Snow Days Bring Unexpected Visitor

We have been experiencing our first big snowstorm of the season. Yesterday was ice and sleet which made the roads slick. Last night brought the snow. We've measured about 6 inches of snow in the back yard which for us is a lot. The kids are enjoying the time off from school. Liam keeps grabbing handfuls of snow, throws them in the air and yells, "Snow Fight!" Sadly, no one has taken him up on it yet.


A reminder to me that my beloved summertime is still far away.


We did have one, nice surprise. A Cooper's Hawk landed in our backyard. We quickly googled hawks and were able to easily identify him. No doubt he knew my yard was infested with moles, rabbits and the notorious squirrels. I couldn't get close for a good picture. He was, unfortunately, scared away before helping me with my critter problem by Liam's hawk imitation.

Furnace Blues

We made an important discovery this week. After noticing it was getting cold in the house, we realized our furnace was turning on, then switching off a few minutes later. After calling the best furnace guy on the planet, he let us gently know that it was dead. While we were lamenting the spending of thousands on a new one, he called the manufacturer and "Hip, Hip Hooray" it was still under warranty. Our fifteen year old furnace still had five years left. What could have been like losing a limb turned into a stab in the toe. Painful, but not debilitating. The furnace guy brought by space heaters for the night so we wouldn't freeze in our beds. All and all not a bad experience.

Comedy Central

Liam has begun telling 'knock, knock' jokes. Granted with his speech delay we usually can't understand most of what he says, but it is adorable to hear him. And his jokes are at the typical, three year old's level.

"Knock, knock" "Who's there?" "Apple" "Apple who?" "Apple tree"

We also have variations using bananas, pears, etc. After a while he begins grabbing at random words and phrases he knows. Once in a car ride home from church, he had us laughing so hard no one could speak. We have tried to teach him ones that make sense, but he acts like ours are the nonsense ones. He also has begun saying his name which for him is a huge accomplishment. For days, we would ask him what his name was just to hear, "Weeum Bown".

If You Haven't Found It, Then You Haven't Looked Everywhere

A couple of days ago, Colin asked me to come downstairs and use some of my Mommy Skills. When I asked what he was talking about, he replied that he wanted me to come down and find the remote because he had looked everywhere. Every few days someone asks, "Mom(or Amy for Andrew), I've looked everywhere, where is my______?" Even after telling them where to look, I usually go find it. As Grandma Virginia would say, 'if it was a snake it would have bit them'. So, I suppose that finding objects undetectable to anyone else in the house is one of my mommy skills. Which leads to me to ponder what abilities do I possess that are only highly rated by my family. Being able to find dinner in a pantry full of food when no one else can is one. Another one is checking the tire pressure on the car. When the house is quiet and the basement door shut, I know the kids are up to no good. Adria and Colin are finally figuring out that while I might not literally read their minds, I have a pretty good idea what they are thinking. Eva and Liam still aren't sure how I know they are fibbing or able to detect that the cat's about to go down the laundry shoot or that the glass of water isn't to drink, but going in the Barbie swimming pool which isn't an inside toy.

There are some skills I would like to develop. Unlimited energy and the ability to avoid all cold and flu viruses would be at the top of the list. Those will probably come in the next lifetime. As for Colin, I think he's catching on. He found the remote before I made it downstairs. It was right where I told him it would be.

Winter Cold

I am a warm weather person. I love the spring and summer times of the year. You won't find me venturing out much once the temperatures dip below 30F. This winter we've had periods of windy cold in the teens, rainy cold, snowy cold, temperatures in the 60s one day and 30s the next and anything and everything in between. We even were under a tornado watch two days before icy weather. Enough already! All of this makes it rough for the sinuses. We have been passing a cold around. Just one of those normal, annoying winter colds. With me, it takes longer to get over them and exhaust me. It's only the 5th of January and I'm ready for the warm weather of April and May. At the least, the weather could stabilize and give us a reprieve from all the colds and viruses that come with the winter cold.