Christmas Week 2007

What a busy week!!! We saw lots of family and friends, we got lots of presents, we watched Uncle Jason get married, Mommie's car get totaled, and the Pats finished their season 16-0. Brady got to go riding with our third cousin Hayley on a snomobile too! What a week!

Happy New Year everyone!

-Cameron

I've Lost Erica's Car!!!!

I'm so mad! This afternoon, I parked Erica's car on Main Street in Haverhill and went to get my teeth cleaned. While I was in the waiting room, an elderly guy pulled out of the Social Security Office across the street, then decided to pull a U-turn on Main Street. He ended up slamming into another car, and that driver slammed into Erica's parked car, sending it forward into a snowbank about thirty feet ahead. That car was then lodged under my car. So, I have damage to both ends of Erica's car, and it had to be taken away by flatbed because it couldn't be driven.

Now I'm waiting to hear from the police with their report so I can try to file a claim with the other driver's insurance. I can't decide if I'd be happier if they totaled the car or not. We just bought it in 2004 brand new, and we have less than 35,000 miles on it. I still owe a year and a half on the car. I'd be pissed if I don't get enough $$ from the insurance agency for the car of it is totaled. Our plan was to buy a new car for me once we paid Erica's off in a year. If we have to buy a new car now, I don't think my car will make it another fiver years.

Grrr.....

Christmas 2007

Christmas 2007 has come to a close, and boy was it busy! It all started December 23 with a Christmas wedding for Jason and Christina. Then, on the 24th, we all went to my grandmother's house to celebrate the traditional Polish Christmas with my mother's side of the family. On the 25th, it was great to watch Brady and Cameron (OK.....just Brady) open all his gifts from Santa. Then, we were off to Erica's parents' house for the afternoon for dinner. Christmas night, we headed to my Uncle Mark's house to celebrate Christmas "Stack style". Then on the 26th, we went to my parents' house to open even more gifts.

Brady was very excited to get lots of toys. Some of his favorites from Santa this year included a sit and spin, a keyboard, a baby, a kitchen set (that was actually from Erica's parents), a laptop computer, and a tunnel.

Cameron was just happy to take in all the sights and sounds. It is amazing how much his personality is starting to shine. He loves smiling now and is even starting to bat at toys in his bouncy seat.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

My First Wedding, by Brady Stack

So, yesterday I went to my first wedding. Uncle Jay was getting married to Auntie Christina. It was a lot of fun. In the morning, I got dressed in my suit with Dada, then we drove to the church. It was my job to bring the rings down the aisle on a pillow. Then, I pretended to be John Madden during the ceremony and I offered my commentary of the entire thing. At the reception hall, I got to eat, dance, and drink juice from a glass. Santa even came through the hall and gave me candy!!!

Dada was the best man, so he had to give a speech before dinner. He surprised everyone by writing a poem. When it came time for him to speak, he put on a Patriots Santa Hat and then started to speak. Here is his poem:

‘Twas the night before Christmas Eve, when all through the house,
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung, by the chimney with care,
In hopes that Saint Nicholas, soon would be there.

Brady and Cameron were nestled, all snug in their beds,
While visions of the Wiggles, danced in their heads,
And Erica in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down, for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the lawn, there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like Randy Moss,
Jumping up in the air, to catch a Tom Brady toss.

The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow,
Gave the luster of midday to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But an ‘83 Lebarron with people in wedding gear.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in an instant it was my grandfather, Mick.
More rapid than the Air Force the courses they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:

“Now Nicky! Now Steven! Now Derek, and Marky,
On Heather! On Amy! On Alyssa, and Kayleigh!
To the top of the porch, to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!”

As dry leaves that before the wild Nor’Easter fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the car full of wedding gifts, and Jason too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard at my door,
Some footsteps, some knocking, and then a loud roar.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
In the door my brother Jason came with a bound.

He was dressed in a tux, with accents of pink,
And although out of breath, he gave me a wink.
A bundle of invitations, he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes, how they twinkled. His dimples, how merry,
His cheeks were like roses, his nose, like a cherry!
His face was clean-shaven, his hear neatly cut,
His suit was just pressed, his shoes freshly buffed.

