Thank Goodness for Snow

The good part is that we now have enough snow so we can walk outside without slipping on the ice and breaking our necks. It looks like we have about 5 inches of snow. Will we ever thaw out? I'm sure people in Minnesota are mocking us. At least we got outside today. Even Mohini had cabin fever.

That's a beach ball we've had sitting in the backyard since May. Sophie has a good arm when it comes to snowball fights.

Whoops! Still a bit icy. Thanks for the help Dad!And the snow is still coming in healthy spurts. Stay warm!

Perks of Having the Super Bowl in Dallas

Thursday evening, Neal and Carter braved the icy roads, making it to the train station and into The NFL Experience at the Dallas Convention Center. It was a fun night for the guys and because of the harsh weather, they didn't deal with ridiculous crowds.

They enjoyed viewing NFL memorabilia, taking photo opts, and trying various skill challenges. The challenges included passing, catching, running a forty yard dash, running against resistance, and kicking field goals. Neal's favorite was attempting to kick the field goal. The ball was short but traveled straight.

When they left, an inch of snow had already fallen over the ice. The guys made it back almost unharmed by the ice-several slips, one fall, and three bruises.

Happy Chinese New Year!

What to do when you and your children have been trapped indoors for a few days? Honor the good Chinese factory workers who manufactured Neal's treasured President Ronald Reagan pen. What could be more American! Thus, we celebrated Chinese New Year which follows the lunar new year. While the Chinese celebrate for more than a week, we lived out loud and did it all in one day.

In the morning we dressed in red, signifying joy and good luck. We also set out a bowl of tangerines and oranges on display as our superstitious friends believe that tangerines are symbolic of good luck and oranges represent wealth. Then we got busy making decorations for the day. As this is the "year of the rabbit" we gave an old cardboard toilet paper tube a make over.

For lunch we enjoyed, what else? Chinese food eaten with chopsticks...or at least attempted.

Rhys had more noodles on the floor than on his plate at the end of lunch. After lunch we participated in the tradition of giving red envelopes of money to our kids. I know the Dollor Tree thanks us.

The afternoon was spent finishing up our paper lanterns and creating paper dragons for our evening parade.

During dinner, we shared some Chinese folklore about the monster, "Nian", who was scared off by the villagers when they waved red banners and rattled their noisemakers.

After dinner we had our parade. Neal and Rhys shook the tambourine while Sophie and our friend, Kenzie, waved their dragons to scare away any evil spirits.

So Gong Xi Fa Cai (Happy New Year in Mandarin) to our family and friends and Chinese factory workers afar.

Ice Ice Baby

So, in case you didn't know, it's the coldest it's been in North Texas for about 15 years. Today, at 3:30 p.m., it has now warmed up to a balmy 15 degrees. With both of us being raised in sunny southern California, it's exciting to experience actual weather now that we live in Texas.

This morning we awoke to a chilled house and a nonfunctional heater. So after Neal climbed up into the attic and took a look, he went in to work where it was warm and called for service to come check out the heater. In the meantime, Keri bundled up herself and the kids in layers of clothing and went about business until it was getting quite unbearable, at which point she thought it was a great time to call on some friends and visit them in their warm homes. We had a few offers come our way when Neal posted our situation on Facebook.

Keri packed some things up, added heavy coats, hats, and scarves to the layers, and slowly, ever so slowly drove over to our friends, the Goodes, who live nearby. There were a few dry spots but much of the drive was ice an inch or more thick. Exciting! We made it there and got everyone in the house and stayed for about 4 hours before Neal and repair man had the heater fixed back home. We enjoyed good conversation, warm rooms, and warm chili. Thanks to the Goodes for their hospitality.

When we did leave, it was great to have our friends laugh their tushes off from their door while watching Keri and the kids ice skate across the sidewalk and on the street to get everyone inside the car. It was pretty funny especially because no one got hurt. They are not totally heartless, John did step out to assist.

