time around our hometown. The kids have favorite places to visit and it is important that we hit them all!

Josef's Birthday

Josef turned 12 at the end of the month. We had a wonderful celebrating his special day. We had a birthday party at the Wacaser's house. My parents came too because Trent and Josef were both going to be ordained to different offices of the priesthood.

My dad ordained Josef to be a Deacon in the Aaronic Priesthood. Brent ordained Trent to the office of Teacher in the Aaronic Priesthood. Kent talked briefly about how the Priesthood is an important vehicle to offer service. It was a really special experience.

© 2007-2016 TIFFANY WACASER ALL RIGHTS RESERVED