I said to my brother, “What brings you tonight?
You look like your off to your wedding, is that right?”
He glanced at his watch, and then turned his back,
“We moved the wedding date up, so I can go to Iraq!”

He spoke no more words, but went straight to his work,
He gave me my tuxedo, then turned with a jerk,
He got Brady dressed, then gave him the ring box,
And giving a nod, to the Lebarron we all walked.

We made it to St. Joe’s, without a moment to spare,
The guests had been seated, Christina’s limo was there,
But before we walked out to the alter that night,
I pulled him aside, to give him some advice:

“Marriage is a gift,” I began to explain,
“Its filled with surprises, its never the same,
Christina is lucky, to have someone like you,
Love and cherish her forever, after you tell her “I do.”

Jason turned to me and extended his hand,
He thanked me for caring, for being his best man.
Then he gathered his thoughts, and breathed a deep sigh,
And walked to the alter, to wait for his bride.

“Do you take Christina” the priest said to him,
“To have and to hold, as long as you live?”
He wasted no time coming up with his answer,
“I do now, tomorrow, always, and forever.”

They looked at each other, and then locked in a kiss.
While they walked down the aisle, I started to reminisce.
It seemed like just yesterday it was I getting wed,
I hope he’ll remember the things that I said.

Then they sprang to their limo, to their team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew, like the down of a thistle.
But I heard them exclaim, as they drove out of sight,
“Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a good night!”

Snowbound!!!

This is the most snow I've seen in New England beofre Christmas in a long time. We've been hit wth storm after storm, dumping nearly two feet of snow ont he ground! As you can see from the pictures, we don't have many places left to put it all. With rain in the forecast, I had to go up on the garage roof and shovel all the snow off of it. Also, with Erica doing daycare int he house, I've kept an emergency path snow-blowed all the way around the house.

Oh Fudge!

Its time to make fudge again! This year, Erica and I made close to 60 pounds of fudge to give away to friends and family. There were eight varieties: Chocolate walnut, mint chocolate, dark chocolate coconut, peanut butter, smore, Oreo, candy cane, and white chocolate cranberry orange walnut.

As you can see, we needed quite a few ingredients to make the 19 batches. The recipe is easy:



Erica’s Holiday Fudge:
18 oz. package of white chocolate chips
14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
1/8 teaspoon of salt
20 Oreo cookies, crushed finely
1 8x8 fudge pan, lined with parchment paper

Melt the chocolate chips with the condensed milk in a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until melted. Add the salt and cookies and stir to combine. Remove the pan from the heat, and pour the mixture into the fudge pan. Chill in the refrigerator until firm.

Be creative! Substitute the cookies and white chocolate with other ingredients to make your own fudge flavors. My favorites include peanut butter chips, chocolate mint chips, and even English toffee pieces.

Lumbah-Jack Stack!

So, I got a few quotes to get a tree removed last year that looked like it was starting to die. Their price was a little steep, so I decided to try to put it off another year. I was a little worried though, because it was a big tree, and if it could fell, it could easily crush a car in the driveway, or, worse yet, fall on my garage.

Well, Erica called me at Sanborn today to tell me the tree came crashing to the ground, missing the house and the power lines. But, the tree was completely covering the driveway blocking all access to the garage, leaving a car stuck there.

So, I came home from work and set out to cut the tree up. With the help of a neighbor and a chainsaw, we made quick work of the tree, and as you can see, only piles of wood remained after a couple of hours. I put an ad on Craig's List for free wood, and within the hour someone had responded. What a day!

Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

Hello, Blogger-World, Its me, Brady...just thought I'd give a quick update on the family, since everyone else is so busy these days. Where should I start?

Mama and Dada keep talking about how Santa is coming to bring Cameron and I gifts this year. I actually got the chance to see him at the mall last week, but I didn't stop in to say hello, he seemed busy. I've decided that I would like my own kitchen so I can cook for everyone. I'd also like a tunnel I can hide in, and anything Wiggles.

