Famapalooza crammed into 2 1/2 days

WOW. We got back Monday evening, after a 2 1/2 day trip full of family and friends! The kids usually handle travel well, but the trip last week Friday to Grand Rapids from WV took 12 hours because of traffic jams and multiple unplanned stops. Autumn and Evan whined and fought a lot on the way up... luckily, the way back from Detroit on Monday lasted only 8 hours and went quite smoothly.

But for having to make the arduous trip back and forth, we sure got everything in that we could! After arriving Friday night, we went to our family Reunion at Riverside Park Saturday afternoon. The reunion featured the remaining 2 out of 9 "kids" (my Grandpa and Great Aunt Josie) that were born of the original Sicilian immigrants, and a whole lot of the branches and twigs of the family tree from there. Nametags were used with geneology numbers displayed; a system that goes like this (see pic, click on for larger version): My Grandpa is number 6 because he was the 6th born of the original Sicilians... my Dad (a.k.a. his nickname Butch) has number 61 because he is the 1st born of the 6th born... my number is 614 because I'm the 4th born of the 1st born of the 6th born... etc. It was awesome to be able to make sense of the family tree in this way, including Autumn and Evan a.k.a. 6141 and 6142. With everyone wearing their numbers, it quite simply clarified the big picture for me, of how our immediate and more distant relatives fit all together... some of whom I hadn't seen in well over a decade (we missed the last reunion).

That same afternoon, we were able to run over to my Mom's house, which allowed a nice visit for the kids to see Grandma Linda and Nana. This was followed by a wonderful dinner sans kiddies for Marisa and me... with Joe, Judy, and even Marisa's brother Joel at the Bluewater Grille on Northland Drive!

The next day was our annual "Christmas in July" (picture at top of blog entry) hosted again this year by Joe and Judy... an afternoon full of food, opening presents, games, herding/referreeing the kids, and other general fun chaos. Mike and Rachel stopped by towards the end with their beautiful daughter Lauren (pictured here). Meanwhile, Brian and I did a "putt off" in frisbee golf... in which we bet punches. That's right, punches. Whoever lost, got punched in the arm. Guess who lost? The bruise finally went away a couple days ago...

Thus, our weekend came to a close... BUT WAIT, there's more! We drove Sunday evening over to Marisa's Mom's new apartment (well, new for me because I hadn't seen her in 7 months!). The next morning the kids eagerly swam at the community pool... you can see here that Evan has been bravely going under water lately. The swim was followed by a lunch gathering with a whole bunch from Marisa's side of the family, pictured below (including Ross and Dana, who the kids always love seeing).

And finally, the ride back home, and work/daycare the next morning. Phew! We were quite exhausted. The funny thing is, a week from now we are back in the car, on a LONGER Michigan trip all the way up to the cottage in Rogers City (near Mackinac Bridge). But this time, nothin' planned except to relax -n- enjoy. Ahh.... and this time, since I'm working midnight shifts up until then (I'll be accustomed to staying up all night), we're going to do a night drive to get there. Should be a bit easier.

-Mark

Changing Days

Our lives have changed quite a bit since I started work two weeks ago. I am loving my new job at HospiceCare, and though the kids had a rough week last week at day camp, today they showed no resistance when Mark dropped them off! This was a huge relief, as one day last week Mark almost gave in and put them back in the car! The kids always seem happy when we pick them up, and the teachers report that they're doing well, so we're happy.

The black and white photo above is from the July 4th, when we attended a small-town parade (Buffalo, WV). It began with at least a couple dozen blaring loud fire trucks - the kids had difficulty prying their hands from over their ears, to pick up the candy that was being thrown from the vehicles.

And...family time continues! The kids enjoyed a recent visit with Grandpa Berry, and this weekend we are traveling up to Grand Rapids for a family reunion and Christmas in July with Mark's side of the family! It will be a whirlwind but we are so excited to see everyone, and hopefully get over to our dear Lake Michigan for a dip. Bye for now!

Grandma Linda Visits! And more Rafting Pics...

