Yesterday, I even spent a good portion of the day attempting to kill the dandelions in our yard. Yes. We have yellow dandelions in our yard… in the middle of March… Probably because we haven’t had a snow day yet.
We’ve also been getting a lot of rain.
Like today.
The Hubs has been dying for hamburgers since he’s been eating healthier. Sundays are his days to be a little more relaxed.
He was very dedicated to his task… despite the thunder and lightning that rolled in.
“Yeah — but I’m not done napping yet. I’ll get up soon.”
Ten minutes later, I managed to crawl out of bed after my Sunday nap. Man, I love those things! (Well, who am I kidding? I like any kind of nap! I’m really good at them! But I digress…)
When I find Em, she’s sitting on the couch with a new set of clothes on.
“Mom. You know I accidentally slept with my clothes on last night?”
I’m wracking my brain and specifically remember her picking out a pair of “summerish” pajamas that she wore last night. I’m sure of it.
“Em, you DO realize that this is still Sunday, riiiight?”
“Oh, no! I thought it was Monday and I was going to school today!”
Fast forward about 20 minutes and we were back out in the snow.
This kid has been looking forward to building a snowman since our first dusting of snow. Around here, you never know when or if you’re going to get this kind of snow again so we had to take advantage of it.
Now remember, it feels like it’s been forever since I’ve made any sort of snowman. I always have this idea in my head that it’s going to be really fun and really easy (because everyone’s snowmen always look really good).
However, those dreams are hardly ever my case.
(I apologize for the bad lighting in the pictures… we didn’t get outside until about 4:30pm and we were losing daylight fast!)
Example #1: Frosty the Termite Mound
Example #2: Lumpy the Snowman
Almost done... Snow Momma
Em's very own Baby Snowman
I started to make my own baby snowman and determined pretty quickly that my gloves were VERY dirty. Can you tell?
My Baby Snowman and if you look really close you'll see the hubs in the window.
Now that Daddy was up from his nap, we begged him to help us find a carrot from the fridge for Snow Momma’s nose and then finished our creation!
Nose in place and a kiss goodnight!
Momma Snowman and her maker
And when the Snow Momma was finished, we took a final opportunity to sled once more in the backyard before it melts this week. The track was fast and fun!
…. as a follow-up, when we came inside we told Daddy how tough it was to make the snowman and how much work it really was. He didn’t seem to be buying it.
Later, I found out he thought THIS was the snowman that we had been working SO hard on…
...really? This took an hour to make?
It wasn’t until he went outside to pick up pizza for supper that he became acquainted with Snow Momma!
Ah, family life. Hehehe…
Soooo. What are your thoughts? Do you like to make snowmen? Do you roll them or have to sort of pat them together like we ended up having to do? Are there special tricks to making snowmen?
We had quite a bit of snow come down overnight and today was a great day for sledding. The sun was out, the snow was deep and there was no wind to speak of.
I hopped on the sled and made a few starter tracks and the rest is history…
It’s a stressful time at work, which leads to a stressful time at home because I have trouble shaking things that keep my mind spinning.
I’ve broken through the home stress with grace and mercy from my family and the crunchtime at work is starting to die down due to passing deadlines.
Which brings me to crunchy snow. Have I mentioned I love crunchy snow?
Days like these are the kind I wish I could capture in pictures or videos but you just can’t capture the cold, crisp air coming in and filling your nostrils and lungs and awakening you as opposed to the regular flinching and ducking your head like you’ve done for the past several weeks because the wind is what delivered that cold air.
Today actually brings the coldest weather we’ve had yet this winter. It was 7°F when I left the house this morning. The lowest we’ve had so far has been 13°F. I know this because our 5-year old daughter is our family meteorologist and loves checking and reporting the weather every day.
If 7° is what it takes to get crunchy snow. I’ll take it. The sun is shining this morning. The sky is blue. And, the snow is crunchy. I love the sound it makes as I walk across the parking lots and sidewalks.
It’s still not a great snow for snowmen or snowball fights but it will work for sledding. And that’s what I’m hoping to do this weekend with our daughter before the predicted rain comes. Yes, I’m going to go sledding, in the brisk air with crunchy snow. Hopefully the sky will still be blue and I can take my camera along for the fun.
If I do, I will share pictures because I’m nice like that.
The following is a recount of our recent trip (put together by my husband shortly after our trip) to Walt Disney World to help us remember all the details as time goes on. You may find some tips (especially at the end of the week) if you are planning a trip but this is mostly for our memory! =)
(Copied from The Hubs’ blog at tomhypes.com and I added in a few tidbits and pictures! — jenni)
Wednesday: A Lazy Day of Shopping and Eating
It was time for us to slow it down a little so we enjoyed a relaxed pace.
On the way to Downtown Disney, we had to take some of the buses.
We relaxed while waiting for the buses.
Snoozer Extraordinaire
While at the stop, Jenni noticed a plane doing skywriting. As we watched, we found the man was doing “Witness Writing” including the phrase “Love U Jesus” and “Jesus 4 Gives”
Love U Jesus
Jesus 4Gives
At Downtown Disney, we had lunch at the Rainforest Café (one of our favorite restaurants).
Giraffe Legs!
Emily also found another small carousel she wanted to ride. Then we did some shopping before calling it quits and headed back to the cabin for some naps. We were considering swimming after the naps but we got some unexpected rain so we skipped it.
Instead, we took a boat ride to the Wilderness Lodge for some dinner. We settled in at Whispering Canyon Café (which we HIGHLY recommend). Whispering Canyon Café is a perfect fit for the Wilderness Lodge environment. The great Christmas decorating of the lodge also set the tone. The staff is fun and energetic.
WE NEED KETCHUP!
