FA Ra Ra Ra Ra, Ra Ra Ra Ra. Happy Holidays

           The holidays are upon us. Allison and I have been very much in the holiday spirit lately due to the cold weather and snow. We had Thanksgiving at our house and it went of without a hitch. Our neighbors must think I am crazy seeings how as I lowered our Turkey into the magma hot oil I was wearing all of my welding gear to include my welding helmet and face mask. I am scared to death of the oil melting my face off. It was pretty nice sitting by the fire, outdoors waiting for our Turkey to be cooked. Allison was a regular Barefoot Contessa inside making all of our side dishes which turned out fantastic. Allison even tried her hand at making Aunt Tina's famous pumpkin roll, the two of us glutinously ate the whole things ourselves in a couple days. That's what the holidays are for right? There always next year to lose those extra couple pounds.
           With Thanksgiving in our wake we wasted no time to move on to Christmas. On black Friday Allison, Norah and I went to Montague Tree Farm and trekked into the snow to cut down our very own Christmas tree. It was a blast. Norah's parents were not expecting 18" of November snow and unfortunately for her we neglected to buy her snow boots. I think it upset me more than her because all I wanted to do was pull her around in a sled outside. We have since rectified the situation and will be ready for the next snow storm.
             This weekend will be filled with holiday shopping, football and my works annual children's Xmas party. It will be Norah's first time meeting Santa, I really hope she isn't petrified. I think it may end up being the only Christmas party we attend this year so hopefully its a barn burner. Norah like to party pretty hardy so hopefully it meets her expectations.
           
              Quickly Whats New With Us:
* Allison has been a baking and crafting machine, I never know what I am going to come home to.
* Norah is still cutting teeth and is now chomping away on everything.
* Stella is still determined to keep our yard clear of free loading wild animals. Darn squirrels!
* I am still waiting to hear the results of my advancement test, fingers crossed that I advance. Norah already has her hands on my money.

Feeling Festive

All Dressed Up, No Where To Go

Life's Tough



The Allison Repulse, My Movember Masterpiece

Just The Beginning

Almost One

Well its official, in less then 24 hours my little girl will be one year old. This means two things, 1. Allison and I were capable of keeping Norah alive for a whole year and 2. Norah is growing up way to fast! Yesterday we all went on a family hike in the woods along the Muskegon River. It was the perfect day for it. Allison was blazing the trail with Norah and I hot on her heels. Allison lost track of the trail at one point and lead us up quite the perilous hill. I think we all had a great time. Today we played outdoors raking leaves and cleaning out the garage. It feels very good that it is a three day weekend. An extra day off never hurt anyone. Today is day 10 of my Movember mustache, I have to say it is coming in really well and I think I resemble a young Magnum P.I. My wife would disagree!

Living The Dream

It is officially Fall here in Michigan. Fall means many things to my family, we can play outside without sweating to death, I get to hunt ducks and drink Pumpkin/Octoberfest beers, beautiful colors in the trees to be followed by hours of chasing wind blown leaves with a rake. This year bring something new to Fall, Norah Mae's 1st birthday. She is growing into quite the little pip. She has her good days and her bad but it never fails to brighten my day when she looks up at me and smiles. I was at work the other day when Allison sent me a video alerting me to the fact that our little two step walker had turned a corner. Apparently Norah learned overnight how to walk around all by herself. It's quite humorous to she how proud she is to walk all over the place. Stella on the other hand is less then excited about Norah's accomplishments, now that Norah can walk there is no place that Stella can escape her. Stella is a good dog though and walks off when she has had enough. We try to give Stella some space when we can. Just in case you didn't know I am currently the resident Coast Guard Grand Haven Chili Champion, my award winning chili earned me a silly little trophy and 3 days off of my choosing.  Due to the government being what it is and the fact that they cannot pass a budget my degree is currently taking a backseat. Keep your fingers crossed that tuition assistance comes back in a timely manner so that I don't fall to far behind. Allison is doing great, she excels as the CEO  of the Croteau family. I commend her for having the stamina to do what she does every single day, I am very sure I couldn't do half the job she does. There's not much else to say, I promise to keep this updated more seeings how the holidays will give me more to write about. We miss you all.

Family Matters

Allison, Norah and I went to the zoo recently. It was a really good way to spend a Saturday. The zoo here isn't overly big but they have a lot of cool animals. Norah really seemed to enjoy herself . Speaking of Norah has decided that her bedtime needs to be later.....she now graces us with her presence until around 8:30pm. She is currently pulling at my computer screen trying to help me blog. We recently have had some company. The NH Croteau's visited Michigan two weeks ago, we had a great time. Allison and I took the up to the Point Betsie cottage on Lake Michigan. We had a great time walking the beach looking for Petoskey Stones but it was cut short due to Norah getting a double ear infection. Poor little one was a trooper though and is now feeling much better. The day my mom and dad left Allison's came to town.  While with Nanny and Papa White we went to see the decommissioned submarine USS Silversides. It was a really cool thing to walk through and explore. We also went up North to the Silver Lake Sand Dunes, the town was having a BBQ festival with a car show. The BBQ was delicious and there were a bunch of cool old cars as well as dune buggies to see. All of our company is now gone and our house is empty but it is good to get back to our routine. Its going to be a while but we can't wait to get back to New Hampshire. Summer is pretty much over here in Michigan and winter will soon be upon us, anyone that wants to help shovel is more than welcome this winter, don't be shy.

Almost Autumn

        The months sure do fly by these days. I can remember when I was in high school wondering if the school year would ever come to a close. These days I can not believe how quickly time fly's, how is it possible that Allison and I have a 10 month old. It seems like just yesterday we were taking her home from the hospital. How quickly Norah Mae learns stuff is amazing to me, not in a child prodigy kind of way but its cool to see her sitting one day then crawling the next. We had a little scare the other night where Norah started choking on some food, Allison and I handled it well and she was fine but it was a very long ten seconds.
         We have been having an awful lot of fun lately. We went to the Grand Rapids Public Museum the other day. It was a lot of fun, they had a Titanic exhibit with a bunch of artifacts recovered from the depths of the ocean. Last week we did homemade pickles, they turned out really well and we can't wait to try some new variations next year! On Saturday we went to the Smiths Bayou annual chili cookoff. It was a really fun time, for $5 I was able to sample 15 types of chili. There was a bluegrass band for entertainment and a raffle, Allison and I didn't win anything. The best part is that all the proceeds go to a local charity that they choose. I think we will go again next year. Today we went to a cookout with some good friends. The food was great and so was the company. I'm glad Allison got out there and made friends, now we have people to hang out with! It is almost September and Michigan is going through a hot snap. This upcoming week it is supposed to stay in the high 80's and low 90's. We are looking forward to our visitors who are coming very soon. Norah can't wait to see both sets of grandparents.

Chili cookoff



Calvin Klein Ad????

Daddy got Norah a new teething necklace

She's not as high as she looks.

Helping daddy pickle

Mamas spaghetti is the best!!!!

Allison's Duck Dynasty beard. I love her even more with each passing day haha.