One down...the exciting one to go...

Had my regular appointment this morning. And although it took a while, they did find the heartbeat. I am starting to believe (and how embarassing is this) that I just have too much Hannah pooch left down low, and that is why it is hard for them to find it. Yet another reason to have lost all that baby weight before getting pregnant again (tho in my defense, the rest of my stomach was gone...just not the baby pooch). Anyways...everything else was good, and extremely uneventful. Now just bring on Thursday!!! I can not wait to see our little one again and to be able to stop calling it "it!" I am also ready to start thinking about names, but we just can't seem to get in the mood to think of names when we don't know if it is a boy or girl!

and on a completely different note....here is Josh...in time out. He did something to bug her at dinner time and she put him in her time out chair. She actually has spent very little time in the time out chair so far. She is pretty obedient, but when she doesn't want to do something, she willingly goes and puts herself in time out, gets out and then does it happily. It's like she wants to make a statement. She did the whole Super Nanny thing--told him what he did wrong and told him she loved him and hugged him before he got up! She amazes me sometimes!

And the hits keep coming...

* to wash dishes in our house, you must do the following: simultaneously push the "heat dry" and "normal wash" buttons until all the buttons light up. Turn on hot water and let it run hot for 3 minutes. Push the "wash" button. Let it run for 30 seconds. Press "cancel/drain"...twice. Press "wash." Repeat at least three times, or every time the "clean" button flashes. And...did I mention that you practically have to hand wash the dishes before you load it. And, if you are really lucky, you might get a couple of dishes that are fit for using.

* to wash clothes, make sure that you slam the lid down, and then punch it closed again. Otherwise, it will get stuck after rinse and refuse to spin and drain.

*That long piece of wood hanging off the wall in our stair well? Yep, that would be our banister.

*In the last week there have been rescheduled dissertation defense dates (a source of much unhappiness and stress in our home) and a horrible case of bronchitis that still has me praising God for 45 minutes of uninterrupted sleep (plus a parapro who is out this week with a sick child). There have been broken hearts and lots of girl drama.

*But the kicker? The proverbial straw? The icing on the cake? Yep...that would be the car that sat for ten minutes this morning...half in our driveway and half in the street because it wouldn't start. The car that was just in the shop for 6 whole weeks. The car that we just paid $2500 for because we thought it was fixed.

So is it any wonder that I am worried about my appointment tomorrow? It is just a regular monthly appointment, nothing special (that comes on Thursday--our big ultrasound!) but with last month's appointment and the great "no heartbeat" trauma, I'm a little spooked. I have been so sick these last two weeks and I haven't really noticed a whole lot of movement. And I still haven't been able to find peace in this pregnancy. I have a feeling this will be a long night--not only because of the violent coughing fits, but because my mind will not sleep, even though my body craves it more than anything. My devotion this morning, and really for the last few days, has been about surrenduring to God, and this is one area in which I struggle. When I say that I have to surrender every single day, it is an understatement. I have to struggle to surrender every day. The control freak in me just doesn't want to let it go, yet I know I will never find peace until I do. How to do this...that is the question. I know I need to, my scripture reading confirms it--I have verse after verse highlighted in my Bible, reminding me of my weakness and my dependence on Him. And though I can say in my head, and aloud, that I should and will "let go and let God"...this is one thing, that for me, is easier said than done.

Easy Like Sunday Morning...

Remember that old song???? I am not even sure who sang it---James Taylor maybe? Growing up, I remember this as being true. Sunday mornings meant waking up to Neil Diamond or John Denver on the stereo, my parents sitting calmly in the quiet, reading the paper. I do n't remember chaos, rush, or stress. Yet, here it is Sunday morning, and even though it is hours before anyone else will even be thinking about getting up, I know right now that it will not be a peaceful, easy Sunday morning. It will be a frantic search for clothes, arguments about the bathroom, and a last minute rush to get out the door. And when we get home, there will be even more chaos...but only for me...as everyone else relaxes and I frantically will be trying to finish the laundry, pick up from the morning madness. But then I go to church, and the stress of the morning vanishes. I lose myself in the worship, the fellowship, the peace. And this is my typical Sunday morning.