Grandma Linda just left after a jam-packed 2 day visit to WV! Yesterday in particular, we crammed in everything possible: Library (drop off books), Kanawha Falls (deck photo on left with Grandma below), Cathedral Falls (top photo climbing around rocks with Grandma Linda, and black/white Daddy and Autumn photo below on right), Hawks Nest (nice views), New River Gorge (big bridge), Ellen's Ice Cream Shop (downtown Charleston, pictured up on left), Live on the Levee (downtown live music on the riverfront), and finally, the twins' first time seeing fireworks, at the Leonardi house (Chris L. works with Mark). Not bad for one day, especially considering that it began at the pet shop; we finally set up the 2.5 gallon aquarium that Grandma Linda got for us several months ago... and had Autumn and Evan pick out one fish each: Two guppies they named "Pooba" and "Simple Simon." Thanks so much for visiting, Grandma! We loved hosting you!

As for our previous set of guests... we promised more whitewater rafting photos in our last blog entry. Find a set of 16 photos in our Flickr Page (click on the link)! Some of the photos are a bit fuzzy because they were taken with a waterproof one-time-use camera.

Take a look at this picture of what all the fun did to Mr. Decker: he zonked out on the chair, while everyone else set him up for a pretty funny photo...

As Good As It Gets!

Our guests just left for the trek back to Grand Rapids. This weekend was simply as good as it gets, all of us reliving old times while cherishing new ones. They all arrived Friday afternoon to an early dinner and pop/beer, then we played frisbee golf in Huntington until sunset. Up at the crack of dawn yesterday morning, after the babysitter arrived we got over to New River Gorge for a full day of whitewater rafting, adrenaline, and well, of course... think of the natural result of beans! Above is a "photo of a photo," a copy of one we bought from the rafting company. However, we brought a waterproof camera with us, and will share plenty more photos when those get developed.

Group shot from this morning before they all got back in the van: From upper left, Mr. Decker, Brian Decker (with Autumn), Uncle Joe (with Evan), Daddy... From lower left, Marisa, Mike Decker, Uncle Mike, and at bottom, James Mikrut. I think this weekend demonstrated poignantly how nice it is to live within a day trip's drive to everyone in Michigan, and how great to have so many fun things to do nearby, for anyone who visits. In other words, we're grateful for the move that brought us from Montana to West Virginia.

Now, today is all about preparing for the big shift in our lifestyle: Marisa's first day on her new job is tomorrow. We just got a pair of cell phones to upgrade to the 21st centurty, for all of the coordinating we'll have to do with our kids and work schedules. We're going shopping later for a few things, including another couple of child seats so both of our cars are equipped for drop off/pick up. It's also time to finally ditch Autumn's toddler bed and get her a bigger one. Other than that, hopefully we'll some "chill out" time this evening, since we're still sore and tired from the rafting! More photos in coming days... -Mark

Charting a New Course... Marisa joins Local Hospice!

Exciting times in the Pellerito Household! A few blog entries ago, Marisa alluded to a "new opportunity" that she'd tell you about later. Well guess what, it panned out: Marisa just accepted a position as a social worker at Kanawha HospiceCare. And what better picture to sum up this new lifestyle change, charting a new course, than this one that was taken at FestivALL Charleston. World reknown chalk artist, Julian Beever (click on this link... you simply MUST see the art he's done), stopped by Charleston's start-of-summer event and completed one of his famous 3-dimensional illusion chalk drawings. Marisa and her MOPS friends had a night out on the town, and hopped on board.

While the picture conveniently serves as a metaphor for our good news, we are also very much looking forward to the REAL thing a week from now, when we join the Decker twins, "Big Dave" Decker, James Mikrut, and my brothers Joe and Mike on a whitewater rafting trip down the New River - it's been planned for months! Thanks to Joe for putting it all together.


