Welcome to The World!

I would like to introduce you to the newest Dray! She arrived at 3:41 am this morning. She weighed 6 lbs, 11 oz and is 19.5 inches long. Her APGAR scores were 8 and 9.
It all started on Tuesday morning when I woke up at 1:30am with consistent contractions, 3-5 min. apart. Although they were not terribly strong, they were very consistent and getting stronger. We arrived at the hospital at 4am. By 8am contractions were 2 min apart and I was dilated to 4cm.

This picture was taken about 5 minutes after she was born.

About noon (back to the story) I was dilated 5cm and 85% effaced. And then the contractions stopped. And then...nothing. NOTHING. I had been walking almost the entire day to keep labor going and make it faster....I was totally exhausted and then I was defeated. I finally decided to go home...because I could sit and look at a wall at home as well as in the hospital. I have to admit I was angry at myself and really sad to go home. I felt stupid.

Look how small next to daddy's hand!

I went home and rested, spent time with the boys, and went to bed at 10. At exactly 1:30am I woke up and couldn't breathe, I was contracting so hard. I tried to get up and walk it off and drink some water. I tried watching a movie to relax and get my mind off of it because I (in my own head) was not going back to the hospital till my water broke...I was going to be SURE she was on her way.

During her first bath :o)

Well, that plan didn't work. I was in so much pain I had to wake #1 up (I think he would have heard me yelling in the bathroom during contractions anyway, I was SO in pain). He called the doctor and we left for the hospital. The last time I looked at the clock in the car, right by the parking lot it was 2:40 am.

I love that #1 took this picture. It is so sweet! She has really long feet and fingers.

When we got back to the hospital, there were no more rooms in the section I was supposed to deliver in, so I went to regular labor and delivery. I was 7 cm and fully effaced. I already felt like I needed to push.

Daddy got his little girl!

When we got to the room, there was a nurse to be with me from Family Beginnings (where I was supposed to deliver) and I had actually had her the morning before when we were admitted. She was wonderful and kept talking me through contractions. Although it wasn't the big tub like the they had in their section, she had the nurses fill the regular tub and got me right in. Up to this point I was really questioning my decision to "deliver natural".

All cleaned up and "suntanning" in the warmer bed.

As soon as I got in the tub, I felt more in control and more relaxed. Within about 5 minutes I was 10 cm. When my doctor arrived I had to get out of the tub because he doesn't do water births. That was a LONG walk to the bed, let me tell you! He had to break my water because her head was right there, but the sac wouldn't let her deliver. As soon as my water broke, she was on her way out. It was a little tough because her arm/hand was up by her face. She was born within an hour of us getting to the hospital campus!

All of her vitals, and other things like her bath were done bedside, it was so nice! I may have been in "traditional" labor and delivery, but they did their best to make it like it would have been. I was up and around within a half hour, felt great.

Big brothers came to visit...Snug was SO proud.

This picture is my favorite of the three of them. Little Monkey Man was pretty good with her. I don't trust him EVER alone with her, but he really did a nice job.

We have to work on not petting her or touching her face. She has lots of dark wavy hair and Snug kept petting it like an animal :o)

My two babies!

Kisses for sister...

...cuddles for Grandmommy.

She is a good nurser and eats every hour to two hours. She's had several dirty and a couple of wet diapers.

I think there will be lots of kisses and cuddles and time spent together. He has been excited to meet her for a long time. He of course knew she was a "gay-url brother" from the beginning. :o)

There are lots of new things to climb at the hospital. Lots of new things to learn about a baby sister.

Well, I guess that is all from the Drays, today!

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday was beautiful here. Although getting down on their level for the angle I would have liked to have gotten was simply not happening the way I wanted...I did manage to capture a few shots I like.

I love getting their pictures taken in the grass, but it was long and wet, so I didn't go for that option this year.

Little Monkey Man wasn't sure how to pose...

...big brother had things to do...

...but in the end, I was happy with the results! This is a miracle picture. Sitting still. Looking posed. An Easter miracle.

This guy is much more my "model". He (usually) loves to pose for the camera. I didn't realize until it was too late that he didn't have a tie, but I think it was probably ok...and I think he was more comfortable.

A family portrait. This will probably be our last one before Hannah is born. She is there though!

Our new house came complete with a lovely set of hyacinths and daffodils.

There must have been tons of exciting things going on in the nursery, because Little Monkey Man didn't even make it home without crashing...and he remained konked out for a couple of hours.

Our church service was so nice, and I was really happy when Snug came home with the complete Easter story in his memory. He had details I was surprised about too. He has been asking ever since for "more stories 'bout Jesus". Hope you had a blessed Easter!

To see how much the boys have grown, check out last year's Easter pictures!

Checking In

We get internet (supposedly) tomorrow. I can give a full moving report and pictures then. Everyone is doing well. I went to the OB today and he said I am dilated 3cm and he gives me about another week.

The move went really well, glad to be done. Living among stacks of boxes :o)

Setting Up The Nursery

Today we had a busy day. Along with moving a bunch of stuff over to the new house, #1 set up the nursery. Mostly. There are a few more things to do, but I'll share what is done so far.
Here he is putting together the daybed that will be in her room. This was my bed from about the time I was 16 until I got married. One problem. Somewhere in the move we lost the hardware to put it together. We got some bots and nuts, but they aren't right. The bed is "together" but don't even lean on it or it will fall apart.

