O what fun it is to ride, on a two man plastic sled!

What an end to a fantastic weekend! Tonight, our bible study group threw us a baby shower! We were overwhelmed with the lovely gifts that everyone gave us! We got plenty of diapers, formula and adorable outfits for Joshua! Even Nathan did not leave empty-handed and he got a couple of gifts too! We were truly blessed by the generosity of our friends :) THANK YOU!

As Monday was a holiday, Nathan and I got to spend some quality time outside in the fresh snow that had fallen. He showed me how to make a snow angel, and I am happy to report that at the age of 34, I made my first ever snow-angel in the 15 inches of frozen fun! I can honestly say that it is not as easy as the kids make it out to be....

Afterwards, we tried our best to make a snowman, but unfortunately the snow did not co-operate :( It was very fluffy, and did not want to stick together, so our snow man looked more like a snow heap with a carrot nose.

Not much more snow fell during the week and on Thursday and Friday, the mercury ventured into unfamiliar territory, above freezing! This was a nice reprieve from the icy grip that we had been subjected to. On Saturday, Liesel and Nathan headed to the local library for some quality time together. Right after lunch, I took Nathan for some more sledding. The regular sledding spot was deserted, which I thought was unusual, but I welcomed the solitude! It was not until I made my way half way up the hill, that I realized why there was no-one else there! This was because the snow covered hill had been transformed into one huge ice block! Obviously with the warmer weather we had, the surface of the compacted snow melted and then froze again shortly afterward when the temperature plummeted! The fact that we were now climbing up a glacier didn't deter us, and we still had heaps of fun! I think the hardened, slicker surface contributed to much faster and farther rides. Nathan even went for his first ever solo flight downhill! We also experimented with a few variations of sledding, and one of Nathan's favorite one's was to sled backwards down the hill! See the video below of our adventure!


That evening, we had one of Liesel's friends over for dinner, along with her three sons who kept Nathan entertained. She is a barrel of laughs and we had a great time together.

On Sunday morning, I finished assembling Joshua's crib, that our good friends the Talmages had lent to us. The nursery is now complete with Joshua's crib set up, along with the sports-themed bedding set! Josh seems to be more relaxed and less fussy, after we put him onto another formula. Hopefully, it will agree with his digestive system....... and then he can sleep soundly through the night!! Well, that's what his parents are hoping for :)

Farewell to family, followed by frigid air!

It seems that Norman and Gabi made their way out of Ohio in the nick of time. It was a chilly Tuesday morning when they said their goodbyes. It was an emotional farewell since we became so accustomed to have them living with us, and only God knows when we will see each other again! After drying our eyes, we made our way to the airport, and Norman and Gabi made their way to one of the warmest states, Florida! They arrived there safely and when they spoke to us, they had just been out for a walk on the beach! Here, in Cleveland, we were probably around 90F colder than the southern states! We were experiencing what the forecasters call an "Arctic Blast". Some days saw a high temperature of just 6F(-14C). Nathan even had school this week, when Liesel's car showed the outside temperature to be -5F(-24C)! Ohioans are some of the toughest people I know!

On Thursday and Friday, the air was the coldest I have ever experienced!! The wind chill lowered the mercury to near record lows of -25F (-32C) and with every inhalation of this super-cooled air, the mucous in your nose freezes instantly. I could literally feel the ice crystals forming which, believe me, is pretty freaky!!

Due to the unforgiving cold air, we opted to stay indoors for the majority of the weekend. The only times we dared to venture out, was for some salt to melt the ice on our driveway, and for church on Sunday. We had another decent snowfall of 4.5" on Saturday night - which gave me the opportunity to fire up my trusty snow thrower again :) Of course this new snow, fell on top of the existing snow which was already over a foot high! But Liesel and I love it!!! You can see Nathan's picnic table with snow piled high above it (below). Also note that the snow is at the same level as our second step by the kitchen door!



Tomorrow we have a public holiday, and I think the weather has warmed up enough (20F/-7C) to take Nathan sledding again :) You can tell you have been living in Ohio, when you consider temperatures in the 20's warm :P

Doctors, Downhills, and Dedication

This week signaled the end of my vacation and the start of a new year of work for me, as I gave up the warmth and comfort of my bed at 6am and got ready to head back to the office! This was also the week that the first significant snow falls of the season made their way through Cleveland! So imagine my surprise when I arrived home on Thursday expecting to use my snowblower to clear my driveway of the 4 inches of snow that accumulated during the day and discovered that Liesel's parents and Nathan shoveled the driveway and sidewalks for me!! For them, it was a first, and they enjoyed it!

