Happy Valentine's Day

Mia with her friends at daycare on Valentine's Day
(from left: Reece, Chloe, Sylvie, and Mia)

Blizzard!

The local weatherman said that it was the strongest winter storm he had seen in the 25 years he has been forecasting weather in this area. NOAA said that the storm would "cripple" the area. It seemed as though it was the hundred year storm, and I actually got a little worried. Could we lose power? Would we be able to get out at all?

So we hunkered down, prepared as best we could and hoped for the best.

I snapped a "before" photo...
And we killed time as best we could. We baked...
Okay, I baked. Mia put water into a bowl of masa.
And the snow fell...
And fell...

Our neighbors braved the elements to try to get a head start on plowing. Because when you live in the country, our driveways are long and our roads don't get plowed.


We have the best neighbors in the world. He even plowed our driveway. We never would have made it out without him!

By nightfall, we had eleven inches.
And that was it. 11 inches and we made it through without losing power. But then I start shaking my head.
11 inches?? Really??? Are you kidding me? That is nothin'! Where I am from, 11 inches is a typical winter storm! Man, mid-westerners are wimps!
Then we tried to get out. And I recanted my remarks. We couldn't get out past the driveway! Even with the big 4X4 truck. It was just too much.

But it was certainly beautiful!

Even in the bitter cold, our cabin fever was too great not to play for a few minutes...


By afternoon, the road was just passable enough to take a short drive and check out the area.

Some places were better than others.
Check out these drifts!
Okay, it may not be Colorado blizzard standards, but it was still an impressive storm. We are glad to have made it through unscathed.

Snow Day

The last couple of weeks has had it's share of ups and downs. We were so excited to have our dear friend, Cindy (Ninny) came to stay with us. We had grand plans for her visit. Alas, a big snow storm arrived the day after she did, dumping 9 inches of snow followed by several days of dreary, gray, bitter cold weather. When finally the sun came out, we were hit with a terrible stomach bug that kept us confined to the house through the weekend.
Needless to say, we were all suffering from a major bout of cabin fever.

So when the sun came out and warmed the air, we took full advantage of some play time in the snow.


Even the dogs seemed to have lifted spirits...

And Mia, always studying, stopped to examine a pile of poop...
It was great fun. We played until the sun went down. Even then, a certain little girl didn't want to give up. And who could blame her? And, we were thrilled when Ninny decided to extend her stay by a couple of days to make up for the time she lost.

A heat wave as since melted the snow into an ugly, muddy mess, we said goodbye to Ninny, and poor miss Mia has come down with the terrible stomach bug.

I think we have had enough of Winter. Hurry up Spring!

Pic(s) of the Week: Mia Meets the Treadmill

This week's picture is actually video of Mia when she discovered the treadmill at Uncle Michael's house.

If Money Grew On Trees

Oh, if only money grew on trees. Imagine what I could do! I could drive a slick new car, remodel the kitchen, or...build our dream home! But, since those things are pretty unrealistic, I choose to dream about more attainable things. Sort of..

I am a girl, I love to shop. But not the usual girlie things. I am not into clothes or shoes. But I am a sucker for electronics. DSW? Not for me. Best Buy? Now we are talkin'! Nothing excites me more than shopping for sleek new toys. And lately, I have been coveting the iPad. I never understood what the big deal was with the iPad. If it isn't a phone, than why would you want to lug around a mini computer? Seemed a little pointless to me. But, since Christmas, a couple of friends have showed me theirs and I am totally in love. This thing is SO cool!

Just think of all the things I can do on it!
I can read books!
I can get textbooks!
Even Mia can read books!
Interactive books!
Movies!
Games!
Cartoons!
Color!
Draw!
Write!
At home, in the car, out to dinner, on a plane!
Being a student and a Mom, the possibilities are endless.
I dream of one.

But, at 600 bucks a pop, I will continue to dream :)

And speaking of dreaming, this baby has been on my mind for quite a while now...

The NordickTrack Incline Trainer. Perfection. A machine you can run, walk, hike..etc. One of my favorite things to do in Colorado was hike. And since we live in flat lands (compared to Colorado), hiking isn't an option. So why not hike at home? Not as pretty I know, but better than nothing.

But again, 1300 bucks I will continue to salivate from the couch.

If only money grew on trees...