The kids are very excited about joining the "YMCA school" (a.k.a. day care the rest of this summer, which turns into preschool in the Fall). We've told them how proud we are that they are big enough to go to school - what better way to smooth over this big lifestyle change? :) It felt like fate, in that just when Marisa's dream job showed up in the Charleston Gazette, our turn came up on the YMCA day care waitlist - we had almost forgotten that we had entered our name on it in the first place. It's also simply just the right time for Marisa to get back into the adult working world... the kids have enjoyed the benefits of 3 1/2 years of her staying at home, and sometimes she gets very tired of talking to little kids/no adults almost all day. What's more; Marisa's new employer is quite flexible, and will allow her to still meet with MOPS Tuesday mornings, and also scale back on hours during this coming Fall so she will not be working a full 40 hour workweek then. Also, they will work around our times off that we already have planned this summer (Family Reunion/Pellerito Xmas in July, and Michigan/Grandma's Cottage in August). And finally, since my schedule is not normal, there will be many times where I can take the kids late/pick them up early from the YMCA, or even have the day off together with them.

So... after a tumultous and sometimes very tough almost 4 years since everything turned upside down with the loss of my job... everything especially now really seems to be coming together just great for us. :) :) :) -Mark

The kids dance to some swing music at FestivALL today, where I toted them in their little red wagon. There's been so much going on in Charleston lately, it's really exciting. Before this dancing bit, we had been to the library street fair, which was a blast for the kids. Except mealtime. We had been there all morning, so by 12:30 I reluctantly conceded to myself (Mark was at work) that I'd have to buy the kids standard fare for lunch. Evan wanted a hot dog and Autumn wanted pizza. The tables were close to each other so I sent my eager son over to the pizza table with a dollar, and next thing I know it's on the ground and I'm apologizing to the tight-smiling volunteer. Then I'm buying Evan's hot dog and next thing I know Evan is howling. Not ten feet away he had tripped over some pipe in the grass and scraped his face up, while some fairgoers stopped to help him as I dashed over, the hot dog landing in the grass and Autumn demanding to know if there was pepperoni on the piece of pizza I had just purchased for her. A fair attendant rushed to our aid, offering ice in a rubber glove and some help to the car, where our meter was almost up. We finally made it to the car, got the wagon out, and the kids ate happily in their wagon while I got to enjoy a little culture without chasing after them for a few minutes. Ahhhhh. -Marisa

A Review of the Hailbomb Storm that just struck Glasgow, MT

The Mothership Approacheth. Just in case you were wondering, this is what it looks like just before a hailbeast is unleashed on the high plains of Montana... and unfortunately, in this case, it slammed into our former homestead of Glasgow. The top photo was taken by an employee of the National Weather Service.

The NWS Storm Survey concluded 20 to 35% of homes in Glasgow (depending on what side of town) had at least some sort of damage, including broken windows, pitted siding - from wind driven hail - downed trees, etc. Nashua, 15 miles "downwind" from Glasgow, faired worse, with 90% of homes sustaining damage. The storm produced widespread gusts of of 60-70 mph along with hail (even a measured 89 mph gust outside of town), and for the day Glasgow recorded 2.55" of rain; this, in a place that averages only 12 inches of precipitation a year! Water filled the only way to get under the railroad, right in the middle of town.

Crop damage was extensive. Our friends, the Fasts, lost more than 3000 acres of what would have been a bumper crop (good moisture so far this year). Even small hail, when combined with a driving wind, can mow down the fields. To get an idea, take a look at what little is left of the Glasers garden. The Burkes, meanwhile, have been working on their new house for about a year, but were just put a little further behind with broken windows and screens. (This picture, however, was sent to us by the Glasers)

The bottom picture below shows a cross section of the storm on the NWS Glasgow Doppler Radar. The purples, pinks, and darkest reds show the highest amount of reflectivity, or in other words, where the largest objects (big raindrops or hail) can be found within the storm. Hail in particular reflects and shows up extremely well on radar. The pinks go all the way up to 25,000 feet! The storm also has a strong tilted updraft and "bounded weak echo region" (BWER), where a weak reflectivity area is surrounded by strong reflectivity at about 18,000 feet - about 3/4ths or so of the way over on the right in the image. A BWER is a classic sign of an intense updraft, one that can support large hail growth. The good thing about this storm was that there was plenty of warn time. It developed late morning a good 200 miles or so west-northwest of Glasgow, and set a predictable steady course from there. A Tornado Warning was issued, but no tornado was ever confirmed.

