We'll remember you fondly, dear Lumpy...

I just couldn't stand it any longer. We'd been cooped up in this house for days and there was all that pristine snow just laying around outside! Just after opening our presents, Rainer went to sleep up on the couch in the living room to be by his mom, (who's in a hospital bed in our living room, in case I hadn't mentioned that here already) and I was left to keep Luke occupied hopefully quietly and/or hopefully downstairs. I decided to brave the outdoors with Lukas again and hope for a better outcome.

He didn't seem too sure at first..."Out in this stuff again? You can't be serious."

The snow was just too deep for him to walk through, and he kept losing his balance just trying to stand in the deep, chunky snow (all the snowing, freezing, melting a little, freezing again, snowing some more, etc. made some different layers of harder and softer snow that reacted differently making trudging through pretty difficult for little feet.) So, I made a "bench" for him to sit on out of our camp cooler. He sat on his perch while I attempted a snowman.
The snowman wasn't looking too pretty with this funky snow pack, but it was coming together and I'd already affectionately named him "Lumpy the Snowman." All was going well, that is, until I tried to put Lumpy's head on. As soon as it hit his midsection, the back half of his ...um...I guess it would be chest and belly area??...broke off and his head, although balanced for a few seconds, tumbled down after. So long, Lumpy. I had taken some pictures of dear Lumpy's fate, but didn't realize that the camera was in the wrong setting and they didn't turn out. Just as well, he deserved to be remembered with dignity.

Anyway, I brought Luke out to the scene of the tragic accident to play a bit. I kept tossing little snowballs onto Luke's little snow tabletop, (which happened to be Lumpy's head,) and he kept pushing and sweeping them off.
One little snowball I tossed a little too close and hit Luke in the shoulder. You can see a bit of snow that landed in his eyelashes and on his jacket. (What a bad Mommy!) I thought for sure that would be the end of the fun.
But no! He thought it was pretty funny and got such a kick out of me throwing snow around.Still smiling! And with melting snow still in his eyelashes, no less!

Keeping his little area free of any misplaced snow bits was very serious business for him. I tried stacking up some snow for him to play with but he would have none of it. Off it must go!!
I was so glad to get out for a little bit and have Lukas actually enjoy the snow some. Lukas is already searching the skies for more snow clouds...

We wish you a Merry Christmas...

Merry Christmas!! "For to us a child is born, unto us a son is given...and he will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace..."

We didn't have much in the way of presents to open, but Lukas could have cared less. To be honest, with finances what they are these days and since we've been pretty much stuck on our hill here for a while and unable to go out shopping, I just wrapped some of Luke's toys that we had previously put away in storage for a little while. Call me cheap, but he had just gotten a HUGE bag of toys from his previous babysitter who wasn't going to use them anymore, and he certainly didn't need any MORE toys. Plus, he was happy as a clam and got to open "presents" on Christmas morning so...I say mission accomplished!

"I played my drum for him, pa rum pum pum pum..."
As I was sitting at the computer typing this, Luke's best kitty-friend, Tobo, crawled into some of the used wrapping paper and Luke started tearing the paper away to open a kitty present!
"Aw, thanks! It's just what I wanted!"

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow... but can someone bring me some chocolate?

"Oh, the weather outside is frightful..." And I'm still stuck at home with no peanut M&M's! (Which I would love right now, by the way...) We woke to even more snow this morning, and I took a few pictures. Some of the trees in the front yard collected so much snow that, instead of a beautiful dusting frosting the branches, they ended up with mini mountains coming to a peak on some of the larger branches.
The picnic table on our deck shows a fairly good picture of how deep it's gotten. The area without much snow on the left is what is covered by the eaves of the house.
The view out our dining room window looks like a wall of snow. I'm surprised how much will stack on top of the deck railing!
Aww, cute little birdie prints in the snow on our front porch. They snuck right past the stone kitty keeping watch by the door, but I suppose they didn't have to worry, he was blinded by a splotch of snow over his eye. ;o)
Oh, man... a donut commercial on tv.... I am sure craving some sort of sweet, naughty food full of empty calories. I think my appetite is picking back up again, don't you?

sNOw fun

What's this?!? A post?!? From me!?!?! I had to share Luke's first "adventure" in the snow!