We made it home with only one fish tail incident that ended quickly and well. Keri kept the drive between 10-15 mph. Now our home is toasty and welcoming again which we are grateful for especially because it will hit 9 degrees tonight. There are actually kids outside our front window pushing each other along the icy sidewalks in laundry baskets. We may occasionally get snow here but there is ne'er a hill to be found in flat North Texas so sleds are not in abundance.

The Super Bowl is going to be held in Dallas this year, for those of you who live under a rock. Everyone was worried it would be too cold for a good Super Bowl. But never fear--it should be up to 55 degrees on Super Bowl Sunday. We will gladly be indoors that day.

Soon to Star on Storm Chasers!

Okay, not really. Although, we love that show! But we did get to increase our knowledge of how to be a good storm spotter at a conference offered by the National Weather Service. Neal and Keri dropped the kids off at Oma's for the day (thanks!) and headed to the local conference. We now know how to:

1. recognize low, mid, and upper level clues to look for in a supercell (storms usually responsible for a high percentage of severe weather events, i.e., tornadoes, large hail, and damaging winds).
2. recognize what side (flank) of the storm you are on and which direction it is moving (very important in case of a tornado).
3. estimate wind speed and hail size
4. be safe while storm spotting
5. report useful information

We won't be loading the kids up in the car and following any storms but we can observe from home or wherever we may be. Valuable knowledge now that we live in north Texas, the base of Tornado Alley (our city did get hit with an EF-1 tornado in April 2008).

And, of course, watching Storm Chasers will prove a touch more exciting, which we didn't think was possible. They are crazy though. They get in tornadoes. At the confrence, they said, "If you are looking up at the tornado, YOU ARE TOO CLOSE." We'll try to remember that.

Special Day

Today was a special day for both Rhys and Sophie. For Rhys because I'm sure he broke a world record for producing the greatest amount of snot in a 24 hour period. Hello ladies! I think the fame has gone to his head.He's doing great though. He's playing and running all over the house--just napped a bit earlier and longer than usual.

And for Sophie because they celebrated her 1/2 birthday in preschool today (because her preschool term is over by the time her birthday rolls around). But we just called it Sophie's Special Day because it is not mathematically her 1/2 birthday (that was in Dec) and I just recently got it cemented in her mind that her birthday is in June.

So she made a poster all about herself to share with her friends. Preferred activities: swimming, shopping, going for walks, and reading books. Favorite foods: chocolate and popcorn. Favorite movies: Cars and Toy Story. Also mentioned that she's fun, helpful, has friends, loves Mohini, and likes going to church and preschool.She got to wear her festive Valentine inspired tights and brought a yummy snack to share: Fruity Pebbles Treats.Okay, so we used the knock-off bagged brand but we splurged on strawberry marshmallows to complete the recipe. The cereal bag actually described its contents as "wholesome and nutritious." Really?! Can we not see the amount of color dye and sugar contained in this product--no label reading necessary. And the strawberry flavored marshmallows can be categorized as a fruit, right? So I served 5 preschoolers a healthy snack according to today's standards.

Niether Cast Ye Your Pearls Before Swine

So for Family Home Evening this week, we discussed the concept shared in Doctrine and Covenants 88: 119: "Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God [italics added]." Specifically here the Lord is referring to His house, the temple; but our homes can be a house of order too. A house of order is a home where we try to do as Jesus taught. It is a home where we can feel love and peace.

Well with the way the house has been looking, especially the playroom--Mama wasn't feeling it! In fact, when seeing the playroom Mama felt quite the opposite of peace. We talked about it and we have been helping each other keep the "hot spots" picked up.

This afternoon Keri had a friend and her young daughters come over to visit and chat. After saying our good-byes, Keri came upon this in Sophie's room:Yes, Sophie had a bit of help but this was positively her idea.

Why can't our home look tidy and clean like the temple? Because we would have to exorcise the adorable demon child we call our daughter!