Father's Day, Farewell to Friends, and Big Storm Strikes Glasgow

Happy Dad's day to Popski, Great Grandpa Pellerito, Grandpa Berry, Great Grandpa Berry, Joe, Mike, and all others within the realm of Fatherhood!

Father's Day Weekend for us started with a wonderful yet bittersweet outdoor party/cookout, held jointly in the backyards of our house and next door. Wonderful, because there were about 30 of us who gathered during a picture perfect, low humidity, firefly-filled evening... but bittersweet because the reason for the party: Our friends and neighbors, the Woodworth Family, are moving to Virginia near DC. The oodles of children spent a few hours playing games, blowing bubbles, and eating lots of junk food... while the adults kicked back, talked, ate, drank, and generally gave up getting the little ones to bed at a reasonable time. At about 10 pm (about 2 1/2 hours past bedtime), Evan and Daddy laid out in the grass for about 15 minutes to look at the stars and blinking airplanes, to which Evan said "This is like a camp out!" The trees were electrified by the constant flickering of dozens and dozens of fireflies. Autumn sat up on Daddy's shoulders, arms to the sky, trying to catch them. It was fantastic. Evan even woke up this morning crying "I want (sniffle) to have (sniff) another... PARTY."

We are going to miss the Woodworths, including the munchkins (first and fourth from the right in this picture) who have been such good playmates for Autumn and Evan... it has been so great having friends right next door especially during our time adjusting to our new life in WV.

But, at least there's one good thing to come out of this - since they are moving, the Woodworths have generously given us their swingset/playplace, which we moved into our backyard a couple weeks ago. It is getting VERY heavy use each day... and has quickly turned into a serious kid magnet for our section of the neighborhood. We joke that sometimes it seems like we're turning into the Timberlake Circle daycare.

And finally, I have to unfortunately end this with somber news: Our former hometown in Montana, Glasgow, just got absolutely pummelled by a very strong "supercell" thunderstorm this evening (Saturday) with 50-65mph winds and baseball sized hail... all with more than an inch of rain in about 20 minutes. The hailbomb marched basically right down the main artery of the region, Highway 2, hitting town after town after town (possible tornado involved as well, but not confirmed yet). It undoubtedly caused tremendous crop loss because of the high winds and large hail, and we already have heard about lots of broken windows and damaged siding. There is probably serious roof damage as well. Glasgow is a town of only 3,000 people, almost 5 hours from a mall and 2 1/2 hours from a Walmart... so meeting a sudden need for building/repair supplies is going to be difficult. We do not know the extent of the impact of this storm on our Montana friends (though the ones we reached north of town apparently didn't get hit bad at all), as this just happened only a few hours prior to me writing this. They are in our thoughts - hopefully things are not as bad as it appeared on radar when I was at work earlier this evening. -Mark

WV Hillbilly Recreation (including new video)

Today we went to Grandview Park, a part of the New River Gorge National River near Beckley WV (a little over an hour from our house). And no joke, on the way, a large black bear barrelled at full throttle across both sides of the interstate, well enough in front of us for it to be very funny instead of scary. We had to do a double-take to believe what was really happening, as the thing clumsily jumped over the median.

After the bear encounter... at the appropriately named Grandview Park: In addition to amazing views of the gorge - from 1400 feet above the New River - we found an awesome hiking trail which involved climbing on sandstone walls, through rock tunnels, etc. The kids had a great time, though unlike Evan, Autumn did not want to go back through what she called "the spooky tunnels" again. Here's a little pic, but we will upload a movie of the hike soon to the blogsite.