Today is not a typical Sunday morning, though. First of all, it's five in the morning and I have been up for an hour and a half. Because I am sick...so sick. All week, I have been trying so hard not to give in to it...the fatigue, the cough, the headaches, the body aches. I made it through each day only to come home and pretty much collapse until having to get up and do it all over again. The house? yuck...it is gross. The laundry? well, seeing as our washing machine also broke this week...no comment. The dishes? Let's just say that I went out and bought paper plates and cups...not only because they were piling up, but the dishwasher also broke. Saturday morning, I woke up, and I was sick. Not the "ug, I feel bad, but I'll just muddle through" sick, but the lay in the bed and cry, can't lift your head off the pillow, it hurts to breathe kind of sick. So I sucked it up and finally went to the doctor. Bronchitis, sinusitis, and an ear infection. Started on antibiotics yesterday and while I was able to sleep a few hours last night, I woke up this morning with a horrible sore throat, a blinding headache, and well, I will save you from the details of the rest.

And yet, in three short hours, the house will be awake again, and the Sunday morning chaos will begin. And I will still have to join the frantic search for church shoes, iron clothes, find something for breakfast. While Daryl has many admirable qualities, being able to do anything while he is trying to get himself ready...not one of them. It is as if nothing else exists. A man thing, maybe--or just my man? (either way, irritating, but I digress) And unlike our typical Sunday morning, I will be waving good bye to them as they go to church, and I stay home.

And I will miss it. This is the second Sunday this month that I have been sick. And I hate that. Not because I feel like it is something I have to do, out of obligation, but something that I want to do. Those few hours on a frantic Sunday morning refuel and refresh me. It is my turn , after a week of spiritually "feeding" and teaching others, to be "fed." I'll most likely retire back to bed once everyone leaves and I can't keep anyone up with my tossing and turning and hacking, and I imagine I will find some good praise music on the radio. I will probably also to be able to find a service on the radio as well to listen to. But it won't be the same as worshipping, fellowshipping, praying with my church family and the wonderful (albeit messy, loud and chaotic) family God has graced me with.

Maybe, just maybe, an easy Sunday morning isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Missed opportunities

My first picture was going to be of Hannah building a "castle" with her duplo blocks. This is her newest obsession, and every night we have to play for at least an hour before bedtime. However, she refused to get in the picture and I refused to take a picture of just the blocks. I think I must have gotten it from my mother that there must be people in the picture!

So then my second picture attempt was going to be a super cute picture of Hannah and Little Phil standing at the door together looking out. Really really cute, and if she didn't know I was taking the picture she couldn't very well refuse it...right? Just as I was about to snap the picture, she opens the door and Little Phil dashes out. After a half hour of running around the neighborhood with a hot dog in hand yelling for him and cornering him, only to find that the 2 year old dog is much faster than a 41 year old pregnant woman or two fairly fit teenagers, we got him, but it was time to head to church, so again no picture.

Hopefully tomorrow!

A Star is Born

Tonight was Sarah's play, Beloved Dearly, about a
group of kids who goes into the pet funeral business. Sarah, who plays Swimming Pool (a girl nicknamed so when her brothers were disappointed to get a baby sister instead of a new swimming pool), is hired to cry at the funerals, even though she is a tough tomboy and never cries. It was a cute play and Sarah was wonderful. I was so proud. Here she is right before the play.







And a few scenes during the play.

And afterwards with her flowers. The girls and I stopped at Publix on the way to the play to get Sarah some flowers as a surprise. As soon as Hannah saw her, she blurted out, "We got you flowers!" So much for surprises!

Sunday Sweetness

Is this not the sweetest little ponytails you have ever seen? This morning we were getting ready for church and Hannah liked her hair so much she asked me to take a picture. I tried to get her in a better place, but she insisted on sitting next to the pantry!

It has been a productive and relaxing weekend. Next week is testing week at school, which means that I did not have to write lesson plans. All last week, I kept up with my grading, so I had no papers to grade. I got laundry done, had some sweet Hannah time, and actually got some housework done. AND most impressively, finished one book and started on another. I am ready for Spring Break. We will be at my mom's, and I plan on making a trip to Goodwill before we go. Ours has a great book section and I usually can get at least 15 books for $20! Sun, reading, free babysitter...good times!

Bubbly...

Feeling rather "bubbly" today. First of all, my wonderful hubby came home with this for me:

Yes, it is a new laptop, and yes, it is as small as it looks! That's a regular throw pillow it is sitting on! I love it...having a laptop again...and it is too cute. Very small, though, and some of the keys are in different places, so it will take some getting used to. It is supposedly way cheaper than a regular laptop and does the basic. No fancy stuff, but luckily, I am not a fancy kind of girl. The good news is that no one but me is allowed to use it, and I'll be back to regular posting!

