The Dreaded Fresh Air and Exercise

We are well into our extra-long Christmas break (begun a week early thanks to snow days.)  And despite numerous new toys and lots of festivities, we have all slid into the inevitable mid-break slump.  What does this mean?  Way too much time in front of the computer.  Way too much time at video games.  Way too much Spongebob.  And a bit too much snacking.

So today, at Sam's request, we ventured out for some "fresh air and exercise," a phrase I remember my parents tossing around when *I* was the one slumped around the house--and I remember not being too fond of those words back then.

But:  It's true. That's exactly what this bunch needed.

So up to the rec center to play basketball and tennis.

We briefly played "Horse," then switched to just throwing the ball madly at the hoops.

A shot of our indoor swimming pool, which suddenly became crammed with people a few minutes after taking this picture.

Benny makes a shot!

Yeah!

After this, we moved onto tennis and that was very good exercise, because we spent most of our time chasing the ball and very little time actually standing around hitting it.

Then it was home for lunch and-----more video games, more time in front of the computer.  Oh well-at least we had a good break.  And this is part of the experience, right?  In any case, I have a feeling the kids (whether they admit it or not) will be ready to get back to school and see their friends again soon.

Snowy Isolation

You know what this is?  This is the first white Christmas Georgia has had in over 100 years!!

We woke up Christmas morning to a ton of snow, and it continued to snow heavily all day long.

And not just snow, but lots of ice underneath.  The roads were un-driveable and we settled in for a few days of being snowed in.   

It was fine at first, then the power went out just after dinner Christmas night. But how lucky were we that we had already cooked our dinner, done the laundry, and ran the dishwasher?  We spent the evening with our new flashlights and candles, reading our new books.  Not bad!

The boys enjoyed the snowy trampoline, just as they did last year.

And Sam made these little snowmen.  After I took a picture, he punched them off the railing.  That was half the point in building them!

The kids made it out to their dad's house for a while, despite treacherous roads, and Marty and I walked the loop.

The snow was deep and the ice underneath very heavy.  Halfway through Marty told me to be careful, as it was icy.  He slipped in mid-sentence, fell down, and rolled.  Fortunately he was not hurt and was a good sport about it.  See how snowy he is?

We passed a car that had not made it up the hill, but had slid backwards into a ditch.  The car had been abandoned for now.

This is the road directly behind our house, so pretty.

Watch out for snow covered car!

Our mailboxes.

Me, bundled up in my new scarf and gloves.

The snow and ice have been here for three days now, and will probably not melt away for another two days or so.  It's been record-breaking, history in the making, and the news has had a field day with it.  It's also not just been us--much of the East Coast got a full blown blizzard.  And I have a strong hunch this is not the last round of snow and ice we'll get this year. I'm predicting more on the way, and just a few more snow days from school, to boot.

Merry Christmas!

Another Christmas has come and gone, and it was a good one!  We had to drag the kids out of bed at 9 a.m. to open presents.........

and there were lots of smiles all around.

And look what Santa brought Benny!

The sound of drums rocked our house all day long!

Then it was off to Cindy's for dinner and a visit by the Great Danes.........

Great food, and the dogs sure took a shine to the boys.

Then over to Granny's, with her disco tree and the piles of gifts, for present-opening.

Mike brought his handmade cigar box guitar, and Benny was fascinated.

Mike played some music for us!

Then it was on to gift opening and lots of laughing.  We drove home late and put everyone to bed content and happy.  And woke up to snow the next morning!


Merry Christmas, everyone!

Another Snow Day

The day started off with a visit from some hungry deer.  Including this big guy, who shows up once in a great while.  I was thrilled to get a picture!

I scurried out with three scoops of corn because there were eleven deer all bunched up and looking very hungry.  They hung around most of the morning, eating every grain and waiting for more.

I like the way she is sticking her tongue out!

It was also our second day off of school due to ice.  And as predicted a week ago, there is also NO SCHOOL TOMORROW.  To top it off, more snow is on the way tomorrow night. So I'm thinking we might as well just say that Christmas Break has begun, a week early.

We managed to get to town today for some much needed distraction and air.  What are we going to do for the next four weeks while everyone is out?  I have no idea.  Climb the walls, maybe.  But soon we'll have new Christmas presents to play with--that will be fun!

Is It Snowing Yet?

Last night I watched FROSTY THE SNOWMAN for the--I don't know, the hundredth time?  And for the first time, I noticed what an emphasis the story puts on the first snowfall of the year.  It's magical, they say, and that's why Frosty came to life--because that first snow of the year is like no other.  It's SPECIAL.

And that is exactly what we are experiencing today!  The first snow of the year.  And the boys are excited.  There are two reasons for excitement:  1.  SNOW.  Need we say more?    2.  Snow days from school!!!

Last year we had so much ice on the roads, which never got a chance to melt, that Christmas break stretched out approximately four months, what with snow/ice day after snow/ice day.  I'm already wondering if this year we'll have more of the same.

The day started with running outside to see the snowfall:

That's Sam, hunched over the bird bath.  The fact that it was frozen was very intriguing.  He spent a bit of time trying to break the ice with a baseball or stick, but to no avail.

Our house!

Pictching a baseball around the deserted road.

Snow angels!

Good job, boys!

 Then they climbed into the back of Marty's truck for snow scooping, throwing, and snowball building.  All in all, a good day.  They used Mom's ancient sled to go sledding down the back hill.  They threw snowballs.  They ate snacks and had hot chocolate and played video games.  And of course we drug out Monopoly and card games and Benny and I put together a big set of Shrinky Dinks.

And it turns out tomorrow is a snow day as well.  So the fun continues.  Stay tuned!

                                      

PS:  The deer were extra hungry yesterday--waiting by the front door for us.  One of these days I think they'll just come up the steps and knock on the front door, looking for the corn!

Thanksgiving, A Little Late

I know.  Thanksgiving is ancient history and here we are, barreling past Black Friday and Cyber Monday and Christmas Shopping and festive eating, eating, eating and parties at every turn.  But I need to backtrack just a second and touch on our actual Thanksgiving day, which of course, would not be Thanksgiving Day without a gathering at Mom and Dad's house, and Mom's wonderful cooking.

First of all, they had their house decorated beautifully, as always!

And Carter made the lovely turkey on the front door.

We had perfect, gorgeous weather.

Lots of helping hands........Karen, Dad, Mom and Cecil make last minute touches on the menu.

The table is loaded with food.......

Mom makes such GOOD food!  And she is the perfect hostess--everything comes out perfectly, and perfectly timed, and everything always looks picture perfect.

 We also had handmade place cards!

 

Turkey, ham, potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, corn casserole, rolls, and Mom's cranberry relish!



We ate til we were stuffed.

Then Karen and Reed cleaned up the kitchen.......

And the guys got to work repairing the back steps.  It kept them busy for hours and I think they sort of enjoyed it.  At any rate, it gave them an appetite for pie.

And Carter, too!  He loves Gram's chocolate pie.

It was a great day. And we went home with lots of leftovers. 

Later in the week, Karen and I helped decorate Gram's trees.  See us decorating...totally unaware of the camera?  Totally candid and unposed.

Okay--we can now resume winter programming.  Back to Christmas!