Until then, check out our newest video clip on the right side of the website, under Video Bar: "Roundin' Up a WV Hillbilly Dinner" which features the kids chasing after members of an unnaturally numerous squirrel colony that reside in Ritter Park, of Huntington WV. We went there on one of my days off last week. Enjoy! -Mark

June days

Naps are rare these days, but the other day after being out in the hot sun all morning, we popped in a video for some down time after lunch and this was the result. We also had a few hours the other day to go check out a new park (new to us, anyway): Ritter Park in Huntington, where the kids most enjoyed chasing the unnatural quantities of docile squirrels running amuck (video coming soon). Here's Autumn in motion and Evan and Dad hanging out on a peaceful bridge. I am savoring these days with the kids as I consider soon going back to work. An exciting opportunity has come up and I will keep the blog posted...

Daddy's shoes... and a Hazmat suit

Just had to share with you one of our favorite Autumn photos of all time... earlier this week she decided that she wanted to host a "girl party" and bluntly informed Evan that he was not invited. She eagerly got all dressed up for it: Sun hat, pink dress, and Daddy's work shoes. Then she gathered a few of her friends (in her arms) to scope out a party location, and proceeded to set her friends up in a row and acted out the whole scene.

As for Daddy, he recently traded his usual work outfit for a Hazardous Materials suit - the one on the right in the pic - complete with a SCBA (Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus), during some Hazmat training with Emergency Responders in northeastern Kentucky. You can read plenty more about it, and some other things Mark has been up to at work ("Forecasters Hold Their Feet to the Fire" article) in the Summer 2007 edition of the Central Appalachian & Middle Ohio River Valley Weather Review, a newsletter distributed by the National Weather Service in Charleston.

Summer Starts with a Bang... at $3.54 a gallon

I think we set a record for cramming the most into three days over several different states this weekend! The first change from our usual road trip was that we decided to forego the minivan in favor of the somewhat more gas-efficient Buick (that we got a smashing deal on from my Grandpa last summer!). It actually went very well and I was proud of our ability to downsize on packing. And we figure we saved about $60-70 on gas. We spent Thursday driving up to Chicago to visit my bestest buddy since the fourth grade, Alex, her husband Darin, and their 1-yr-old twin girls, whom we haven’t seen since last summer, in their new home in the north burbs. We had such a blast, chilling out all day Friday and just enjoying the kids all together.

Saturday we drove to Grand Rapids, stopping to see Great Grandpa Tony and then Nana before crashing at Joe and Judy’s place. There we tended to a slimy-nosed Danny and a puking Autumn and Evan! We figured it had to be lunch, as the kids tried roast beef at Arby’s while Mark and I stuck with poultry. Sunday proved more enjoyable, as Judy and I got to go to church and the Dads hung out with the kids. The sun came out as we took a long walk and the boys all played frisbee golf in the back yard.

Then Mark and I headed down to Mendon, MI for WMU friend Chris Stoven’s wedding to Jen Weaver, which was just beautiful! We had a great time reconnecting with old friends and sharing memories. The reception was outdoors at a quaint restaurant along the shore of the St. Joe River, and the night was perfect. The kids seemed to do pretty well for Aunt Judy and Uncle Joe, too! Thanks so much guys!

Monday a.m. we visited my brother Joel in his amazing new apartment, a loft in a downtown GR art community! We are so happy for him. We then had a very long drive home yesterday, but aside from Evan throwing a drawing pad out the window somewhere in Ohio (he said he was trying to fly a kite), the kids were total champs. And we are happy that we have no more travel plans until mid-July! -Marisa

Mr. Daddy goes to Washington

"Carry me, Daddy! Carry me!" After being away from the kids last week attending a workshop near Washington DC (and just before a string of five midnight shifts), I heard a lot of those competing pleas during my one day off. :) By the end of our little nature hike here at Valley Park, my arms were about to fall off.


The DC course was about the Hysplit model, which is used to forecast the track and concentration of pollutants/gases - in the event of a large hazardous chemical release, or wildfire (smoke), or heaven forbid a nuclear meltdown (fallout/radiation). Other more common applications are identifying possible source regions for pollutants and aerosols.
Of the 16 students, 6 had Ph.D.'s, and the rest were much more computer savvy than me, so at times I felt like a 5th grade student in a Calculus class. Pretty tough to keep pace, but it was a great course. After class one evening, I had the chance to drop a message off at the White House:

And now, the fine print: The opinions expressed at this blog site are those of the author, on his own personal time, and are not representative of the Department of Commerce, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, nor the National Weather Service.