Cameron has been playing with me a lot more lately. I like to share my toys with him, but he isn't always interested in playing with them. He has more fun watching me play. I'm trying to get him hooked on the Wiggles...he watches them every night with me before bed. Cameron has been sleeping much better too.....normally he goes to bed at 8:00 and gets up only once in the middle of the night, like around 2 or 3. That is better than it used to be!!!

Otherwise, not much is new at our house. I'll write more soon!

Love,
Brady

Like Father, Like Son

Some of my favorite memories growing up were the times I spent with my dad playing in the snow. We always had a great time sledding and making snowmen.

Today, Brady and I got the chance to recreate some of those same memories. As you can see from the pictures, our world has changed so much in the past twenty-six years, but the little things remain unchanged. Thanks for the memories Dad!

First Snowfall of the Year

Yesterday, Dada and I went out on the tractor for the last time. We picked up all of the leaves in the yard, and took them out to the woods. He told me that we would have to put the tractor away until next Spring, because it was going to snow last night. Well, snow it did!!! There was no school in Sanborn, so Mama, Dada, and I went out to play while Cameron took his nap. We had a great time making snow angels, eating snow (not the yellow stuff, of course), and building a snowman. Then, we went to Babcia's and went sledding down the big hill. I can't wait to do it again!

Talk to you all soon,

Brady

My First Post, By Cameron Stack

Well, today I'm writing my very first post!!!

I have so much to tell all of you, but I know I won't be able to fit it all into one post. It has been quite an interesting journey ever since that day that changed my life. Did I ever tell you about that?

I can still remember it like it was yesterday....September 25....I was minding my own business when all of a sudden I started to feel pressure, like someone was squeezing me. Before I knew it, I was being pushed right out of my home. I started to see a light at the end of a tunnel, and over the course of the morning, it got bigger and bigger. Then all of a sudden, I felt a huge push from behind, and I went right out into the light! It was freezing out there!!!!

Anyways, I've adjusted to my new home just fine. The people here have been wonderful. Mama feeds me quite a bit, and Dada does too. I spend a great deal of time watching Brady play...he even comes over every once in a while to give me a kiss on the cheek. I can't wait to be able to play with him and all of our toys!!!

I'm starting to sleep longer stretches at night.....almost 4 hours at a time. I've also grown quite a bit, and now I can wear 3-6 month clothing comfortably. I like to smile when I see something funny.

Well, that is all for now. Stay tuned for more posts from Cameron!

Love,

Cameron

Dustin Pedroia Stack?

Every time I go up to the superintendent's office at Sanborn, people tell me I look exactly like Dustin Pedroia. I never really saw the connection. But tonight, I was given another reason to rethink this. As I was walking out of Dunkin Donuts, a guy walked by me and turned around quickly. He looked at me and said.."Woah, I thought you were Dustin Pedroia for a minute!" What do you think, do I look like him? Maybe I could attend events as his "double". I wonder what that would pay....

New PIctures!

Here's a "preview" of some of the Christmas portraits.

Get Aboard the Dane Train!

Erica and I got aboard the Dane Train Saturday night, as he played to two packed houses at the Garden. We had some great seats, right down front.

Dane came out wearing a Sox jersey, shouting "How about those Sox!" He then took it off to reveal his Celtics jersey, saying "they are pretty damn good too." Fianlly, he ripped that off, revealing his 1985 AFC champs Pats T-shirt, proclaiming, "And how about the Pats!"

Dane did a lot of new material. That Dane Cook, he's a silly guy!

Tales at the Portrait Studio

We made a rookie mistake two years ago when we got Brady's first set of professional pictures taken. Armed with the theory that we only wanted the "best" for our son, we were sucked into spending almost $300 at the Picture People at the mall. Needless to say, we have long since learned that there is nothing wrong with JC Penny's studio.