On another bubbly note...we went to Michael's today to pick up some craft items for a project Sarah has at school...and Hannah's choice of a treat was bubbles (it was also a pig hat, a wand, a piggy bank, and a crown before she decided on the bubbles. AND she broke the piggy bank, which I tried to pay for, but that is a different story!) We had fun with the bubbles when we got home...after she spilled them all...twice

My very first baby girl...

Motherhood is such a juggling act. And to be honest, I rarely feel like I do a good job at "keeping my balls in the air." I always feel like something is getting the majority of my attention, the good part of me. If I have it together at school, my house suffers. If I cook every night and make sure the laundry is done (HAHAHAHA!), then it is most likely true that I have a stack of papers to grade and am behind on some sort of paperwork. I always thought I did a pretty good job of not playing favorites and treating my children will equal amounts of love and attention.

It became glaringly obvious tonight that this is not true after all. Sarah was resetting my background on my desktop, and looked through the blog to find pictures of everyone to make a collage. She only looked through March, but couldn't find a single picture of herself. My heart just broke in two when I realized that I hadn't blogged about her or taken a picture of her all month, and broke in two again when I pondered the fact that she might indeed get from this that I care less about her or that she is less important. Which could not be farther from the truth.

Sarah is the classic middle child. Her older and younger siblings are very intense and have no problem making their needs known. Sarah is more laid back and go-with-the-flow, and she will willingly put her desires on hold to help someone else or to smooth out a sticky situation. She is enormously talented, yet will not perform in front of people. She is the sweetest, kindest, most nurturing teenager I know. She is beautiful inside and out. And I hope that I never again fail to make that abundantly clear to her.


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And since we are talking--OK, I'm talking/writing--about my dropping my balls.....

Every time I got pregnant, I made a cross-stitched stocking for the baby-to-be. Their first Christmas always came with their made by mom with love stocking hanging on the mantle. I look at each one and remember how I lovingly and diligently worked on each one so they would be done in time. With Josh, it was done way before his first Christmas. With Sarah, it was about a week before Christmas when I finished. With Maddy, it was maybe 2 days--my mom sewed it together right in the nick of time. With Hannah....umm.....well....OK...ball dropped. I started, got busy, and stopped. I got started with one, and the cat peed on it. I got another, easier one that I really didn't like and Sarah borrowed it for a prop for a play and I never found it again. In the meantime, Hannah was perfectly happy with each of the stockings that I got for her at Christmas. But I just felt so ashamed that I had not had enough diligence and discipline to get it finished.

So...now facing being two kids behind, I bit the bullet and ordered two--one for Hannah, and one for the little one to come. My plan is to get at least Hannah's done by Christmas and get started on the other. I have to, need to, MUST take it easy this summer and stay off my feet so that I can make it to my due date without bedrest like last time, so maybe it will get done this time!

Chopsticks

Tonight at dinner, I looked over to see Hannah with her fork and a pen in her right hand, trying to eat. I told her to put the pen down so she could eat better, and she told me, "I want to eat with chopsticks!" Daryl and I had to ask her again about three times to make sure we heard her right and then she managed to pick up her spaghetti with her "chopsticks" and eat the rest of her meal like that! We have no idea where she got this from. Her babysitter, Kay Kay , is Phillipino, but when we asked her if she used chopsticks at Kay Kay's she said no.

Please excuse the spaghetti sauce on her forehead!

Lazy, rainy weekend...

And the mysterious underlining is gone too!!!!

This weekend, Josh took the SAT--here he is coming back with his lunch, all weary and studied out. How in the world did I get old enough to have a child taking the SAT?

Sarah and Hannah made cookies for Sarah's Christian service project. She then delivered them to our neighbors in an act of good will. Sarah really did most of it, but you know that Hannah had to get in on the action!
Josh and Hannah enjoyed Fun Dip together! First dog food, now sugar dipped in sugar. Not going to win any mom of the year awards, huh?

Other than that, we did nothing. Daryl worked on his shop--which I hopefully will be able to post pictures of soon. I am anxious for him to get it done so that

a. he can get all of his construction/electrical stuff out of the house!

b. so he can get started on the addition he is building onto the back of the house.