Mother's Day in Findlay, OH!

The kids and I met Grandma Laurie in Ohio for a fun weekend together! Highlights include a trip to Fort Findlay, a giant wooden interactive playground full of fun obstacles and unique climbing structures, and a ride on the historic (miniature) Findley railroad (above) which was extraordinarily cute. Not so highlights included managing my offspring in various restaurants. Overall though we had a great time - thanks Grandma Laurie!

Mark is in DC for a training this week, and then we're off to Chicago and southwest Michigan next week! And thanks to everyone who inquired about our health - we're better for the most part but we're worried that Evan may have aquired the asthma genes... take care everyone!

Thanks Mom

Happy Mother's Day to Grandma Linda, Grandma Laurie, Nana, Aunt Mel, Aunt Judy, Cousin Andrea, and all others who know the joys and challenges of raising their young'uns past and present!

Play slime... and coughing up real slime

What do you get when you combine daddy's Metamucil, water, and a few minutes on the stove? A good slime, anytime. Marisa got the recipe for this fun slime from Wondertime magazine. What is ironic is just how much it looks like the stuff daddy has been coughing up the last couple days (just slightly off on the color). I have been practically bed-ridden at times because my strep throat was so bad, I couldn't swallow.
At some point, I also pulled a neck muscle, so I can't really move it all that much. Today (Thursday) is the first day where I feel like I've turned the corner... enough to where I can muster enough for a pellfam post! :) This whole thing started late Sunday. It still hurts and all, but not nearly to the point where it was yesterday (when I was laying and wondering if I had some sort of rare disease worse than strep).

Somehow, Marisa has been resilient in all of this (not sick - YET), despite the kids having spent the last week coughing with ear infections and even green slime - yes, more slime! - as a result of pink eye. That, and the kids have had a terrible time listening lately, particularly the young man. Time outs are becoming so common that their meaning is becoming diluted. We're wondering if we have to step it up some more... perhaps by implementing a sort of "good listening tickets" system that we've read about, where a ticket is taken away for every act of sassiness. You start each day with a certain number of tickets, and if you run out, you're sent to your room for the rest of the day and go to bed early. Since we can't get Evan to stay in his room I don't know how this will work. Our main problems are Evan being aggressive and the kids having a lot of difficulty sitting at mealtime. At this point, I invite comments/suggestions from all current and former parents of 3 year olds. -Mark

P.S. - the slime recipe: mix 2 tsp. coarse-milled Metamucil with 1 cup water. Bring to boil, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, continue stirring occasionally until it cools. I doubled the recipe for two kids. Cook longer for firmer slime, shorter for runnier slime. Have fun!

Top 10 Things Learned From Camping Trip...

We just returned from an enlightening 24 hour stay at Kanawha State Forest near Charleston. Top Ten Things Learned from our First Pellfam Camping Trip Ever:

10. If you bought your camping can opener from a dollar store, prepare to rename it the CAN'T opener.

9. Melted marshmallow does not come out of curly hair until after you return home.

8. Also, when fishing, marshmallow is a pathetic bait substitute if you forgot to bring worms.

7. Three-year old twins cannot sleep in the same tent, even with Mama and Daddy present.

6. Driving around the campground at 10 pm may be the only way to actually get your 3-year-olds asleep.

5. It is would be a great idea to bring at least one more blanket than you think is needed.

4. No matter how good natured you think your three-year-olds are, one will inevitably try to poke the other with the burning end of a stick from the campfire.

3. Underwear makes a fine alternative to a swim suit while camping.


2. No matter how much the campground host trumpets the quality of the water, bring your own.

1. Against our better judgment, we'll probably try camping again soon.


Enjoy the two new videos on the right: one is a camping highlight reel a couple minutes long; the other is a brief impromptu scene that emerged while Autumn and Evan stood in the creek next to our campsite. -Mark