Snow

Yes, this is obscenely late, and all the other blogs have already posted how they were plastered with snow last week. But, I still have news to report even if it’s late and outdated. It’s still my news.

We officially got 24-inches of snow the day after Christmas and had an interesting time shoveling ourselves out when not going stir crazy inside. Again, this year Lolo enjoyed about 7 minutes with the snow before wanting retreat to the comfort of her viewing chair with a nice cheese stick and “warm chawk-waht” which is hot chocolate on the luke warm side if you didn’t know. It’s how all the cool kids take their cocoa.

Uncle Charlie and Mr. Banks even shoveled the elderly lady’s driveway across the street.

Hi Cheese, Hi Tiger

We took Lolo into the city last Saturday to see the tree and ice skaters in Rockefeller Center. Of course, it was crazy and packed and nutty and mind blowingly busy. But nothing can really prepare you, even if you went last year. Nothing pulls you into the reality of the mayhem you signed up for like swimming in the hoards of tourists looking up at a giant tree as you cut off their ankles with your stroller. She knew she was going to see the tree and see the ice skaters, but beyond that, I think she pictured something a little more like Bush Gardens than just decorated city streets. She kept asking where the rides were. And, while we will wait over two hours for Santa, we will not wait six to get on the ice at Rock Center. We had to tell her that if we waited in line to skate, we would never be able to go to THE PRINCESS TOY STORE! With that crafty diversion, we pushed ourselves on down to the Disney store where her eyes lit up at the princess castle. She was immediately inspired to dance and then asked if she could be Belle, which in toddler language means, “Can we buy this Belle costume?” She is now the proud owner of a glittery Belle costume with light up plastic shoes even though she knows nothing of this “Belle” other than that she’s the “yellow princess” that adorns her undies and toothbrush. I would have taken pictures in the Disney store but I was too busy telling myself not to have a panic attack at the sheer volume of people clamoring to buy anything and everything.

Note on post title: There are gangs of people trying to make a holiday buck who dress up in these amateur character costumes outside Rock Center. The idea is that they provide you with an easy photo-op and you get a picture with a SpongeBob-like character and they get a nice tip. They are everywhere and Lolo saw SpongeBob and decided that it must be a cheese character. We didn’t bother to correct her because it was hilarious to here her call out, “Hi Cheese!”

So excited to sit on her very own NJ Transit seat especially when across from a group of eight 16 year-old teenagers that are soooooo cool. "They even wear lipstick like me." Belle costume is sitting safely in that Disney bag right next to her.