"What?" you say. "I thought that once he was finished with the downstairs, he was done! I mean, after all, except for the upstairs bathroom, he has remodeled every room in the house in the last seven years!"

Not only did this surprise give Hannah a playmate, but also a reason for Daryl to begin another project, and for anyone who knows him, he is happiest when he has a project in the works somewhere.

I spent Saturday crying--over nothing really--just crying. Then Saturday night into Sunday morning, I spent with a wicked stomach virus. I am hoping that all the crying was due to impending illness and not a sign of things to come!

Fun with dog food...

WARNING: I am aware that everything is underlined, and no, I have no idea why or how to fix it!

I'm pretty sure that I never said to myself, "I will never let my child play with dog food." I mean...who would even think to say that? Of course you wouldn't let your child play with dog food. How gross is that?

Yet, that is exactly what I did. I was working on grading reading units and needing some non-Mom time. So when Hannah asked if she could feed the dogs, I did it. I let her. I did even more than that. I gave her a measuring cup and told her to scoop the dog food and then take it over to the dog bowl.

This kept the child busy for AN HOUR, and I don't think she has had so much fun in a while. And yes, the thought of stopping her did occur to me for maybe a nano-second, then I figured that she could take a good bath afterwards and that was that.

My big girl about to begin her big girl job.

She really had to go deep to get to it.

In fact, all the way in the bag...to the bottom.

Singing "Happy Birthday" to the dogs. After all, isn't that what you do after you make a "birthday cake?"

And then, yes...I did let her get out a tupperware bowl and spend 20 minutes transferring it from one bowl to another!

"I'm a crazy girl...I'm a lollipop!"

Not quite sure what that means, but that's what she said when tonight she was trying to get herself dressed. She managed to get the pants on all by herself, and she got the shirt on...but just this far. Cute cute cute.

And I needed this silliness today. I was priding myself (note to self and everyone else--do not pride in yourself!) in my ability to keep my moods in check with this pregnancy. Ordinarily, I feel very deeply and have a hard time keeping those feelings to myself--you can read it in my face, my words, my motions. That is without the hormones. This week, and especially today, the hormones...and the mood swings hit with a vengeance. Everything has irritated me--from the way the kids have chewed their pop-tarts to the fact that there wasn't a clean glass in the house. What has finally sent me over the edge, though, is this house. Usually, I can tell myself--you have four kids, four dogs, a full time job, and a wonderful, though slovenly, husband. Right now, that just isn't cutting it. The dishes, the laundry, the dirty floors, the dusty ceiling fans, stuff everywhere you look, and good grief...the dog hair. IT IS DRIVING ME CRAZY! (And yes, I realize that in internet speak, that is yelling...and that's because I feel like screaming..and stomping my feet, and crying) I know this weekend will bring little relief. It is end of quarter, and I have HUGE amount of grading and school work to do. The girls--my built in babysitters--are doing a Christian service project all day on Saturday. Daryl will be off who knows where doing who knows what...but something to do with electrical, I'm sure.

In the end, I know...it really doesn't matter...doesn't matter eternally. In my mind though, so often focused on the here and now, it is this huge black cloud. And I realize that it's silly, and petty, and that I have soooo much to be thankful for, that my biggest blessings are what makes this house so messy and my life so chaotic. And I realize that people I know and love would do anything to have their biggest worry be a messy house, disorganized life. How humbling is that?

My soccer star....

Tuesday night was Maddy's first soccer practice. There were only enough 6th graders signed up to have two teams, so they will rotate all of them on two teams, Thunder and Lightning, throughout the season. Each week they will regroup and two different groups of six will play each other. Maddy is super excited for the season to start and she was on cloud nine all day Tuesday.
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On another note...we are back down to one computer for all of us. Daryl ordered a new laptop and for two sweet days, it was a little better. Then, after Daryl had created almost all of his power point presentation for his dissertation(and not backed it up...because hey...it is a new computer), the hard drive died. So we are back to one computer, three busy teenagers , one dissertation writing hubby, and an easily amused by Dora on the computer toddler fighting for the computer. And not surprisingly, I get it once everyone has gone to bed--when I am too tired to even care, or early in the morning before everyone gets up--when I am too busy getting everyone ready for the day. So postings are likely to be few and far between until Daryl is done with his dissertation, or I learn to stay up late!

Feeling rather MacGyver'ish...

