Check out this snow fort

Thanks to the hard working hands of a few dads, a massive mound of snow on Taylor's campus was transformed into a snow fort with a slide that goes into the fort, a cave area that fits 5-6 people, two exits and more...






These were out visitors at sunset...

So much SNOW!

I have to admit I kind of like it when we get a lot of snow. We have over 12 inches, but I haven't heard the exact total. The snow changes up things in the midst of a long January. We've had snow days and hot chocolate and excuses to watch movies and playing outside and building forts. If it's going to be cold, it might as well be snowy. I really can't take it when it's 'winter' and it's cold and all you see is dead brown everything...trees, grass, bushes...I suppose they're really not dead...just dormant...but they look awfully dead.

Anyway, I'm thankful for the beauty of the snow. I asked Hayden if he thought it would be funny if snow were a different color, like pink. It is amusing to think about. I'm thankful God chose white. It turns the ugly into the amazing.

I've refrained lately from referring to it as a Michigan snow. I will, however, remark again how beautiful it is...

HAYDEN FINALLY

LOST HIS FIRST TOOTH!!

He was pretty excited that it finally came out.
A first lost tooth a big 'growing up' step.
We love him and are excited to watch him grow up.
We love you Hayden!

Millie's First Luncheon

One of my dear friends wanted to do something special with her daughter so she planned a lunch with some of her daughter's little friends. Isn't that so sweet?

She took her daughter and three friends and treated them to lunch and ice cream. She let them pick out any flavor of ice cream they wanted and Millie picked out 'banilla' as she calls it. Vanilla! I know she ate the entire thing herself!

Thanks Amy for the sweet gesture!

Beautiful.

It was a Michigan snow. Mark makes fun of me because whenever it snows like this I ALWAYS say (as he points out) that it reminds me of our winter days in Michigan. My grandparents used to have a chalet in Michigan and we celebrated Christmas up there many times...got to snowmobile, ski, just enjoy the beautiful snow. It's the kind of snow that piles on the tips of the trees and sparkles brilliantly in the sunshine. I love it.

Now, I don't love the -10 degree weather we're having. But the day it snowed, it was not windy at all and in the teens, so out the kids went.

Finally some snow!

We headed up to Fort Wayne for a day visit and took the kids snow gear. The kids had fun sledding with their cousins for the first time this year. There is a great sledding hill really close to my brother's house, so we walked on over. It's a great hill because it has a really steep part and then gradually tapers off to a hill Millie went down.

A cold night in January

Millie has been enjoying the Goodnight Moon puzzle I bought, so Carrie brought over a bunch of puzzles for us to borrow. Millie has already enjoyed putting them together, and this was the princess puzzle.

Carrie also brought a 100 piece Kung Fu Panda puzzle. I told Hayden I'd give him a treat if he did the whole thing (he needed a bit of encouragement to decide to do it). He did it all himself and I think he even enjoyed it!!

Once Conner heard a treat was involved, he wanted in on the action. We have a 100 piece puzzle that we've done once I think, and it is of two baby penguins on a nest. I was sure we were missing pieces as I watched him make it because he'd be looking for something and I wouldn't see it anywhere on the table-but sure enough, they were all there.