Wednesday, January 19, 2011

My New Favorite Game

My boys have created the most random new game that the whole family is enjoying. It's pretty much baseball played with a golf club and a football. Being stuck inside the house all of last week while we were waiting for the ice to thaw forced us to come up with some creative ways to get out some energy. Ellis loves both football and golf, so he thought he would combine the two with the help of his brother. Owen enjoys posing for the camera almost as much as he likes playing the game, but he's a good sport!





These boys are such a joy. They really do bring such great laughter to our lives. We are pleased beyond belief!

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

My Snow Day # 2

Ever since the first flake of snow started falling Ed has been talking about wanting to go sledding down our street. He finally convinced Owen to go with him last night right before it got dark. They made one run by themselves and then Owen took the long trip by himself while Ellis and I watched.


This morning I woke up extra early and after exchanging emails with the other mangers in my office at 6:24AM we decided it just wasn't possible to open the office again today. I sent some emails, made some phone calls, got logged onto my work computer remotely (isn't technology amazing) and did a little bit of work. Then it was time for a break.

I was cleaning out from underneath my bed and came across an empty wrapping paper holder. I decided to cut the tube in half and gave each of the boys a "sword". We had lots of fun playing dueling pirates. I always seemed to be the one that ended up on the floor with my arm cut off but the boys had a good time.




[Notice the two toned floor in the new kitchen. Replacing/ refinishing the floor is the next project on our list. It's never ending.]

We also spent time drawing pictures, making puppets, playing puzzles, and "hunting" for deer. About 11AM Ed took Owen back up to our local neighborhood park to meet some friends for more sledding. Ellis took a nap and I got a little more work done. Once Ed and Owen got back we decided  to take our chances and made the one mile journey to Fox Brother BBQ for lunch.After lunch I worked until the stock market closed and then decided to call it a day.

After two days of being stuck inside the house with the kids I'm exhausted. I really hope that I can make it into the office tomorrow. I've cleaned the entire house out of boredom. We've play board games, trains, potato heads, and dress up. We all are ready to get back to our normal life. Owen is out of school again tomorrow and I'm not sure what the road situation will look like in the morning for us. The temps are suppose to get much lower over night so our compute in the morning might still be pretty rough. Most of the roads are pure ice.

Atlanta is not equipped for this type of weather. It almost makes me wish I was living in Ohio, almost...

Monday, January 10, 2011

My Snow Day


Last night we had an epic snow fall in Atlanta. In the last eight years we've never had a winter storm this severe. The entire city has been paralyzed. Here's a picture of our little home freshly dusted with snow.






At our house we had at least four inches. Here's a shot of the snow piling up on the back deck.




This morning the birds didn't seem to know how to react to the snow. They had eaten all of the bird seed we had put out for them before the storm arrived. It was strange because it was as if they could sense the approaching storm.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

My Little Sister

I've had a rough first week of 2011. First I got the news that my older sister Penny was offered (and accepted) a job in South America. She'll be teaching fourth grade beginning next fall for at least two years. While I know this is an amazing opportunity for her I will miss her dearly. I love that she has a relationship with my boys. We see her several times a week and my kids adore their aunt. AND, she's my best friend. It's awful to think about her leaving.

The same day I got the good/ bad news about my sister Penny's job offer I also got a very troubling call from my younger sister Paige. Paige called to inform me that she had a miscarriage. She was 17 weeks pregnant. She and her fiancĂ©e are devastated. My sister has had a rough time. She's made some bad decisions but she was finally at the point where she was on the right path. She was finally going to be able to be the mother that she always wanted to be. But that's been taken away from her so unexpectedly... I grieve for the loss of my nephew (it was a boy) and I grieve for my sister's loss. I pray that she is strong enough to make it though this.

I want to think that people are only faced with situations that God knows they can handle. I feel like my sister has been through so much. She doesn't deserve this pain and suffering.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

My New Year

Happy New Year's

Ed and I spent New Year's Eve at home this year. We picked up lots of appetizer's from Trader Joe's and some beer and spent a quite night at home together. I can't think of anything I would have rather been doing. This morning Ellis got into the bed with us and we all snuggled up together and watched Toy Story 2. It's been a wonderful holiday so far.

Owen wanted to spend the weekend with my parents at their lake house. While I miss him when he is gone I love that he gets to spend so much time with his grandparents and cousins. I spoke to him last night and asked him if he was having a good time. He answered with an enthusiastic, "YES"! He said he had spent the day playing outside and riding his bike. That sounds like a perfect day for a six year old boy.

That's all. Nothing exciting going on around here. Just taking it easy and enjoying this time with my family!Ha