You know you live in the midwest when...

You're daughter says "it's snowning again". (no that's not a typo)

Some days you shovel your driveway 2x a day.

You know the difference between the three different snow plows in town.

You can gauge how much snow has fallen based on when it started and how fast it's falling.

The school district calls to tell you there is a 2hr. delay.

I'm sure there are lots more but those are a few that go on around here.

(This picture is from last year but this is how they get rid of all the excess snow in preparation for the next storm.  They bring in the dumptrucks and start loading them up.  I have yet to find out where they dump it all!)

And I'm so excited about the new snow plow this year!  At least it's new to me.  I've never seen it before and based on the fact that it's all shiny I'm figuring it's pretty new. 

Its best feature?  It has a little arm that comes down each time it passes a driveway so that the snow they are plowing in the street does not make the pile at the end of the driveway any bigger.  Have you seen this baby?  I'm telling you, every time I see it I get a little giddy and yell call for the kids to come over.

It's a wonder I don't have a picture to show you all.  Probably because every time it comes I'm always gawking.  It came down this afternoon while I was out shoveling and the driver either took pity on me because I didn't have a snow blower, or he had extra time to kill, or he was just very generous!~ but he asked if I wanted a certain pile of snow removed down by my mailbox and of course I wouldn't turn that down. 

Are you kidding me?  The mound is like 5ft. high and creeping into the road and there is no way I was going to move it all with my little shovel.  It was just going to have to stay there all winter like it has been.  While he was at it he plowed away the big pile at the end of my driveway.

At the risk of boring all you non-snow-dwellers I'll leave it at that but just know I could chat your ear off about this great invention. 

(Jim is currently teaching algebra at the table.  Oy.  Matthew is the only one still sitting there very intrigued!)

Guess who got over her fear of sledding?  She looks a little dazed but was brave enough to make more than a few runs with big brother this afternoon/evening.

I had to look at this picture again because it looks like Ella Jane is starting to fall down the hill.  Sara is actually climbing up and Janie is getting ready to go down.

I love this picture.  Thank you Jim for taking it.  Look at that little smirk on Sara's face!  She really did have a ton of fun even if these pictures tell otherwise. What a great way to spend a Monday at home with the kids.  Back to school tomorrow...on a 2hr. delay.  :)

Tiara and heels...

Although no picture to share it was a pretty dear moment.  The outfit happens often enough~ one of the girls is usually wearing some sort of dress up shoes or tiara.  It happened this morning that Sara was wearing them while helping me with the laundry.

She came downstairs all clickety clackety and marched right into the laundry room telling me she wanted to help.  I realized what she was wearing and it was just sort of this big moment for me.  Fun to see her so dressed up doing such a mundane chore.

If my flash card wasn't filled I would've snapped a picture to share with you all.  After the laundry we got ready for a run and after I got her dressed she mentioned that she needed her tiara.  So on top of the snowsuit  it went and we headed outside for our morning dose of fresh air.

Ice Skating 101...

um, get out there and go for it.

that's it.

We made our debut on the neighborhood ice rink this afternoon. 

We were thrilled. 

Our boy had the motivation and excitement to skate and had such a wonderful playful spirit...even when he fell.

Here's to a new hobby for the next few weeks months of winter.

More pink...

Yesterday, this was Sara in her room as I was organizing everything.  So peaceful and calm I just had to stop and grab the camera.  Love the moments I captured.

With the exception of this last one~ she was reading a book and came upon a person who looked sad.  She was telling me that the person was sad, using her sad face and voice.  I think it's so cute.



Merry Christmas...

~ Jim, Carol, Ella Jane, Matthew, and Sara

A plain Jane she is not...

I have so many shots of Ella Jane in her outfits.  Too many to go through and post here.  You'll just have to trust that the pictures I post of her is how she looks on a daily basis.  So much so that when she came downstairs one morning a few weeks ago in just black pants and a longsleeved purple t-shirt I wondered what was up.  No scarf?  No skirt over the pants?  No legwarmers?  Where did Ella Jane go?  I've come to really love what she creates as outfits.  I have not dressed that child since she was about 3 1/2.  She's always been very independent when it comes to getting things done and getting dressed is no exception.

One of the reasons I just love the new header is because it sums up my kids so very much.  Those books by the way are in ABC order.  Oh yes, my friends.  Only the work of my 7r. old could create that and the bright colors and accesories, well, we see it everyday so what better pictures to portray my children then what they are 'into' at the very moment?