Yep! The contents of the "To be sold on ebay" box (from another room) flung about the floor. The bed stripped of sheets, blankets, pillows, and stuffed toys. The boppy pillow (again, from another room) and her clothes now on her closet floor. Library books scattered about. And the blinds drawn to bare to the world that one unexorcized demon girl lives here--dressed when I first found her in, what else?--pajama shorts and knitted poncho alone!

This is why women do not hold the priesthood. We would be trying endlessly to cast out evil spirits from our own children.

Rhys and Speech Therapist to Become Buddies

As many may know, Rhys' speech and language skills are delayed. He only has two spoken words and a handful of signs to communicate with his family and friends. Also, given Keri's prolonged illness last year, she was not able to provide as much language exposure as she would have desired. Given the circumstances we contacted Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) and had them come out to evaluate him.

He took very well to the six developmental specialists that showed up at our door this morning. Yes, 6! Okay, one was an observing student. It was great to talk about our concerns, evaluate his progress, and hear what their observations were and that they had the same picture of him as we did. After 1 1/2 hours we had a confirmed diagnosis of speech delay. They complimented him on his social and motor skills and had no concerns regarding his cognition and overall development.

Almost immediately we will be starting speech therapy once a week for Rhys. Keri is looking forward to working with and troubleshooting with a fellow speech therapist. It was important to Keri that other professionals be involved to be sure we were getting an accurate view of our son's strengths and weaknesses.

Bwahahahaha!

The evil laugh is because I just got my kid to eat a 1/3 cup serving of mashed cauliflower! I called it mashed florets because A.) I didn't have to lie to my child that way, and B.) although her exposure to it has been limited, she knows what "cauliflower" is and is not a fan. I didn't call it mashed potatoes because I did not want her to expect it to taste like mashed potatoes. Just a scant teaspoon of Parmesan cheese and a bit of salt and pepper and my cunning plan was complete! Her bowl was clean! She even accepted it as a snack food! Bwahahahaha! Bwahahahaha!

Now, what else can I mash? :-) And why aren't husbands this gullible?

Winnie the Pooh Day

Today is Winnie the Pooh Day, commemorating the birth of author Allan Alexander Milne. We decided to celebrate. We started the morning with Pooh's favorite sweet goo poured over pancakes.

Then after picking Sophie up from preschool, Sophie dressed in her Tigger costume and Rhys in his Pooh costume (from Halloweens past) and we went for a walk in our own "100-Acre-Wood." Sophie bounced practically the whole way (because "that's what Tiggers do best") and referred to her mother as "Rabbit" from that point on and for most of the day.

Then, still in character, we went to our local grocery store so the kids could each get a balloon--red for our little Pooh and orange for our little Tigger. They give them out free at the floral department. We also picked up some honey roasted peanuts to keep with the theme at lunch.

After lunch and another walk, we held a concert in Milne's honor--or since he was a British chap, I suppose we did it in his honour. Yes, the kids stood on stage (the futon) and sang and danced to Winnie the Pooh. You know..."Tubby little cubby all stuffed with fluff...." The audience of toys scattered about the playroom floor enjoyed it enormously.

In the afternoon, Rhys took his nap with his stuffed Pooh Bear while Sophie, with her bowl of popcorn, got to watch, what else?! Disney's Winnie the Pooh!

Abominable Snow Boy

Well Sophie was ready to go out in the snow right after breakfast but by the time I stalled for the sun to rise a bit more and got myself and kids in proper winter attire it was 9 a.m. This was Rhys' first go at the snow. Last year he was just a little guy and my mom took him out in her arms for a few minutes to see it fall.

He started out pretty content enjoying the scene around him. He walked through it and stood there and was quite agreeable. Isn't he a cutie!?

And then it happened...he toppled forward a bit and in catching himself, his mittens hit the snow. His mittens got snow all over them. You would have thought the world had ended. Quite livid!Don't you see the snow on my mittens?! How could you let this happen?! You good-for-nothing!