Last year, the extent of his snow exposure was a brief photo op on the deck in Mommy and Daddy's arms, just a few steps from the door...
And you could barely call it "snowy"... I mean, come on, you can still see the green grass and there's hardly a dusting on the deck railing. But for a photo-crazy Mommy, I HAD to dress him in his cute snow bear jacket and get pictures of his "first snow". Did he care? No. But I HAD to. It's an unwritten camera-bearing-new-mommy law.

And now for this year... after working up a sweat wrestling a squirming toddler into layers of clothing complete with mittens and cramming multiple-layers-of-sock-covered-feet into froggie boots, we were finally ready to go have tons of fun exploring this beautiful and rare piece of God's grand creation. Awwww.... look at our little arctic adventurer..."I can't put my arms down!" (Name that movie...)

This isn't the greatest picture, but I realized it was the only one that showed his cute little froggie boots. Yes, I realize they aren't snow boots... (hence the multiple layers of socks) but they're waterproof and they're all he has except for tennis shoes.

Bbbrrrr... Jack Frost is nipping and turning someone's cute little nose red.

This is pretty much the entire length of his "trek" through the snow. Then he just plopped down on his tush. I tried to show him how he could push around the snow with his mittened hands. He wasn't very impressed.

"Mommy, this wind is pretty cold...and I don't think I like this Jack Frost guy."

"I don't really see the fun in any of this..."

"Aaawww Maaaammaaa... and now I think my buns are starting to freeze!"

"They are! They are! No more! Take me back inside!"

As soon as I got the first few layers off, he snuggled up to me as close as possible, quietly making sounds like, "Errrrrrrrrrr, errrrrrrrrr, errrrrrrrrr" as if he were comically trying to sound like he was shivering. He wasn't actually shivering, though, and I doubt he knows what it sounds like, but his timing and choice of noise at the moment was perfect. (Don't mind my messy, just-stuffed-under-a-sweatshirt-hood hair.)
Since then, we've gotten even MORE snow that has filled in almost all signs of our little adventure yesterday. We'll see if we get any more chance to go out in it again this weekend. I wonder if he'd enjoy sledding a little more? Hhmmmm...but then the worrying part of me starts wondering if they make snow helmets?

Luke's take on the economy, and a prayer request...

We haven't fallen off the face of the earth... just been pretty busy. Including Lukas, who found Daddy's wallet filled with all sorts of little toys.He was especially fond of the Costco card, I'm guessing it's because of all the red."Mommy! Daddy! The economy's in the potty! Let's go to Costco and stock up on giant canned goods and gallons of shampoo!"

On a more serious note, Rainer's mom has been having a rougher time with pain and ended up in the hospital for a few days before Thanksgiving. She's back home now with Hospice coming almost every day. I think we finally have her meds figured out and she seems to be having more comfortable days than difficult ones. However, even though she seems to be out of pain for the most part, there are times (like now) when she seems to be emotionally down. Prayers would be greatly appreciated.

As for me and the pregnancy, it was feeling very, very similar to my pregnancy with Lukas... pretty easy, not much nausea...making me pretty sure this one's another boy. Until a couple weeks ago when the nausea started getting stronger and more frequent. I've had a couple good days lately, but I get days like this past Sunday and Monday that make me think we might be expecting a little girl instead. Even beginning to explain to Rainer how to fix Luke some dinner the other night sent my stomach reeling. Ugh... Rainer is of course rooting for another boy, and is holding out hope that, (and I quote) "Maybe it's just a more stubborn version of Lukas." Thanks, honey. Spoken like a true German. :o)