ice, ice baby...cont.

Here are a few photos from the icey visit to Ralph & Joanna's. (Thanks again, Grahams, for letting us "crash" for a few days!)
Langston had a blast playing with Zachary & Andrew (game systems, movies, "new" toys, sledding, chasing, & just being with other "big" kids). Zach & Andrew were great to share. Langston keeps asking when we are going to spend the night there again. ;)

back to blogland...

I am in the midst of mopping & cleaning up. I just wanted to stop, take a breath (& a break) & say that we are home safely in Macomb. I am very sorry to all those loved ones we didn't get to see or speak to over the break. We had the sickest (literal) Christmas ever. We arrived late on the 23rd and one of the 4 of us was vomiting or yucky in some way from the 24th at 6 a.m. until the Sunday before we left on Wednesday. Needless to say, we weren't out spreading our germs to anyone. I'll post again soon. Various stories and pics need to be shared. Thanks to all our family for taking care of us (Barclay, myself, & the kids). I know that the moms must have felt like they were managing a small hospital. Sorry. We love y'all.

trouble shooting

Hey all. I'm having difficulty getting thecutestblogontheblock to respond. Anyone else out there having a tough time? What up?

ice, ice, baby....

We have no p'wr, folks. The lovely invention of electricity left us around 6something a.m. yesterday, due to some icey tree branches & downed wires. (actually it blinked off & on during the night, which woke me up several times...so, i woke B. up one of those times...he is still making fun of me for waking him.)
Any-who, we are staying with our friends, the Grahams, for a few days (?) 'til all repairs are made. The yucky part of all this is that we are suppose to be leaving for AL early Mon. morning (early train to Chicago, then flying to D.C. & on to the Rocket City). I am not looking forward to doing laundry elsewhere & possibly packing in the cold (when b. went back home to look for some things this morning, it was 46 in our house!).
We actually stayed home yesterday while B. went to the office to turn in grades & finish up some end of the semester stuff. I bundled both kids & put them down for nap (I knew L. would be too excited to sleep at Zach & Andrew's house :). I stayed awake & read (with quilts around me) until my hands hurt so badly that I called B. & told him to come get us & take us to warmth! I think it was 54 or so, in the house, when we finally left.
So, if we make it down to Alabama (prayers, please), I will not want to leave! Give me humidity, sweet tea, football as religion, accents, & palms with pines any day. I'll take the South, please...y'all. :)

He comes bearing gifts...

L-town came home from pre-school Tues with a little bag (that he had drawn a pic of "langston" on) & a book from his teachers. He then proceeded to talk about his 'tivity & pretend to be the "wise men" bearing gifts. The following is what I overheard, "Hi, baby Jesus. I've got some money for you!" In a different voice, "And I've got the frankenstien." And an altered version of the second voice, "I've got the...muuuurh." :) **See the objects on the blue table for our half-homemade version of a Nativity. And yes, mom, I trimmed his bangs yesterday. He did look like a sheep dog.

*8* is Great!

My sweet gal is eight big months old! Time is flying by. Her nicknames now include: Happy, Little Fat Pants, Zora Ray or Pappaw (bc she looks so much like my Pappaw, Billy Ray ;), Z-ford, and (of course) Zee. She is scooting & spinning all over. She stays on her belly & pushes around. The "all fours" postion might happen for a second, but she doesn't understand how to move from there. She "talks" to us & wants to play whatever big brother is playing. She wants to see & do whatever we see & do, so she loves to be held. Sleep is a struggle right now. Ever since her teeth-cold few weeks, she's not wanted to sleep by herself at night. I can get her down for a couple of naps during the day, but at night she only wants to sleep with me. Urg. Well, no matter what, it's better than Langston 1.0. Hooray for Lil' Fat Pants!

Brrrr....snow.

It's funny how we Southerners--Barclay & I--used to get excited about the snow. Now I think, "Ack! Snow. Messy floors, lots of clothes (=lots of mopping & laundry)." I'm happy that the kiddies like it. :) (Well, Langston likes it. This was Zora's first real snow. She was curious, but not very mobile.) These are from a week or two ago when it was snowy, but still "warm" (20-30s). At this moment it's icey + snowy & feels like 10-15 below. Not play-able.

While I'm posting on this topic, I would like to say that kids in IL play outside unless it's below 22 degrees. (Yea, all you in FL & AL are shivering, right?) I was the crazy mom who thought they would certainly be running around the gym on those chilly days, but then I picked L. up at preschool (he goes 2 mornings a week) & he said that he "cried...kind-of whined a little" at school. I asked why & he said that he was COLD! I got the whole story & found out that he had borrowed some school mittens, but the his jacket wasn't warm enough! (Of course I had been sending him in a lined denim jacket & long sleeve tee & undershirt with jeans or khakis...for the classroom.) I felt horrible! My poor baby had been playing out in the cold! Anyway, I immediately went to our local kid's consignment shop (where I trade things all the time...I've only actually used cash twice in the past 6-8 months) & picked up 2 snowsuits (1 for home, 1 for school). Now he has 2 warm coats, snowsuits, mittens, hats...like he needs those with all that hair! Anyway, he's set. I apologized to the teachers. I felt like a mom that the other moms talk about for not taking care of her kids. :( **Sidenote: babies in the "infant room" at L's school go out to "play" unless it's less than 32 degrees (!) I can tell you that Z. didn't do much in the snow, so that seems wierd, too.