Okay, So Maybe There Are A Few Good Things About Winter...

I was just looking through the files and realized that we actually did have some fun while there was lots of snow out. I can appreciate those times better now that the snow is (mostly) gone and there is a hope of Spring in the (distant) future (do you like how I temper my optimism?).

Kudos to the snuggy, cozy house that has kept us so comfortable all winter (on 1 tank of oil for the ENTIRE winter, eat your heart out!)

Double Kudos to the man who clears our long driveway every time a speck of snow lands on it (do you like how I bravely took a picture of his back?). We LOVE our neighbor. We would much rather strain our backs making a batch of "thank-you" cookies than hefting wet New England snow.

And sometimes it is just nice to take a different perspective on life, whether the weather makes you feel tall....

Or small...

Or as it all goes speeding past you...

And the cold does bring out our cuteness when accessorized in winter apparel...

But not even the cold or cute winter accoutrement can disguise our mischief...

Or general sassiness...

Something to Jump About

We were ALL jumping up and down when bottles of Hornstra Farms Chocolate Milk were passed out to all the families after church today! Most of us ran into the house as fast as we could to guzzle the chocolatey goodness down, only Abz took time to do a happy dance in the puddles.

Normally I would have been less then amused, chocolate milk saved the day!

Cruisin' For a Bruisin'

Tadpole was born in this world to torment his older sister. He loves to steal her toys, pull her hair, tackle her and just get in her stuff. He doesn't mess with Superkid. You'd think by now he would have figured out that Superkid is less likely to knock his block off. But this shiner (no matter how much he deserves it) did not come from Abz. Tadpole took a header off of the couch onto a plastic storage bin (while I was sitting right next to him-doh!). It actually got a lot more nasty looking, but I purposely didn't take pics (no reason to do all of the work for DFS). 

Our Little Valentines

I don't think it can be disputed... We have the sweetest little Valentines...

And as a bonus, we had extra Valentine fun around here. Boo spent the weekend with us as she transformed into the Big Sister in her family and we all got a brand new Valentine cousin (you have to check out the link Tiney is a DOLL!)! 
Abizella has been BEGGING for months to have a sleepover with Boo, and their time together didn't disappoint. 
Besides twirling their days away, they had a special PINK Valentine bath where they used an entire can of pink Elmo soap (just incase you were wondering what the pink soap scum was on the new big sis, Andie).
And we entered year 11 of our chocolate covered strawberry Valentine's tradition. The first year was the night before Pops and popped  "The Question" and he "cooked" (i.e. he put the lasagna that his mother made in the oven and passed it off as his own) me dinner and topped it off with the most divine chocolate covered strawberries I have ever tasted (from Cummings, check it out if you are in SL). We made our own this year, and they didn't disappoint...
Don't let his sour face fool you, Tadpole snarfed through his weight in strawberries.

At Last!

We've done our best to entertain ourselves while we have been cooped up in our little house during the shivery, cold months. 

We've made gingerbread houses (shirtless!)...

We've eaten our share of frosting...

We've made cars and houses out of boxes...

We've even made up new dance steps (that some of us enjoyed more than others of us)...

We've watched movie after movie after movie eating bowl of popcorn after bowl of popcorn after bowl of popcorn...

We've eaten a few (dozen) cupcakes...

We've played "twinsies" with one of our favorite people...

We've even mixed it up by having some friends over for an indoor picnic...

But mostly we just stare off into space until we pass out...

And then, at long last, a warm balmy day! I walked onto the back porch to shake out a rug and thought that I had walked into the Caribbean. I grabbed Superkid and Abizella and briskly threw jackets and boots on them and sent them out to play armed with spray bottles full of food coloring, after all 42° and SUNNY was not going to be wasted on us!  With Tadpole down for a nap and the kids gallivanting in the back yard for more than an hour, I experienced a few moments of serenity.
While tomorrow promises more snow, we were all thankful for a winter reprieve (well, except Tadpole who slept through all of the fun).

Taco's Anyone?

Last year as our family was emerging from a bout of the stomach flu and looking to explore the world of food again, I held a conversation with my sister Cincha. I remember bumping around the kitchen looking for something palatable for us to consume. I was trying to remember what the BRAT diet consisted of.... I remember saying something like... "It is Bananas, Rice, Applesauce and .... I just can't remember what T stands for." Without skipping a beat, Cincha blurted out , "TACOS!" I remember doubling over in pain laughing and hurling at the thought of eating tacos at that juncture. Then she subtly said, "Okay, if it is not Tacos, it has got to be TUNA." I never recovered.

We are limping out of 6 days of the stomach flu around here. ...Okay, so there was a day or so break in the middle (my apologies to our pre-school friends... I thought the suffering was over) before it reared its ugly head again. This is nasty, and just when I thought that I had triumphantly survived without getting infected (armed with 2 cans of Lysol), I got thumped. Superkid has lived up to his name and emerged unscathed (keep your fingers crossed), he always does. Poor Abizella is the hardest hit. 

Even though the pic is of me, I am not the hero in this saga. Pops deserves all of the accolades. After deserting him on Saturday (the most violent day of the flu) for an early morning run and church meeting, I came home to find a joyful husband who said, "This has been the best day. I just love comforting our kids." Not only did he comfort the wee ones, he changed ALL of the bedding in the house and did ALL of the pukey laundry for the day.

And this is what he came home to tonight, a lump of my former self who pretty much didn't move the entire day. 

The kids proved themselves capable scavengers and managed a few "meals" on their own. Having a lump of a useless mom brought out the nurturing side of the children. At one point Abizella was begging for a hot dog and I was trying to convince her that it would just make her sick again. She said, "I will get it myself". From the kitchen I could hear her bumping around grabbing the hot dogs and ketchup. In her sweetest voice she said, "Superkid, would you like a hot dog, big guy?" She was very attentive to me, frequently caressing my forehead and asking me if I was, "feeling a little better" and tucking me back into the covers. Superkid informed me that he was, "born for snuggling" and spent most of the day curled up on top of me, encouraging me not to get up and to just watch cartoons. So I did.

While we are not "TACO" ready, I am hoping to make it through without further incident. 

Special thanks to Superkid for documenting our pathetic week with his photo-genius.

Wife Hunt

It all started a few months ago when Superkid came into the bedroom where I was folding laundry. With a pensive expressions he said, "Mom, I think I am going to marry a woman who is not too sexy. I will not be able to keep my mind off of her." I'm not sure where that came from, but after a good chuckle I tucked it away.

A couple of weeks later an Eddie Bauer catalog came in the mail and Superkid flipped through it, "to find a good wife" (remind me to get off the Vic's mailing list!).

Followed up with a discussion with Pops a few days ago, "Dad, I am not going to marry a woman with allergies because I am going to have a cat and name him Luke Skywalker."

So I guess Superkid is narrowing in on a "not too sexy, catalog model, non-allergic, sci-fi wife".

Let's face it, this kid is such a good catch he can afford to be choosey!