Just look at them, Mom! I'm not a polar bear, you know! I will get you for this! Can you say matricide?! Well, I can't yet, but I am SO thinking it!It really only lasted maybe 30 seconds, but at this point I had to stop taking pictures and act like a mom for fear the neighbors were all looking out their windows.

Then we were off on our snow walk.

Sophie should be bloated for all the snow she has ingested over the last day. Rhys gave it a try but was happiest to just observe the snow.

In the back yard Neal's water lily pot had frozen over and the kids were experimenting with the ice until their mittens got truly wet, eagerly ending their time outdoors in the snow. Brrr!

Flurries and Fun

We knew it was coming and it arrived right on time! It started snowing just about noon and it kept going all through our afternoon church. When we got home, we changed Sophie clothes and had a bit of fun with her. She ate A LOT of snow and tried to catch flakes on her tongue. She attempted snow angels. Rhys fell asleep on the way home from church so he didn't make it to the part where the fun starts. Maybe tomorrow there will still be enough left for him to get in on the fun.

Keri's Back in Motion

This week I feel like I am actually back from chemotherapy. I'm me again! I don't nap anymore, I am getting regular household things done (grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, playing with the kids more), and my mind is back to pre-chemo power. I am so happy! It was an adjustment in itself to come back into fully functional life.

We've made a few changes in our eating and are feeling good about it. Still have some more things to change regarding that but all in good time. Also, we are fully aware there are some things we are not willing to change. Overall we are eating a lot more vegetarian meals and whole grains. And my new love--Greek yogurt! Oh so good!

During chemo and during my "adjustment" period out of chemo, some very awesome ladies let me be part of a co-op preschool for Sophie without taking my teaching turn until I was totally well--which was this week! We did a dinosaur theme and I planned stuff like gluing an AB patten of dinosaur plates on a stegosaurus' back, making dinosaur egg shakers, playing dinosaur tag (meat eater catching plant eaters) and a bunch of other activities. It was really fun for me and the kids seemed to equally enjoy it. I don't get to teach again until the week of Valentine's which will include a party.

I was just feeling really happy and grateful for feeling better and wanted to let everyone know!

Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam

Today our little Sophie became a big girl and attended the new Sunbeams class (kids turning 4 in 2011) in the Primary (ages 3-11) instead of nursery (ages 18 months -3 years). That means longer, more structured lessons, sitting for longer periods of time, and NO SNACKS! We'd been coaching her a bit about the upcoming change and she seemed excited about it. She made the switch beautifully.

There are 16 Sunbeam children so they split the class in two and each has a married couple team teaching. Sophie's teachers are great and they already know Sophie well since the wife in the team is one of Sophie's preschool teachers from our Preschool co-op.

Sophie even has her own set of scriptures (Holy Bible, Book of Mormon, etc.) to take with her since this year's theme for the children is "I Know the Scriptures are True." Any Latter-Day Saint family may like to know that there is a whole year of Family Home Evening lessons corresponding to the weekly themes in Primary found here.

Happy New Year!

We spent New Year's Eve with the Lindemans and Garvins. There was board games, karaoke, food, and conversation. Rhys stayed awake 10 minutes into the new year when Keri took him home. Neal and Sophie stayed behind. Sophie stayed up until 1 or 1:30 (and didn't have a nap earlier that day) and did very well. Neal was the die hard and he left the Lindemans with his sleeping daughter at 2.

New Year's Day we all slept in and spent the day indoors. We watched bits of the Rose Parade as we took down the Christmas decorations and organized our home a bit.

In the afternoon, we enjoyed having Opa and Oma (who brought Dickie's BBQ for dinner--yippee!) and Neal's grand uncle, Ronnie. Ronnie is a man with a big heart. He is always very kind. This was our last time to see him for a while because he is moving from Fort Worth area to Florida within the month.