Yesterday, to my horror, I found that the end of my camera cord had been rolled over with the computer chair and it would no longer fit into the camera. Today, when I got home from work, I was determined to make it fit again...it just isn't in the budget to get a new camera right now. And what do you know...a pair of tweezers, a safety pin, and one steak knife later,...voila! It fits! Now, I will be forever taking pictures with a camera cord handing from the side of the camera, because I am scared to take it out again and not be able to get it back in!

On Saturday night, after a bath, Hannah asked for panties. With a little trepidation and a whole lot of hope, we tried...and she stayed dry for about 3 hours. Granted, she went to the potty 8 times, but hey...baby steps! Yesterday after church, we put panties on her again, and she did great, except for one accident. I had gone downstairs to put away laundry, and I heard her through the monitor say, "Maddy, I need to go tee tee." So I, assuming Maddy was there with her, did not make a mad dash for her room. Turns out, a mad dash would have been a good idea! Still..the rest of the day dry!

We have 6 diapers left...when we went to Sam's, we chose to buy Pull-ups instead, so I guess we're stuck potty training now!

One thing you should never speak aloud....

"What else could go wrong this week?"

What a week it has been! My usually unflappable husband even agrees with me (usually I get a "it's all good, and God still is on the throne" from him when I bemoan something that has happened).

1. Josh's car, which we thought needed a new belt or two, needs close to $2000 in repairs.
2. The dishwasher? Broken Now for those of you who grew up washing dishes by hand, I applaud you. I did not. And I do not enjoy it. Especially with the HUGE amount of dishes this clan uses in one day.
3. Daryl's sister Denise did not get good news at her doctor's appointment. It's still early to really know anything until they meet with the doctor again, but still, it was a departure from her usual appointments. And I don't know who I am more worried about--Denise or her momma!
4. Tired of the ever-increasing number of gray hairs on my head, I colored my own hair. Note to self and anyone else: the color you usually use will turn out 4 shades darker when you are pregnant, causing everyone around you to ask you if you are sick or tired and none of your clothes are in the right color palette any more.sigh.

All seemed to be settling down until this morning, when Daryl twisted his ankle coming out of his "shop" that he is building in the back yard. This is what I came home to when I returned to the grocery store...

Now, if you know Daryl, you know that NOTHING keeps him down for long, but here he has lain (lay? laid?) since 9:00 this morning. Not a good sign.

I went shopping today...Daryl gave me a $200 budget to buy myself some maternity clothes. If it would just stay cold for a while, I would just be fine with a bella band and my big ol' sweaters. But seeing as warm weather seems to be here...I'm down to a dress, a pair of jean capris, and various men's t-shirts size 3X. Which leaves me with...hmmm...one dress to wear to work. I could just kick myself--AGAIN. I had just, over the Thanksgiving break, gotten rid of everything even remotely big on me, in an effort to maintain the diet momentum. There was so much that I could have used right now! This is the second time I have done this and ended up pregnant (*Note to self...keep all fat clothes for eternity...or at least through menopause)

Shopping for maternity clothes is not fun...at least not for me. I swear, I think I have reverse body dismorphic disorder, because I really don't think I look as supremely huge as I do in the dressing room mirrors. And seeing as most maternity clothes are made for tiny women who become pregnant, it turned out to be a very unpleasant trip. I ended up with enough shirts to get me through the week, ONE pair of pants, and a self image that is now in the toilet. I know I should just get online and order some from a maternity shop, but maternity clothes for plus sized women are either a. ugly or b. hugely expensive. I think I"ll be washing alot!

On the plus side...it is a beautiful day, and I just spent an hour sitting in the sun reading. I'm hoping that I got a little color--how I do love a tan, I tell you--and maybe my hair lightened up a little!

What happens when your husband replaces all the lightbulbs in your house?

You suddenly realize how utterly disgusting your house is and are embarrassed to take any more pictures. True story!

Happiness is...

All four children, in one car, laughing, singing, dancing. And not one fight, all the way home!

Must be the hormones...

or just the fact that I have realized again...for the 100th or so time...what a wonderful man I married.

Last night was a rough night. Hannah has been fighting going to bed, but last night was worse than ever. Once we did get to sleep, she woke up again screaming at 12:00 that her "diaper hurt." This is a common plea of hers, since she found out that it gives her a few more minutes with mom and dad and a chance to get out of bed. I remember waking up and hearing her, trying to convince myself to get up and take care of her, and then Daryl getting up with her. While I was grateful, I really didn't give it much thought as I fell back asleep.

