Time Flies

The Prato clan [ sans Joseph ] came over to visit me in Syracuse during winter break. We headed down to the Syracuse Museum of Science & Technology and then we hit up an Applebees for dinner. Lots of fun and we saw some cool model railroading at the museum. We managed to get this pic of the 2 oldest of the 3rd generation Loud family with their mom. Kinda scary - it feels like yesterday that i was swinging these guys around by their ankles. - Mot

Winter is Good!

Sometimes winter is a pain.

Sometimes it's not. We had the right combination of temps and snow this afternoon to get a 2 to 3inch coating on the tree branches. Its stunning if the sun comes out. It only lasts a a little while because the wind will knock it all down within a fw minutes.

Grace and I took a detour on the way home tonight to enjoy mother nature's work.

Here's a shot from the back 40.

somethings happening HAIR

Not sure what's going on Hair but...I was about to do my usual buzzcut when I noticed an odd couple of curls appearing.

I think the meds are causing my hair to curl again...at least a little. So I am going to let it run wild for a month and see what happens.

It's like getting a permanent from the transplant... while of course hoping the transplant is permanent.

Sorry about the scary picture when I get a new one I will replace or repost.

Jimmy

a non-Grace related post

I thought it would be novel to post something not about Grace or the rest of yous for a change...

Heaven in Box

It's saturday night. I needed some grub and I had a taste for that wny delicacy known as "wings". Wings, not buffalo wings or buffalo style wings. In WNY we call them wings. So I called the high end local based pizza place...they have very good quality chicken wings. Probably free range really happy chickens that worked out...

The wings you get from chinese restaurants are an example of bad wings...gray meat ...kinda of chewy and crunchy...baaad wings man.

The best wings are in Buffalo of course and then Rochester. There are a few chains that make them well but not many. Papa Johns for example are baked and have some kinda of mystery sauce...stay away.

The local place, Guidas, has real nice quality. The wings are medium sized and nice and white in the middle. Meaty. No stray dogs or giant mutants. They are cooked medium to well and usually I can get crispy if I ask. The sauce is not true buffalo. It's a mumbo sauce as we used to call it in college. Most places outside of buffalo make mumbo style wings. Thats a mix of butter, franks red hot sauce and something else like barbecue sauce. True buffalo is butter and franks for mild, More franks for medium and a big splash of tabasco over the butter and franks for hot.

The wings tonight were a little mumbo but nicely done. Just a little sweet and still spicey hot from the franks.

If I want straight buffao wings I can go to some other places but the quality at Guidas is better. Pricey at 75 cents a piece. But I think worth it.

Grace and I get an order maybe once or twice a month...usually to snack on...not usually as a meal.

If you don't live in WNY you miss out on this delicacy.

WIIIIIIINNNGGGSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

diner fun

After Grace's big Love Concert we went to the Diner for our weekly pre Tops shopping extravaganza...we decided to take a few pictures then preview them in the lcd screen. If you flicker them back and forth it becomes a hysterical little movie and a great way to be annoying to the other patrons because nobody should be allowed to laugh like that in a public place....I mean C'mon already....great way to kill time waiting for the food.

All you need is love

Grace just led the 1st 2nd and 3rd grade chorus in the Beatles "All you need is Love"...my video camera is down so all we have are the stills...boy did she nail it.

The other parents said she doesn't need a microphone....well of course she doesn't...she's part of the loud family for crying OUT LOUD (what does that expression mean anyway?) They asked me if she got that loud thing from me I said no I'm very quiet...then I made a point to whistle as loud as I could...

This was a great concert. It was 42 minutes long and nicely balanced. Grace was amazing. I am so proud of her. You guys would be too!

sweetheart dance 2008

You can see by the picture I have to drag Grace to these events. The music , the dancing, the friends, the Macarena.....what else could you ask for?

It's hard to believe its her third year with this...I think the previous dances are posted as well which means we have been posting to the blog for three years as well.

It was an honor to attend with you this year Grace. We had lots of fun.

Gracie's First Communion

Grace really enjoyed this. It brought together the dress, hair, earings, family and friends. That's pretty much everything you need in life.

The dress came from Aunt Mo in Spain. I saw pictures of Sidney in it. Grace LOVED it. So her cousin Katie will probably get it next. Very pretty. I believe the ensemble was completed by a necklace from the MomMom collection.

Aunt Cathy joined us as well (my hero - St Catherine the Great). We had a lovely mass with the three church choir. Grace and her buddy CeeCee from down the street and three other kids got the full attention of the church and the Celebrants.

We had a lovely brunch at the Winfield Grill. Our pal AnnMarie was able to join us for the festivities. We'll probably have a cookout in the early summer so the grandparents can come.

The baby is new to our blog. This is Grace's half sister - Maria Isabel Moran Boehlert (Ithink). Marie looks and acts a lot like Grace. She likes to smile and grunt.

hibatchi grill night with Mot and the Felices

Mot got the nieces and nephews gift certificates to the Carousel Mall in hopes that we would converge on Syracuse for a little economy priming fun.

It worked....

We converged on the new apartment. Mot showed us how big his new computer monitor is and then of course we were required to visit the the local Japanese Restaurant for some flaming food fun!!!! Anna is training for her future job.

We did the mall the next day and boy was that fun.

Thanks MOT!!!