Notes

Daron and I were at the temple around the same time this afternoon for our Stake Temple day, but did not get a chance to meet up. So I left him a note in his car on my way out.

I told Esther this at dinner because I thought she'd enjoy hearing it. She thought it was wonderful and told me that she was going to do that when she was a Mom. Then she proceeded to tell me what she'd write.

"Dear Husband,

You can drive my car.

Love, Esther"

Xin Nian Kuai Le

Last night we celebrated Chinese New Year with friends. I took pictures of the table and then got so busy with the last minute rush of cooking and everyone walking in the door that I completely forgot to take pictures of the food! It turned out well, I think, despite a couple of new recipe mishaps. Like the mango pudding looked disgusting, wouldn't come out of the mold (bowl), and when I tried to stir it to make it look a little more presentable, just ended up looking like mashed potatoes. Sigh. This is the third time in a row with holiday dinners that I've messed up the dessert. Ohwell. We had a fun time talking about Chinese culture, medical school, large attorney firms, and crazy food we ate on our missions. And the kids enjoyed making a mess with the toys! I love celebrating holidays with friends and creating memories. It's always worth the work.

Minus the mango pudding.

Playing in the Snow

Well, we got about three inches last night. It flurried off and on most of the day, but the temperatures have gone up just a smidge. We got out to run a couple of errands later in the afternoon and some of the roads were melting, but most still had snow packed down which made it a bit slick. Tomorrow we'll be in the 40s so things should start melting a tad.

The kids and I played in the snow for a little while this morning. They were well bundled up top but they only had jeans and tennis shoes for below. Nathan didn't notice how wet he was until it was time to go in. "I haf snow on me!!!!" he wailed. Then he cried because he wanted to go back out to play.

Ice Storm

So last Saturday it was 73 F outside. We went to the park, had a picnic, and flew kites in short sleeved shirts.

Last night it started to rain and the temperatures plummeted through the night, encasing the ground in ice and a little bit of snow. Seeing as the area is not highly equipped to handle such events (they do sand the major highways), we all stayed home. It was nice to just hang out together. Daron got some work done and did get a couple hours in at the office later in the afternoon, though it took him a good 30 minutes to chip the ice off his windshield!

Here are some pictures I took of our street from the window. (Yeah, the windchill was making it about 3 F outside so I wasn't about to give up my nice cozy house.) This was mid-afternoon and it hadn't started to melt yet - the temperatures were simply continuing to fall.

Now this is real winter!!

Reading Silliness

I walked into the living room to find Nathan reading a book like this.


Esther thought it looked fun so she got into the action, too.

Ready for Church

Just a few shots of the kids all ready for church and Nathan in his new blazer. The light wasn't very good so they are a tad fuzzy. I can't believe how grown up looking they are!

What the kids are saying...

Esther's new phrase: "Mom, the word you are looking for is..."

Esther began a frank discussion of what foods help you to poop during Christmas dinner.

Nathan is finally saying his own name!

Nathan on his new blazer: "I Daddy!"