That said, we thought today would be a good day to get the boys pictures taken. We called the store and made an appointment for 4:30. Knowing that we were headed there with two young kids and wanting them to at the very least be in a good mood, we carefully planned out our day in advance. At 12:30, Brady had a big lunch and went down for a nap. We kept Cameron at bay until 2:30, when we gave him a bath and got him changed into his Christmas sweater. Erica took her shower and did her make-up, and I followed with my shower. By 3:30, Brady was up and her was the last one to get ready. We were out the door by 4:00, armed with a bag full of diapers, toys, snacks, bottles, and sippy cups.

We arrived a little early for our appointment. To our horror, the waiting area was jam-packed with families waiting to have their picture taken in the single studio. As we figured, they were running about an hour behind schedule. We decided to whether the storm and play man-to-man defense. At our house, Erica and I are either using man-to-man or zone defense to take care of the boys, depending on the situation. Today was a good man-to-man opportunity. She took Cameron out to feed him and hopefully wake him up. I took Brady to get a pretzil with cheesey dipping sauce. We waited, but luckily both boys were good. As our turn was getting near, Brady was starting to tell us how he got his picture taken back in May in this studio with Babcia and Dziadziu. I don't know how he remembers all of this, but he does. It is kind of strange.

Our turn came up, and in we went. For the most part, the boys cooperated as we went through the different poses. Then, we went and ordered our pictures. By this time it was 6:30, and both boys were showing signs of fatigue. Cameron was getting cranky, and Brady just wanted to be put down so he could run around the store. Somehow, we managed to keep them entertained while we looked through pictures.

We finally left the store close to 7:00 and completely exhausted. In the car, I told Erica how I saw a young couple with an infant in the studio. I remembered that it wasn't that long ago that we were in that same situation, but now with two kids and our hefty double-stroller, it is more than double the work to do something like we did tonight.

But, I think it will be worth it. The pictures came out great!

Its Turkey Time!!!

Its almost time for Thanksgiving. Every year around this time, I offer my tips to turkey success. If you want the moistest, juiciest, tastiest bird you've ever had, I suggest you brine your turkey. A brine is super easy to make, and you leave the bird to soak in it over night. People always ask me, doesn't it make the bird salty? Not in the least!!!! The salt helps to promote osmosis, which carries the spices and flavors in the brine deep into the meat. If you'd care to try it, I offer Alton Brown's recipe below (if you get a chance to offer his special, "Romancing the Bird," on Food Network, it is the same recipe. Two things you'll want to remember as you do this: You don't need to stuff this bird...it cooks faster if you don't (which means less dry time). Also, use a probe thermometer for accurate cooking. It will come out perfect every time!


What you need:
1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey

For the brine:
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1/2 tablespoon allspice berries
1/2 tablespoon candied ginger
1 gallon iced water

For the aromatics:
1 red apple, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 sprigs rosemary
6 leaves sage
Canola oil

Combine all brine ingredients, except ice water, in a stockpot, and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve solids, then remove from heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

Early on the day of cooking, (or late the night before) combine the brine and ice water in a clean 5-gallon bucket. Place thawed turkey breast side down in brine, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area (like a basement) for 6 hours. Turn turkey over once, half way through brining.

A few minutes before roasting, heat oven to 500 degrees. Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes.
Remove bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard brine.

Place bird on roasting rack inside wide, low pan and pat dry with paper towels. Add steeped aromatics to cavity along with rosemary and sage. Tuck back wings and coat whole bird liberally with canola (or other neutral) oil.

Roast on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F. for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cover breast with double layer of aluminum foil, insert probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and return to oven, reducing temperature to 350 degrees F. Set thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let turkey rest, loosely covered for 15 minutes before carving.

new pictures

Brady shows off his cute outfit. Cameron and Mommy take a nap, and Cameron gets a bath in the sink

And the Award Goes To.....

Cameron James for sleeping a 7 hour stretch! He went to bed at 8:00pm and didn't wake up until 3:00am! Nice job Cameron. Lets see if we can do it again tonight!

Cameron Turned 6 weeks old on Tuesday. He's doing well sleeping longer stretches obviously and is starting to SMILE!!!