In the Bleak Midwinter...

Oh Chicago winters, I never cease to be amazed!!!  Friday I went out to shovel our driveway as it appeared to be covered with snow from a storm we had the night before.  It was not what I had thought it was, instead of snow, I found ice, three to four inches thick!  Have you ever tried to shovel ice off of a driveway?  This is what it looked like...

I think I hacked away at this for about an hour and a half and only cleared about half of the driveway!  Steve decided to take up where I left off the next day, here is what he accomplished...

The drive to church yesterday was crazy!  Our thermometer read a whopping -5 degrees before we ventured outside, but that doesn't register the wind chill, which was about -25.  The wind was blowing snow over the roads, it looked really cool actually, except when I couldn't see the road because it was so thick.  The sun was shining and the trees looked like they were covered in glass (I wish I would have had my camera with me).  Cold as it was, it was actually really pretty.  Everything is covered in ice and is all glittery in the sun.  

It warmed up today, I think we reached a high of about 8 degrees.  Balmy!  Anyone want to come and visit?

Fashion by Sydney

Is your wardrobe feeling a little hum drum?  Do you have a lot of clothes in your closet, but your just not sure how to coordinate them in the most appealing way? Want to spice it up a bit?  Well we have the solution for you!  Fashion by Sydney is guaranteed to add that sparkle and WOW! to your otherwise boring clothing selection.  And, it comes with no cost to you!  No need to go out and purchase new clothes, Sydney can make anything look good, it just comes down to understanding the art of layering.  Here is Sydney's latest sensation (you can try this at home).

First, find a favorite pair of pajamas.

Next, add a beloved swimming suit (never mind that it is only 10 degrees outside, beauty comes with a cost you know) Oh, and getting the straps a little skewampus is good for the look too.

Now, for the final touch, just add a nice pair of shorts.  

Here is the real secret, don't worry about anything matching.  That old "no stripes and plaids together" thing is out.  Go crazy, mix and match.  If you find this beyond your ability, just call on Sydney, she will help you out!

And for the truly brave, you can try adding a bra to this ensemble (Sydney tried but couldn't figure it out).

Trip to Utah

Yeehah!  A trip out to Utah and it wasn't even summer, and we didn't have to drive!!!  How wonderful to get on a plane in the morning and be with family four hours later!  Sure beats twenty-two (or more) hours in the car!!!

We had such a great time, it was short, but packed with family and good times.  Thanks to Paula for getting married so we could have an excuse to come out that direction!

Thought I would share a few of her wedding photos, we are so excited for her and Jim.  By the way, look at this gorgeous bride...

Here is a picture of my very happy little girl.  She was so excited to be a part of the picture-taking experience as you can see...

Here is Sydney with her much loved cousin Natalie.  Sydney carried Natalie's picture around for a week and kept saying her name.

One of the highlights of our trip was dinner at Brick Oven.  Steve used to work there, and we love the food so we decided to take the kids and introduce them to some of the best pizza and root beer around.  As soon as they found out that Dad used to work there the boys had all kinds of questions and became instantly loyal to Brick Oven.  But, it wasn't just the food that made dinner awesome, it was the super nice college kid that came over to our table and made balloon creatures for our kids!  They were captivated, and are now aspiring to be balloon-creature-makers themselves.  Here are the results...

Sam asked for an elf

Spencer requested an astronaut, which the guy had never made before, but I was pretty impressed with the result.

Tyler wanted Santa Claus, and that is what he got.

Sydney's was by far the very coolest, do I even need to tell you who this is?  You should have seen her face when he handed this to her!  She would not let go of it, and very proudly carried it out of the restaurant.  

What a riot!  We had a great time!

It was so hard to get on that plane to come back home!  I absolutely love spending time like that with my family and Steve's family!  We just don't get enough of it!  

The Days of Snow Pants and Boots

Here we go again... It snowed here and that means we had to pull out all of the snow pants, boots, hats, gloves, long socks... 

That also means, "Mom, can I go out and play?"  

"Okay, lets get all of your snow stuff on."

Ten minutes later and a lot of tugging and pushing and tying and out the door they go.

Five minutes later, "Mom, my glove came off, can you fix it?"

Five minutes later, "Mom, I need to use the bathroom..."

Snow also means this...

I did venture out with Sam for a little snowball fight, but I can't say that I lasted very long, brrr!  You gotta watch out for that boy, he has a pretty good arm!

Then it is time to come inside.  That means cold puddles of water on the floor, as well as a pile of wet snow pants, boots, hats, gloves and coats.  

I think Sam went out to play on our first snow day at least three times!  I don't know how they do it!  It's really cold out there!

So, while I feel like grumbling about snow and cold, I have to think back and remember how much I loved playing outside in the snow.  I can remember making snow caves where the snow piled up by Mom and Dad's rocks in the front yard.  I can remember staying out until I could hardly see anymore because it was so dark, and I don't remember feeling very cold, or at least the cold didn't matter!  Then I would come in and curl up inside, maybe drink hot chocolate, and feeling all happy and cozy.  I don't remember Mom complaining about snow stuff and puddles of water on the floor, but then, I don't really remember her complaining about much of anything at all!  I guess what I am saying is, I better bite my tongue and let my kids have their day, and hope it is as good has mine was!  

P.S.  Steve and I were remembering Moon Boots the other day.  Steve was reminiscing about putting bread bags on his feet because Moon Boots didn't keep out the water.  I think I may have done something like that... anyone else have fond memories of Moon Boots?  Maybe that is why Steve has such an affinity to Napolean Dynamite...