She wears summer dresses and tank tops all the time.  It gives new meaning to the word 'summer dress'.  Slip a longsleeve shirt underneath and you've got year long clothing. 

She's so very proud to have me take her picture.  She's got a braid that is fading here but while it was in she loved it.

This girl knows how to layer!

Ella Jane is the one in the middle~ clearly teaching Sara (on the end) how to pose for photographs.  She is rarely just standing with two legs straight.

See the skirt over the pants on Sara?  That's the work of Ella Jane.

Lately she's into wearing Sara's clothing.  Oh yes, these are size 18mon. I think.  They are a little highwater on Sara but so fun and loungy.  In fact Sara still wears a different pair of stripey pants that I just love but are size 12mon.  I bet by summer they'll be a nice pair of capris.  :)

Do these photos not make you smile?  I love her sense of fashion.  Her really big thing just the last couple of days have been to embelish what she already has.  So, she's made glitter stars, cut them out, and taped each one to one of her dress-up outfits, we've glued ears and colored on an extra winter hat, oh!~ and tied pipe cleaners together to make a headband and attached a hair clip to go with it.  Where does she come up with these ideas?  It's entertaining for sure.

A rest (of sorts)...

It's break time.  No school for 2 weeks. 

For me that means a chance to linger in bed a few extra moments, or two or three, a chance to leave book bags and folders alone, a chance to have a slow morning and let the kids be where they will be.  We will do this for two weeks and I will love it.  I look forward to it every year.

I know we will finish decorating our gingerbread compound, watch movies, go to the library, shovel the driveway, bake cookies, make quiche, eat popcorn, get cabin fever, have quiet times, read, sled, and a whole host of other things.

While reading this list might not seem restful to you, it is to me.  It means I have free reign over our day, it can go how we want it to go.  No 8:00 o'clock/ 3:00 o' clock time frames to stick to.  I love that! 

In this moment, Sara is half dressed, pushing around a baby in a wagon going from person to person saying "hi there!", Ella Jane is busy making an elaborate necklace or head covering of sorts, oh wait, nope, she's finding feathers to glue to her sunglasses and Matthew is playing a computer game.  I've just finished my coffee and am listening to a song by Watermark.  I love slow mornings like this.

Winter, I'm starting to like you...

I've learned a few things from midwest winters~

If you're going to be shoveling driveways, sledding, walking kids to school, pushing grocery carts through snow covered parking lots etc.  you'll need a good pair of boots.

Enter in my new Bogs.  Love them.

Nice and tall so my legs and jeans stay dry.

They've been getting plenty of use as of late.  Our first storm dropped close to 8 inches of snow two weeks ago.  We had more all afternoon yesterday and since today was forcasted to be frigid I thought it better to get out last night to enjoy the white stuff.

Also, if your kids are old enough to handle their snow gear, and stay up late without being to crabby the next day, winter is actually quite doable.  Except when they have to get said gear on before 8:00am in time for school.  Then it can make a mama crazy, but only one more week before Christmas break so the light at the end of that tunnel is in sight.

Our neighbors built this snowman last night.  It's much taller than myself even.  Very impressive, and just the work of two teenage boys don't you think?  The girls were upset that he had no eyes.

Our streets are normally plowed but because of the severity of the weather city plows stopped plowing in the later afternoon.  Enter inThe Gunn's taking full advantage of a snow covered street.  (when they plow they spread salt which melts the snow and then the streets are mostly bare...no sledding)

What started out as fun for the girls quickly turned not for Sara.  Apparantly she is freaked out by sledding.

Who knew?

She spent the better part of the evening inside crying and crying, but the big kids and I had a ton o' fun going down the hill on our bums and bellies and to the delight of the kids, even stacked on top of me. 

Here is Ella Jane going down the sidewalk which was still icy from earlier in the day.

Here I caught up with Matthew going down on his belly.  Doesn't he look like a little penguin?

At the end of the night we snuggled up in the living room for a Christmas movie.  We all started off sleeping "under the Christmas tree" as my mom used to call it when we were kids, but at 1:30am Sara woke up, which woke up Ella Jane but not Matthew.  He is a very sound sleeper and slept through the whole 90min. period of the girls requesting snacks, Christmas music and books.  Eventually, enough was enough and Sara went upstairs to sleep leaving the rest of us a few more hours of shut eye.

As a sidenote, see that belt Ella Jane is wearing to bed?  It has to do with the accessories we see from her everyday around here.  So stinkin cute.  A post coming up soon about her obvious passion for fashion.