The Downright Amazing Snowfall of 2011

I am just STUNNED by how much snow we have gotten . . . take a look!


Oh, wait--that was last week. This is what we have now:


CRAZY! There just isn't any place to even put it now!


Check this out--after having just gotten 2 feet of snow last week, this is what we got last night--another foot!


It makes for some pretty phenomonal icicles, snowbanks and drifts!


The poor birds won't even be able to sit on the feeders today.


Luckily, Chris got a snow rake and spent two hours yesterday clearing the snow from the roof! There have been several building collapses around the state, and we heard on the news this morning about a barn collapse with four horses inside. So sad--we don't know the outcome on that yet.


There is a pool under here somewhere!


Check out Ella's little playhouse. I feel like a North Pole elf is going to step out the front door and wave any moment!


I do love the snow, though! But maybe not quite this month!

A Big Day for James!

He got his library card today!


Can you tell how excited and proud he is? I love that he is so excited about reading. That's our boy.

Love you, buddy!

Puzzle Fun

I think James received this puzzle when he was about two years-old. Ella has just about got her alphabet song down, so I thought it would be fun to pull the puzzle out and see how well she did putting it together. Looks like fun was had by all--including Rocco!

For the Birds

You may have heard that we received 23 inches of snow last week . . . we did! And we also made sure to take good care of our feathered friends as the snow fell. Here is a glimpse of the visitors we had, over a period of a few short minutes:

Goldfinch

Downy Woodpecker

Carolina Wren and Junco

Female Cardinal

Nuthatch

Male Cardinal

House Sparrow

House Finch

I continue to be astounded by the beauty of this little corner of the world. And although these birds eat like a herd of cows, I love them just as much!

Thanks Peepaw!

Ella and James were very excited to receive some wonderful presents from Grandpa (or as Ella says, "Peepaw") last week!

Did I say excited? Maybe I mean crazily happy, or gleefully surprised . . .


Grandpa brought Ella an enormous dollhouse for Christmas, and he just sent her more people, kids and furniture to put in it!


She was ecstatic!


Here she is saying " Aww . . . beautiful!"


"Look, Mom! A Mommy!"


"Awww . . . pretty!"


Already putting one of the little girls to "Baby 'night 'night" . . .

"A kitty!"


Seriously, EVERY SINGLE doll or piece of furniture that came out of the box received an equally excited reaction!


Grandpa, in case you didn't know it, Ella LOVES each and everything thing that was in the box! Thanks for feeding her dollhouse addiction--she and I will remember these moments ALWAYS.

Now, on to what James got--American Bricks!


According to Dad, every middle class little boy in America had these--they are from the 50s and are made of wood.


Sadly, Dad was not able to have any of these when he was young. But now James has some!


I love the colors and the textures.


They have been keeping James and his imagination busy!


Aren't they neat?


Thanks Grandpa!


Love you!

From Our Snow Family to Yours!

I've been falling behind posting photos lately, I literally have 50 or so that I'd like to get posted and haven't taken the time to do it. So stay tuned! In the meantime, here are a few that I took during the last snowstorm.


Ella in the snow pants just KILLS ME! She looked like a little sausage. Here's Ella's Snow Girl:


My Snow Mommy:


James' Snow Boy:


And our Snow Daddy:


Chris didn't help because he was too busy setting up his new weather station thing that tells him a hundred weather readings. I didn't mind because to see his face light up like a kid on Christmas Day once he got it working was priceless.


Don't we look happy? The funny thing is that now when I hold up a carrot and ask Ella what it is she says "Nose!"

HA HA HA!!

A Year in Photos

I made this on Facebook and thought I'd put it here. What a great year!