Winter (Not So) Fun

Yesterday wasn't the best of days around these parts. I went to bed at about midnight and woke up at 1:30am because our power had gone out and someone's house alarm was going off. I also realized that I was freezing. I came downstairs to check the thermostat and it read 61 degrees. I started a fire and tried to see if there was something I could do but wasn't able to figure anything out. Matt got up, tried a few things and went back to bed. I planted myself in front of the fireplace to keep it going all night. Once daylight finally came and with some help from my brother Matt, we decided it was the ignitor thinger. My Matt (not brother Matt) decided it was an easy enough fix and he could do it. (I keep having to remind Matt about his dryer fixing experience.) That's when I decided to call the heating people. They made it here pretty quickly and it ends up the part we thought was broken was. Problem is that the part to fix it was in Everett in his van that was currently stuck in snow in his driveway. He could go pick one up but then we would be charged for travel time. He told Matt where to find the part and how to put it in. So one heater part and $180.00 (for 1/2 hour) later, we finally have heat!
We haven't gotten mail (or UPS) in a week due to road conditions. Some friends have been able to get to the post office and pick their mail up there. Once we got the heat issue taken care of, Matt decides it is time to get to work. First he is going to stop by the post office. After a while, I call him on his cell to see if he was able to make it there. Nope. He is in a ditch. Someone tried to help him out but his tow rope broke. A couple of guys in a big 4x4 see whats going on so try to help. It puts the car further in the ditch and gets them stuck. Luckily they were able to get themselves out. Others came by to see what they could do but the car was too far in and the roads were way to slippery. We were finally able to get ahold of a tow truck driver who thought he might be able to help. $192.00 later, we got our car back. It needs the alignment checked but all considered, thats not bad.
So today I am so grateful. Grateful for heat and tow trucks.

Christmas candy trees

I made these cute candy Christmas trees for teachers last year and made them again this year for some friends. So cute and yet edible!

Holiday Decor

Maddy decided our house was not sufficiently decorated for Christmas so she has so kindly fixed that. Here are some of her holiday decorations. The three round balls are Cade's contribution. They are kissing balls. Whichever ball you touch determines how many kisses you get. One is a 3 kisser, one a 2 kisser and the other is the 4 kisser.

Winter Freeze

We are busy trying to prepare ourselves for the big storm that is supposed to hit later today. More snow and winds of up to 90 mph! I can handle the snow but ever since our storm 2 years ago when we were without power for one full week, I hate the wind that sometimes comes along with it. True Value got a shipment of de-icer this morning and it was all gone by 9:00am. I am so thankful we have friends with generators and a wonderful next door neighbor who works at Safeway. I have called her more than once to bring something home for me! Here are some more pictures of our winter scene.

Winter Wonderland

Monday and Tuesday Cade didn't go to school because it was late start due to icy conditions. Wednesday school was cancelled completely due to snow. Funny thing is, we didn't get more than a trace of snow and it actually ended up being quite warm. So it was more like the thought that is might possibly, just maybe snow that cancelled school. That or someone had some Christmas shopping to catch up on. Anyway, this morning we woke up to a few inches of snow so of course, school was cancelled yet again. It has continued to snow all day and we now have about 12 inches! That is huge for us. It is still coming down but it looks like it is slowing down. Here are a few pictures of our winter wonderland. The first picture is of the kids picnic table out back. The second is our cars. The kids couldn't tell they were our cars. The third is of the ruler we have been using to measure the snow. It is at about 11 1/2 inches in this picture.

All I Want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth

I had wanted Ryan to pull his 2nd top tooth before I sent out Christmas cards but no such luck. On our way home from the ward party he finally got it out. Just a few days late.

Christmas Party

Night before last, Ryan came into our bedroom at midnight and said his stomach hurt. I talked with him for a few minutes and got him back to bed. At 1:30 someones car alarm went off. At 3:30am Ryan came back in and was running a fever. I got up to get him some medicine and when I came back, he had made himself pretty comfortable in my spot. He patted the bed and said, "Come on, mom, there is still room for you." Sweet. Sweet except he is the worst person to share a bed with. I stayed there for a while and finally decided everyone would be a little more comfortable if I slept on the couch. I actually didn't have much of a choice. Matt never woke up during this whole time and Ryan had finally gotten back to sleep.
I was really hoping Ryan would wake in the morning and feel fine. Sometimes my kids do this thing where they run fevers because they are just worn out. No such luck. The fever was still there. When I told him he would be staying home from school, the poor boy cried. We were finally able to make him feel somewhat better by rotating Motrin and Tylenol and he finally took a nap around 4:00.
I finally decided that he was feeling well enough that I would be able to go to Matt's work party with him. It was going to be at Little Maggianos in Bellevue. I have never been there and I love Italian food.
Ryan wakes up an hour before we are leaving with a temperature of almost 103 degrees. Dang! At least he wasn't throwing up. Oops, shouldn't have said that because guess what happened next. Anyway, my decision was made. Maddy was going instead of me. Spoiled.
They ended up having a ball. Matt said Maddy was a little quiet at first but did a fine job visiting with everyone. Someone happened to mention that she was the guest of honor. She took it literally. She felt like quite the little adult. She loved the food (except the manicotti) and the desert. The waiter brought out a slab of cheesecake for desert. Not a whole one, but enough for the whole table. As soon as it was placed on the table, Maddy takes the cake, cuts it in half and puts it on her plate! I'm feeling I need to get etticate for her for Christmas. Someone apparently shouted, "You go girl!" so she did. She ate almost the whole piece on her plate.
She came home on cloud 9. She said she met a lot of nice people and even someone who works at Cherry Valley. She couldn't believe she went to this fancy party and met someone from home. I'm glad that if I couldn't go and have a good time, she could.

Santa's Little Helpers

http://getyourvideo.jibjab.com/aox/78q/9ha/mtq/q2g/aw9/r7l/86c.mpg

Oh dear...

Here is my little nephew with the new tie he made for church. At least if he spills the sacrament water on himself, he is super absorbent!

Conversations with Cade

Conversation that took place with Cade on the way home from school.

Cade: "I hate Rudolph!"

Mom: "Why?"

Cade: "I don't know. He's not even real!"

Mom: "That's okay that he's not real. He's still a fun character to sing and read and talk about."

Cade: "Well, he's naked!"

Mom: "So is Nigel."

Cade: "Well Nigel has fur."

Mom: "Deer have a kind of fur."

Cade: "Well, I still don't like him."

I didn't have the heart to tell him Superman isn't real either.

No Help From Mom

I love Christmas. I love the decorations. I love the smells. I don't like decorating a tree. A fake tree to be more precise. Lucky for me, Maddy and Ryan volunteered to do it this year. Cade was too busy watching 'Elf' on TV. Beautiful job, kiddos!