At 2:30, he woke me up to ask where the Benadryl was. So I got up, gave some to her, and he told me to go back to bed. I watched as he fixed himself up on the couch, with Hannah draped across him, rubbing her back. Sweet, I thought, but I really couldn't wait to get back to bed. Once I got into bed, I could hear him talking to her through the intercom, and I tell you, my heart just melted. This big strong man, who does not do well without sleep, was just as patient and kind as he loved and sang and soothed her. And this morning? No grouching around. He was tired, and sort of silent until he got upstairs, but then as soon as Hannah woke up, it was like none of it ever happened.

I remember when we were trying so hard to conceive, and I felt so bad that I could not give him a biological child. He told me in no uncertain terms that he didn't care if I ever had a baby, that the three that we already had were more than he ever could have imagined. That he had no real need to have a baby, a toddler, a child that came from him. And yet, I cannot even fathom him not having this kind of love, of never being able to give it to him. They say that you fall in love with your husband all over again when you watch them as a father, and it couldn't be truer. Every single day, no matter what else is going on in our lives, I fall just a little bit more in love, have a little bit more respect, and like him just a little bit more as I watch him with our children.

When we met him, Josh told me one night, "God has sent us an angel, Mom." And really, I believed him then. And I believe him now.

The worst 30 minutes of my life....and an unexpected photo shoot!

I had my 12 week appointment today, and I was looking forward to it. Today would be the first time that I would be able to hear the heartbeat on the doppler. That wasn't to be, though, as the nurse midwife could not find the heartbeat, despite her best efforts. As I lay there on the table, a silent doppler and an equally silent nurse midwife echoing in my brain, my heart, tears streamed down my face. When Mary Kay said, "We're not going to let you out of here without an ultrasound, because I'm worried," I all but lost it. As I sat in the waiting room (yes,...they made me go back to the waiting room to sit with all the pregnant women because they needed my room), you could hear a pin drop, as all casual conversation stopped when I walked in the room, visibly upset and still crying. I had to wait 30 minutes, and in between texting Daryl (I couldn't call him because then I would have REALLY lost it had I heard his voice), I prayed, giving God the glory and praise for giving us this new life...even if it were only for a short time, but begging for more.

They called me back before Daryl could get there, so he missed the glorious sight...of a little bitty heart, just beating away, and arms and legs waving. I cried all the way through the rest of the ultrasound, all the way through the rest of my appointment, and all the way home.

I got home, and the ultrasound photos were waiting in my e-mail inbox! They are so much better than the pictures that we got just on Wednesday, when we went in for our nuchal scan. I thought this one was the best, though to be honest, they are all just so beautiful!

Baby Stone #5, 12 weeks 3 days

(and we are all calling the baby a "he")

hmmmm.... :)

SNOW DAY!!!!!

After a rather long night, we woke up--not to a winter wonderland--but to rain. We were all disappointed to say the least. Yet, we held out a little hope after checking the weather channel. Sure enough, during church, Sarah noticed that the "rain" falling outside the windows was white...and before the end of the service, there was no denying it...we were having a snowstorm!

We had planned on going to Nanny's to celebrate her birthday and Darlene's birthday at lunchtime, and we still went. Maddy was thrilled that Katie was there too. They spent most of their time in the snow in the backyard and were both soaked by the time it was lunchtime!

Darlene had brought this beautiful cake for our beautiful Nanny who turned 76 today!We left shortly after cake to make sure we could make it home safely, and because I was in real need of a nap. The kids took the first hour home to play in the snow!

Please note that this is NOT a mom-approved outfit for Josh. He actually did snow angels in this!

After everyone had their fill of snow, we all came in and got warm and dry, and I went to bed for a much needed, but much longer than expected (3 hours!) nap, thinking surely surely surely that we would not have school tomorrow. I awoke to melting snow and winds that were evaporating the snow from the streets.

We spent the next three hours glued to the television, watching every single school system close but ours. The kids decided that going bowling would be a fun way to pass the time, and figuring a watched pot never boils, we headed to our local bowling alley.
Hannah was so excited to go bowling again ("This is a good day!" she said). Every time she threw the ball down the lane, she would sit down and wait for it reach the end.
We got the call while we were there that indeed, we had NO SCHOOL, and our first official SNOW DAY in three years tomorrow! We are looking forward to sleeping in, doing nothing, and most of all....not going to work!