Our favorite part was “I NEED KETCHUP!” When you need ketchup, that’s what your whole table yells in unison. Then whoever, needed it last, brings it to your table. Not one bottle, not even two…. but 28 bottles parade to your table and you have to keep them until you hear another table yell, “WE NEED KETCHUP!” Then your family parades all 28 bottles to them and drops it off. Emily loved it and still talks about it.
A boat ride back for a walk, the end of Survivor, and some sleep!
The following is a recount of our recent trip (put together by my husband shortly after our trip) to Walt Disney World to help us remember all the details as time goes on. You may find some tips if you are planning a trip (especially at the end of the week) but this is mostly for our memory! =)
(Copied from The Hubs’ blog at tomhypes.com and I added in a few tidbits and pictures! — jenni)
Tuesday – Epcot
To get to Epcot, it was a matter of a couple buses, which is not bad if you bring some patience. As a matter of fact, it is a blessing if you submit to it and let yourself slow down.
Emily had been looking forward to the “golf ball” building and couldn’t wait to go in it.
Throughout the day, Emily met Daisy Duck, Stitch, Chip and Dale, Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, Donald Duck, and Duffy. We also had a Princess Buffet breakfast at the Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe and Emily got to meet Belle, Alice from Wonderland, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and Jasmine. Emily got to join in on The Princess March and she got the autograph of our waitress, Emily, from Norway! =)
We rode Spaceship Earth, Maelstrom (Emily loved), Soarin’ (Grab a Fast Pass – this is awesome), and enjoyed the Seas including “Turtle Talk” which was awesome!
Emily enjoyed a half an hour nap on dad’s lap at the Seas.
We also ate Electric Umbrella and dinner at Via Napoli in Italy.
Jenni and I tend to believe we are not big fans of going the whole loop from nation to nation. It’s a great concept but doesn’t fully click for us.
They also had the Candlelight processional which looked interesting but also looked (like most special events) to be very crowded so we did a walk by but did not stop. =)
The following is just a recount of our recent trip (put together by my husband shortly after our trip) to Walt Disney World to help us remember all the details as time goes on. You may find some tips if you are planning a trip (especially at the end) but this is mostly for our memory! =)
(Copied from The Hubs’ blog at tomhypes.com and I added in a few tidbits and pictures! — jenni) Timing
We planned our trip for the first full week of December which was GREAT timing! The crowds were slim and the weather was great… The temperature was in the 60s and the 70s with only one short rain.
Sunday- The Surprise!
The moment finally came after church and our family was the last in the building. I set up our video camera in my office and we invited Emily in. The video reflects it all as Emily freaked out at the news and spent all her energy yelling and running in circles around inside the church and then outside in the parking lot.
(The YouTube video will be added back in here… it’s been temporarily set to “Private”.)
After a quick lunch at O’Charleys, we drove down to the airport. I dropped mom and Emily off with the luggage and went to park the car. After a quick shuttle ride, we were reunited and headed through security. Emily was just as excited about flying as she was about the destination and she grabbed the window seat. Mom was in the middle and dad on the aisle…. the same both ways.
Killing some time in the airport while waiting
for her first flight (that she remembers!)
After landing in Orlando, we met our driver of the Towne car service we hired. He helped us grab our bags, get loaded, and started the drive to the cabins of the Fort Wilderness Campground. We really enjoyed Demetrius, our driver, and he had great advice. He also drove us back to our cabin after we checked in which was a great blessing.
We made it!
Since it was late, we followed the recommendation of the front desk and headed for Trail’s End Restaurant for a great buffet. After a filling meal, it was back to the cabin to get some sleep before our adventures.
Special Note: Our key card for the cabin also served as our tickets to the parks and we set them up so that we could charge on them, which was very convenient. You just have to be somewhat aware of what you are charging so you don’t go overboard. We did our shopping on the room card and our food on the debit card. (We did not do the meal plan, which we did not regret for our case… we didn’t need snacks throughout the days or desserts with our meals.)
The front desk is also where Emily got her “1st Visit” badge which was great as it starts good conversations in the parks and gets you some surprises as the week goes on.
Monday – Magic Kingdom
The first visit was to the boat that runs from the cabins to Magic Kingdom. The scenery was wonderful and the water smooth.
I won’t remember all the details so I’ll do some summary and then notes….
On Monday, Emily met:
Sleeping Beauty
Belle
Princess Jasmine
Mickey & Minnie
Emily loved seeing Cinderella’s castle and we got to watch part of a show on the main stage there with multiple characters.
Cinderella's Castle
Emily and her Dad
We rode It’s a Small World, Peter Pan, the Carousel, Snow White’s Scary Ride, Winnie the Pooh, and the PhilharMagic
For lunch, we went to Pinocchio’s Village Haus. (We had no complaints with any of the restaurants we went to.)
Emily had been dreaming about the fireworks at Cinderella’s castle for a long time so we went to that on Monday night. The crowds were horrible and people were rude, including to little kids. I had Emily ride on my shoulders to keep her from getting beat up. The fireworks were too loud for her so she didn’t enjoy it as much as she thought she would.
Cinderella's Castle at Christmas!
Fireworks at Disney
After the fireworks, it was a mess. We hadn’t eaten yet and most of the restaurants were full of private parties. (I hate that!)
My patient wife found a great option while I was in a bad mood and we went to the Main Street Bakery.
Over the weekend we joined my cousin and his family for a visit to Inniswood Metro Gardens for some family photos. The weather was fabulous and we had a great time. Thanks for inviting us along!
Emily and her cousin, Christian
Christian, Emily and Caleb
Em in her “Rock Star” outfit
Yeah, I don’t know what they’re doing either…
Posing wasn’t happening for either one of them. …so let’s climb Mt. McDaddy instead!
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