So we got some snow

Snowmageddon. 

Winter Storm Jonas. 

Blizzard 2016.

Moms lose their minds 2016.

Whatever you may call it, we indeed got some snow. 

Not once, but twice.

First snow came, and it was a sweet snow.

Like we all had joy snow.

 Let's play and make hot cocoa snow.

And that's exactly what we did. Kids played with a neighbor and it was just a good ol' winter time.

 I guess that snow brought us about 1 inch?

But to be completely pun-tastic, it was just the beginning of the storm, or should I say the tip of the iceburg.

We went to bed that night under a winter storm warning, and I remember waking up around 3 am and hearing the ice. 

Ice, and then snow.  

Ice under snow is always bad.

 Pretty, but bad.

It snowed right around 24 hours, and the grand total ended at 12 inches. That is a record for BG in 24 hours, last time was 1968.

This kind of snow called for finding a big hill. Hope was running a fever, so Pierce and I, along with some neighbors headed out in search of hill.

We were like our forefathers in search of great land. After what felt like a journey along the Oregon trail, we finally arrived to the perfect hill.

Really great hill, but we were all basically frozen by this point.

 The snow was coming down hard so we decided to come back the next day.

So much fun!

 But it can't be all play.

Paul and Pierce shoveled the driveway and Pierce really has started to hold his own! We always knew having kids would pay off.

Poor baby girl was stuck inside for most all the fun, but we did manage to find a few creative things to do. Well, as creative as I can get.

As of today as I write this, we are on snow day #5, and I'm really hoping we have seen the sun set on the last of the snow days.

Snowmageddon 2016, you were fun.

A new niece. THAT I HAVE NOT MET YET.

So Christmas was over and we were all hanging in that limbo week between Christmas and New Years. Paul headed back to BG to work, and the kids and I stayed back for one specific and special reason. The birth of Lyla Eleanor. 

We had a few days to kill before her arrival, so fun was being had. 

But the fun was very short lived.

We started dropping like flies.

First it was Paul, then me, then Hope, and then Pierce.

I was feeling pretty bad, like go to Urgent Care bad. So you know what that meant? I COULD NOT MEET MY NEW GREAT NIECE.

I was not bitter or unhappy. Oh no.

But enough about my stable emotions, I am happy to report I do have a beautiful new niece. Lyla Eleanor born on 12/29, weighing 7 lbs. 15oz and 21 inches long.

Here I was in Indiana specifically to meet her, and stuck on a couch looking a pictures. NO I AM NOT BITTER.

Oh look, everyone has had a chance to hold her.

 No really I'm happy for them. Jealous? A tad maybe. But I shall prevail.

Check it out, my parents are now Great Grandparents for the SECOND time!

How neat is that?

And Jaclyn and Christopher and both doing great!

I was actually supposed to get up to Indiana this weekend but weather and illness stopped it. OH MY GOSH. So maybe I will meet Lyla before she is walking and talking. MAYBE.

Until then, I will try and keep my emotions in check and stare at this picture of Camden being the cutest and proudest big brother, EVER.

Christmas 2015

Since we had already had our Christmas at home, kids didn't wake us back at some obnoxious hour Christmas morning. Nice. 

I did manage to get up and help my mom in the kitchen.

Not really sure how much of a help I really was, but I tried.

My mom is a good cook, I know she must wonder where she went wrong with me and Jo.

Look, even my offspring was helping in the kitchen.

But mainly she just jumped around in excitement...

THERE WERE PRESENTS TO BE OPENED!

At eight years old she still gets really excited about everything.

While Pierce at 11 years old is changing.

Still excited? Absolutely. Holding it in more? Sadly, yes. And most of the time you would find him hanging with older crew wanting to converse with them.

 Then there is the resident two year old of the family. I tried my hardest to get pictures of him, but they all looked like this.

Finally I had success, but one nano second after this picture was taken he was off.

Lunch was served at 12:00, and at approximately 12:10 Hope was asking when we could open the gifts.

 I think we held her off until 1:00, which really was forever.

We gathered.

We waited.

Then we pounced.

Poor Paul woke up pretty sick that morning, but this Patriots jersey may have helped him perk up a little.

We try and adhere to the one person opens at a time rule.

Well at least some of us try.

 How cute are these two?

 We were rolling along in our Christmas, when we suddenly heard footsteps upstairs and a male voice.

I looked around the room doing a head count and was like, who dat?

Down the steps came Seth, one of Linda's boys. We don't see her boys that often so it was a really neat surprise. I think Dad was probably the most excited, I'm sure it felt a little like his sister had come back. Or something like that.

Jo had help coordinate the whole thing, and after we all hugged and talked a while Dad of course had to go set the camera up. Linda has been gone just over two years and seeing Seth made her spirit seem alive again.

The whole day went so fast, and before I knew it the last gift had been opened.

 Which you know when you're an adult at Christmas there is always some degree of relief when it's over. Now you can relax. You can eat, you can nap, or you can dive into deep conversations about John Wayne films.

And that's what we did the rest of the day.

We hung out.

And some even perked up enough to make fun of me.

I'm so thankful for my family.

 Like all families we have our quirks, but we love each other and I'm grateful for our time together.

Another Christmas to add to my memories.

Until next time....