November 2022

November started off abnormally warm this year, with temperatures close to 70 F some days. But winter blew in swiftly and brought the first couple inches of snow. That melted quickly, and we were lucky not to get hit with 4 to 5 feet like Buffalo did this month. We've had some sick days, as a lot of bugs are still going around. Here is a link to all our photos and videos this month, and below is some elaboration of what we've been up to.

Power Outage (Rob)

The wind blew down a tree onto the powerlines just down the road from us, and that knocked out power for most of a cold Sunday. With no utilities, Becky put on some layers and got some cleaning done around the house while I took Alex back to the church later in the afternoon to let him drive his Krazy Kart in the gym (he is getting much better at it now, although the concept of steering still eludes him). By evening the house was cold and dark, so we played the ox in the mire card, and just went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner. The warm rolls lifted our spirits. The power was back on by the time we got home.

The End of the Prius (Rob)

Becky and Alex were in a car accident coming home, just about a half mile away from where we live. Apart from some bruises and headaches, Becky was ok and Alex just got scared for a moment, thankfully. The Prius unfortunately was totaled. It was totaled last year in a separate accident too, but in that case we chose get it repaired rather than replaced. The damage is probably much worse this time though, so we will try to replace it with another Prius of similar age and mileage (2013, 200k miles) although the insurance money kind of falls short of that. That's too bad because the car hardly had a scratch on it after two repair jobs to body damage the past couple of years. It also had new tires, was well-maintained, and was ready for another 200,000 miles in my opinion. Becky bought the car brand new before we were married and it's been nice to have, but sadly we'll have to say goodbye.

Alex Turns 6 Years Old (Rob)

Alex doesn't really have a concept of birthdays, but that doesn't stop us from celebrating. This year his birthday was the day before Thanksgiving, just like it was the day he was born. At his school, they had a little celebration for him and there is a cute video of that below. We took him out that evening to do his favorite thing right now, which is to go to the arcade at the mall. Then we came home and opened presents and had cake, with family joining by Zoom. He got some books and toys that he was very excited about, and also some cute clothes which he was less excited about. At age 6, Alex is 40 lbs. and about 42 inches, which now puts him on the smaller side for kids his age. Gradually, Alex has learned many words, and although language is still tough for him to grasp, he is constantly talking and singing, using words and songs that sometimes we can understand. He picks up more and more things from his games and videos. He is full of energy, imagination, and enthusiasm like most boys his age. Whenever we go somewhere, he gets his shoes, goes potty, and runs out to the car with gusto, making sound effects along the way. When we come home, he expresses a similar enthusiasm when get into town and then into the driveway. Playtime at home is usually jumping back and forth between various activities he enjoys, including games and shows on his iPad, cars and trucks in his bedroom, flipping through a stack of favorite books on his bed or couch, or playing with a toy usually set up on the kitchen table. Like his dad, he is very much a slave to carbohydrates and would eat toast, cookies, bagels, and muffins all day if we let him. His favorite word lately is "carrot," which he says in his own cute way so its hard to want to correct him (there are some videos of that).

Thanksgiving Weekend (Rob)

We had no big travel or gathering plans for the holiday weekend, so we just enjoyed doing our own thing and having time off work. On Thanksgiving, we went to the Walkway over the Hudson for a bit of exercise walking across the bridge. The weather was great most of the weekend, with temperatures in the mid 50s. We came home and enjoyed a homemade peach pie - the only major cooking we did all weekend - and watched shows. The next day we drove an hour to the West Nyack/Irvington/Tarrytown area of NY to look at a used Prius for sale. While there, we visited the Palisades mall, which is huge and was packed full of people with it being black Friday. Then we escaped the crowds and took a walk at a park with a distant view of the NYC skyline, and then got some really good sushi at a small Japanese restaurant nearby. The rest of the weekend we were just getting things done around the house, including putting up Christmas decorations, and I finished working on a talk for church. Alex is happy to see the Hallmark Christmas ornaments again.

Favorite New Things in November

Rob: I have two Netflix recommendations. The first is "I Used to Be Famous," which features an autistic actor playing an autistic character, and was quite charming. The second is "Mary Magdalene," which is an independent film with Joachin Phoenix playing the part of Jesus. Although Hollywood and Christianity have historically had compatibility issues, I thought this was was respectful portrayal that most Christians would enjoy. It is rated R, but I'm not sure why - the crucifixion scene is obviously not pretty, but it wasn't gratuitous gore like The Passion.

Alex: Alex now insists on riding in the special shopping carts that look like cars and have steering wheels, and he will search the parking lot at the grocery store until he finds one. Alex's favorite phrase lately is reciting a list of foods, always in the same order, that he seems to have come up with: "bread, apple, pie, banana, carrot, wheat..." He has also really been into Sesame Stree ABC songs on YouTube, especially the ones featuring Elmo with Usher and India Arie, and Kermit the Frog rapping.

Becky:  I would have to go with the Guardians of the Galaxy Christmas special on Disney+.  Pretty funny and way better than any Hallmark Christmas specials (which I generally avoid).