Valentine's Surprise

Last evening, we were surprised to look out our window and see snow swirling madly to the ground, and miracle of miracles, actually laying on the ground! There was no mention of this unexpected delight in the news to prepare us, which is highly unusual... snow is BIG news down here. Ron and I were anticipating a 2 hour delay for the girls as we snuggled into our warm bed last night.

Sure enough, there was a 2 hour delay this morning, so we got to savor the Valentine's giving this morning with the girls. I only wished they would be able to play in the snow a bit, but they had to get ready for school, so they could only gaze at it from the window. I was surprised to discover 50 minutes before McKenna was due to leave for school, that school had, in fact, been cancelled!

Well, there was no time to lose! The sun was already coming out and doing it's disappearing act on the snow that glistened in it's rays. I rushed the girls into their snow gear and ushered them outside to enjoy the snow before there was no snow to enjoy! We managed to scrape together 2 little snowmen before our frolic in the inch of snow was over. They are slowly becoming puddles as I type.

What a sweet surprise to have my 2 little Valentines home with me on this special day when we celebrate our loved ones. And this day is made all the more sweet knowing and rejoicing in the fact that Ron passed the ordination boards yesterday. All that hard work and stress is behind him, and we look forward to his being ordained at Lake Junaluska come June. So we have a double reason to celebrate this February 14. We are blessed.

Valentine Creations

Both of the girls' Valentine ideas came from Family Fun magazine this year, and we did, indeed, have fun making them.

Molly's "You Color My World" valentine was probably the most fun to make. One afternoon we scoured the house for old, used crayons. After rounding up a good amount in various colors, we peeled the wrappers off and broke the crayons up into smaller pieces. We placed them in my mini muffin tin and baked them until the crayons melted into the beautiful little "crayon tarts" you see Molls displaying in the photo above. We stuck them to hearts with the words: "You color my world" and voila! a finished Valentine, ready to grace the boxes of her preschool classmates. Molls was so sweet the whole time we were making the tarts. "This is so MUCH FUN, Mama! And we're doing this AGETHER!". It was an afternoon very well spent with my sweetheart of a 4 year old.

As soon as I saw the Dinosaur Valentines in Family Fun magazine, I knew they'd be perfect for McKenna to give to her friends. (She plays dinosaurs everyday on the playground with her buddies, Olivia and Carl). I cut out hearts and wrote "You're Dino-mite!" on them. Then we stamped heart-shaped "footprints" on them and McKenna selected which party-favor dino would leave it's tracks on which Valentine. She was delighted with the end result and eager to give them to her friends. But alas, they are home due to a snow day this Valentines Day, so the dinos will have to wait until tomorow to stomp their way into McKenna's classmates Valentine bag. Poor Molls will have to wait until Monday. They may be a bit disappointed not to be in school today, but I love having my Little Sweethearts home with me this Valentines Day. It was a lovely surprise!

Thirty-six

Just thought I'd post a photo of my "new look" for thirty-six: 'wispy bangs' and the tell-tale sign that I am getting older... glasses! ( I didn't realize how poorly I see out of my left eye until my recent eye-exam... as the doctor said, I'd been getting by solely with my right eye!).

I had a wonderful birthday with my family. It was just a great day and I was certainly "feeling the love" from family and friends. Thirty-six ain't so bad... but check in with me 4 years from now, and we'll see if I'm singing the same tune!

Princess Tea Party Photos and Footage

Portraits of a 7 year old...

I had the most fun birthday in the world! The disappointing thing was that I didn't have my birthday party on my birthday because we were supposed to get 4 inches of snow. We didn't get that much snow, but we did get some snow, as you can see in my picture. On my birthday we went to Toys R Us. I got a unicorn stuffed animal that is very big, and a beauty set. Then I went to the mall and I had a soft pretzel and apple juice for lunch. Then I was going to pick out a toy with my birthday money. But instead I wanted some frogs. Mommy said that they are easier than fish to take care of. They are called a very funny name... they are called African Dwarf frogs. I got 2 of them. Their names are Laslo and Lewis. I also got a snail named Wilbur. It was fun because I was with my family. I had Ritz Chicken for my birthday dinner and a cupcake with a 7 candle on it. We watched Ella Enchanted. It was funny and a little bit creepy. I had a Princess Tea Party on Monday. I wore the Enchanted Dress that I got for Christmas. That was the story of the best Birthday in the world.

Snow Day!

It's been big news here... we were expecting a "wintery mix". I laughed over this with my PA sister... a wintery mix is hardly newsworthy up there where a small snowfall is 2 inches. Down here in W-S, that is deep stuff. But, I digress...

Ron and I told the girls that there was the slightest possibility that they would be out of school tomorrow (today), but told them not to get their hopes up too high. With baited breath we watched the 10 o'clock news and were informed (much to our great glee) that schools were going to be closed the next day. As I kissed my slumbering girls before heading off to bed I whispered in their ears that they had a snow day... no school in the morning!

Ahhh, there is nothing quite like a snow day here, rare occurances that they are. We got a grand total of approximately 3/4 of an inch (and I am likely being generous) but it was enough to cover the ground and tempt the girls outside. So dressed in an odd assortment of clothes (the winter snow suits seen in the previous post were borrowed from friends) the girls headed outside and trounced around in the snow with their friend from next door, Noah. When they came in about 40 minutes later, wet and cold, they changed back into their warm, cozy pj's and were treated to hot chocolate. A snow day just isn't complete without the chocolately concoction! It made me nostalgic for the winters of my own childhood, when my dad would pull my sister and I around the neighborhood in a sled and my mom would present us with warm cups of the glorious stuff to help us defrost.

We had such a nice, cozy, low-key, pajama-wearin' day. As Molly likes to say, "It's a peaceful day, Mama." And peaceful it was. A day to be savored and remembered. And perhaps one day our girls will be nostalgic for the "snow days" of their childhood as well. I hope so.

A Snowy New Year

Yesterday Ron woke me up with the question, "Do you want to take the kids up to Pipestem to see some snow?" Two hours later, after a "flurry" of activity we were on the road to West Virginia, eager to see some of the cold white stuff. We weren't disappointed! The place we stayed (Pipestem State Park and Resort) rented sleds AND had a heated pool, so we got to go from one extreme to the other. We all had a wonderful time (as you'll see below) and it was a memorable way to end our Christmas holiday and begin the New Year!

On the clip below, the snow has just started to come down, and Molls is excitedly attempting to catch snowflakes on her tongue...

Here's Ron and the girls the next morning (today) in the approx. 3 inches of snow that accumulated overnight...

Ron and Molls sledding!!!

Bundled up to the eyeballs!

Mommy and girls sledding...

Flurries...

Our little Snow Angels!