On Friday, Liesel took Nathan and Joshua to the doctor, because Nathan complained of "an owie in the back of my mouth" and Josh had been exceptionally fussy and gassy lately. It turned out that Nathan had a case of strep throat and Joshua was discovered to be lactose-intolerant! The poor boy was indirectly getting a good dose of dairy from Liesel's diet, and this was causing him distress because the dairy proteins couldn't be digested! So the doctor put Joshua on a Lactose-free formula. Within 24 hours, we could already see a remarkable difference in little Joshua, as he seemed more contented and generally happier with life!

A 9 inch thick blanket of snow greeted us as we woke up on Saturday morning! It was absolutely stunning and exciting!!! Exciting, because I finally had a chance to make use of my snowblower! So at 8:30am, the snowblower started first time, and I headed down my driveway, carving a significant path through the white powder! I am pleased to say that my snowblower has lived up to my expectations and I cleared my driveway and sidewalks in a fraction of the time it used to take me! In fact, I got to use it again later that afternoon, and once more on Sunday! In total we had about 12 inches of snow, which is definitely something that the average resident of Botswana would never see! Liesel's dad had great fun walking around taking photos of the white landscape with his new camera! In fact, the today's photos are courtesy of Norman Schaefer (c).

Later that afternoon, I took Nathan and Gabi sledding at a local playground with Norman being the official observer. Nathan went down the hill with me and his grandmother, and we all had a fantastic time! This was another first for Gabi, and from the smiles and giggles, I know she loved every second of it! I did not realize how much hard work sledding actually is, as what goes down, must go back up the hill! Hiking back up the hill, in 12 inch deep snow, while hauling a 40 pound child on his sled is no walk in the park!

That evening, Liesel and I headed out on a rare date night, and we ended up at a local coffee shop, where we ordered hot chocolate, and sat next to a fireplace, with our feet up and just talked! It was great, and definitely needs to be repeated!

Our highlight for the weekend was Joshua's dedication. We decided to have Joshua dedicated while Norman and Gabi were with us. Jim, our pastor, performed the ceremony for us, and it was lovely. Nathan joined us on the stage as we pledged to raise Joshua in a godly fashion and in a godly household. Below is a video clip of the dedication, also taken by Norman. Don't worry, as the video dows turn the right side up after a few seconds!


After a superb lunch cooked by Gabi, Nathan wanted to head back to the sledding hill, so the 4 of us returned to the park, leaving Liesel and Joshua to have a nap at home! Many more calories were burnt that afternoon, but they were quickly regained when we went to the Talmage's house for coffee, home made chocolate chip cookies and American Cheesecake Factory cheesecake!!!

Happy 2009!!!

So the sand has drizzled out of the hour glass of 2008, and the 2009 hour glass has been turned over and the countdown has begun again! Before bidding 2008 a final farewell, we were glad to be able to reunite Nathan's grandparents when we picked up his grandfather at Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport! Of course Nathan was thrilled to have his Opa come and stay with us!

Then came Old Year's Eve, and with some the people in the household under the age of 5, some suffering from Jet Lag, some experiencing sheer exhaustion, my choices of who would see 2009 in with me were extremely limited, and I ended up picking Joshua :) Well, it was time for his bottle anyway - and together we watched the crystal ball drop in Times Square on TV.

On the first day of 2009, Gabi treated us to an amazing lunch consisting of a roast leg of lamb, roast potatoes and sweet potatoes, butternut and more! If that meal was an indication how good 2009 will be, the McCarthy's are on track for an awesome year!
That afternoon, I took the Schaefers and Nathan for a scenic drive. It was still bitterly cold, but when I made a slight detour, we found an amazing wintery wonderland!

Friday was my day to work on my mini-project - my "Closet Improvement" project. I had purchased a couple of accessories from Lowes, and added an extra rail in our closet. But that meant I had to raise the existing shelves and rails, and with Norman's help, I completed the work without any problems!

On Saturday, Liesel's dad and I went to the movies to watch the story of Valkyrie, which was an eye-opening film! Later that afternoon, we took Norman and Gabi to a photo studio, where we gave them their Christmas gift, a photo shoot with the grandsons! The boys gave us some amazing poses and created such wonderful memories for us! They are so photogenic, so they must take after their mother :)



Unfortunately, my two weeks of leave have come to an end, and I make my way back to the office on Monday. During my time off I managed to start working on a song for our church's next Songwriter's Showcase. If there are any budding songwriters reading this, and are able to assist me with lyrics, please let me know!

Now, as we all embark on another journey into a new year, the McCarthy family wishes everyone a fantastic 2009 where dreams are realized and goals achieved!
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.