Let It Snow

Taking out the trash,
originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

I had the day off but the kids had school. Or so we thought.

And then there was snow.

Since the snow gear was still out we geared up and headed outside.

First thing. Time to take out the trash. Thank goodness I had an assistant.

Sledding ,
originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

Once the chores were done it was time for fun, which translated into me pulling Parker and Piper down and up the road.

Soon, it was time to find something less exhausting for me.

Hair Club for Snowmen,
originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

Time to build a snowman!

The kids started small but we soon went bigger...at least closer to Piper's size. The kids gathered the snow. Frankie (unwittingly) provided the arms and hair. And I assembled the final product.

The hardest part...keeping Frankie from running away with one of the arms.

Snowmen,
originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

The best part...the smile on Parker's face.

Christmas Encore

Christmas Encore,
originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

First morning back home means we can open all the Christmas gifts we didn't want to haul up north.

In keeping with the holiday spirit, we seem to have brought snow back from Tahoe. It's started to snow and it's slated to keep snowing for a good while. Good thing I don't have work tomorrow. Of course, Chris does and Parker also has school. :o/.

We'll see what tomorrow brings. Good thing the snow gear's still out.

1/1/11

Sitting Pretty,
originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

Back from Tahoe in San Francisco. Time for new year resolutions.

Live with less clutter. A big challenge with Parker and Piper but since storage is premium in the house this can make life easier. Plus, we can learn to appreciate what we have not what we don't.

Write every day. I got pretty lax last year so now's the time to change that. At minimum I need to find an hour a day.

Organize my work zone. Along the lines of writing more, I need a dedicated work space. With Piper, I just blocked off and stopped using areas (like my desk) in order to prevent curious hands from grabbing stuff, which has left me with no place to work. It's time to reclaim my spaces and figure out a better way to address Piper's grabby hands.

Make more progress on my genealogical research. I've got this membership to Ancesry.com. I need to use it or cancel it.

A picture a day. Along with the past, I need to better record the now. I've been guilty of taking less photos of kid #2. It's time to correct that.

Lastly, a list of resolutions wouldn't be complete without a weight loss goal. I've just made it into the pre-Piper pants. Time to get back into the pre-Parker pants. :)

Well, that''s it for now. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Survivor

Survivor,
originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

When I returned home on Saturday I was stunned to see cherries on out
tree. Every year, the tree is covered in flowers but every year the
birds get at all the fruit before it even ripens.

This year, though, I witnessed a good number of candidates -- like
about 30 (which is an abundance for us) -- hanging from the tree. None
were ripe but this one was as close as we were going to get. So I had
Thommy pick it (he could reach it) and it's been sitting on the
counter, ripening -- hopefully lasting long enough for Chris to see it.

Good thing, too. Today -- 2 days later -- the tree is bare. Damn birds!

Baby Anchovies for Piper

Baby Anchovies for Piper,
originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

Yes. This is a bag of dried anchovies for kids.

Even more weird, the little girl totally looks like Piper, which makes me wonder...1) will Piper grow up to love anchovies? 2) will Piper ever get compensated for the use of her likeness.

I'm thinking the answer to both questions is...not likely.

Fudge Fantastic

Jan shows Parker her fudge recipe and he seems to be dutifully taking notes. Until the very end when he becomes suspicious.

What's the matter Parker? Not enough chocolate for your liking?

Oh, he just realized he has to share with Daddy.

Tag, You're It

Tag, You're It,
originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

Glad to see I'm not the only one Piper like to poke while drinking her bottle.

Also glad to see that I'm not the only one who let's her put her finger in their mouth and probe around. :o)

Stuck on You

Stuck on You,
originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

Since we were at Universal City Walk, I figured it couldn't hurt to follow bowling with a little stroll. Of course, that meant Parker had to get a sweet treat at Sparky's.

He chose the ring pop...I think because he saw someone at school eating one. What harm could a ring pop do?

Well, I guess if you fall asleep while eating the pop...it could attach itself to you and not necessarily where you'd think it'd get stuck.

No worries. A little warm water and I separated the two without even waking Parker. Yes, I'm that good. :o)

Department Party

Department Party,
originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

Yup. I brought Parker and Piper. While Piper was strapped to me in the Baby Bjorn, Parker took my place bowling. Thank goodness the guys aren't that competitive because Parker didn't break two digits. Of course, if we were playing with a handicap...well, we would have been styling! Hmmmm...maybe we should join a league.