We didn't even bother to put the mattress or trundle part in because it is so unstable. You can see some of the cute girl things Hannah has on the chest on the left. When I find the right box there will be a cute Peter Rabbit lamp on that table.

And the crib went up today. This is the third (and final) time that #1 will have to put it together. I laid a blanket and put Peter Rabbit in the bed, but I don't have a fitted mattress pad yet, and the pink sheet I have to put on the bed is currently on Snug's bed...I was a bit behind on the laundry. I have a new set of purple/pink sheets but I left them in the package...just in case we are wrong.

Here you can see this side of her room. The chest of drawers was from when I was a baby. I still have pictures and things to hang, but her room is almost done!

And here is her closet. I hung up dresses so that they were not smashed in boxes...they are all different sizes and I will organize them later.

Very soon the rest of the house will be looking as good as her room!

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Ok, next order of buisness. I was "tagged" on A Police Wife and now I will answer her questions.

3 Joys:

1. The Gift of Salvation

2. My husband and kids

3. Our new house

3 Fears:

1. That I will have Hannah before Easter Sunda

2. That I won't have Hannah by 40 weeks

3. Someone from America's Most Wanted will get us :o)

3 Goals

1. To see all of my children recieve Christ (maybe not be there, but know about it)

2. To pay off our house in ten years

3. To be a better wife

3 Obsessions

1. Taking pictures of everything we do

2. Reading blogs

3. Organizing things (even if it doesn't appear to be so to other people...there is always method to my madness)

Baby Shower!

A bunch of the girls from my ladies Bible study/young families class at church threw a baby shower for us last night. It was so much fun, and they have been very supportive and generous. Everyone brought yummy food and we received some super cute girly stuff! Along with that, I have had three moms give me beautiful hand-me-downs so this girl is set!

So did I take any pictures? Of course not. Could I take some right now and show you?

Well...I could...but I have already put things in boxes ready to move and the though of unpacking anything just makes me...well...it isn't gonna happen.

Here are some things we have had the blessing of getting:

Onesies, little dresses, sweaters, sweatshirts, outfits, jammies, , shoes, pink and purple sheets, receiving blankets, pacifiers, diapers (I take disposables to church if I have them), and a couple of toys.

I am not driving unless absolutely necessary these days because I have a lot of pain in my lower abdomen/legs and I don't feel very safe doing so. #1 got the boys in their jammies and then drove me to the baby shower last night (the girl who hosted it lives on our rental house street!). On the way Snug wanted to know where I was going and I told him a party-a party for Hannah. He has showed zero jealousy about this new little addition...but he did have a bit last night. He was really upset to think that Hannah was going to eat cake, and he wasn't. I asked him "does Hannah eat right now?" He said "um...no." Then I asked if he thought she was really going to eat cake and he laughed and decided that no, she wasn't. Ok, technically she did eat cake via me, but we were not getting into that.

The other day he asked, again, how we were going to get Hannah out. I reminded him that we will go to the hospital and that the doctor will take her out. This time, that answer didn't suffice. He said "How? How will he get her out?". I tried to change the topic but he promptly said "mommy, there is something you are NOT telling me". He cracks me up.


Tomorrow the plan is to move some of the junk things that collect when you have children out of the garage and to the new house. Along with that we are going to try and set up the nursery there. I will not be doing any of this, I am, as Snug says, "the coach". I will take pictures of that if it happens, and then you can see some of the cute girly things we now have. I am not taking tags off of anything until she is born though.

We also think that that we will be moving next weekend. WOW!!!!!!!


**On a very different note, Officer Walsh's funeral was today. #1 got to see some of it at work as it had been recorded and put online. I guess he was quite the guy, very professional, and some of the stories shared about him as an officer and dad were just so remarkable. Please continue to pray for this family.

Yesterday's News

After starting Financial Peace University a couple of years ago, haircuts were one of the first things we "cut" out (yes, I crack myself up). I get mine cut once, maybe twice a year (and it shows, I have the WORST split ends...but no matter) and I cut Snug and #1's hair. If that shows, don't tell me because I think they look halfway decent all things considering!

However, Little Monkey Man is a different story. He has really nice hair, and I like it longer. I don't trust myself to cut/style it so he went in yesterday for his second haircut. His first haircut went well, so I figured this one would be easy too. The back was getting REALLY long, and #1 kept calling him "mullet boy". Even where we live that isn't really a compliment.

So we popped his second sucker of a lifetime into his mouth (most hard suckers are gluten-free) and plopped him into the chair.

Not. Happening.

He cried and slobbered and tears were just streaming. So he had to sit on Grandmommy's lap...because mommy doesn't currently have a lap. Besides, who else was going to capture the moment on film camera?

After "our hairdresser" started working, he calmed right down and did fine. I love this girl. She's cut my hair since I was just out of college. She is so patient with kids.

Within just a few minutes we were done and all the crying and slobbering and runny nose were just a memory...or just traces of fluid on his face.

I realized as I was doing this post I didn't get an "after" picture of the side/back. It was trimmed in the front, cleaned up/styled on the side, and about 2 inches off the back. Perhaps I won't get "she" quite as much out in public. People always dress their girls in Thomas the Tank Engine, don't they?

In other news, I had an OB appointment (35 weeks!) yesterday. Everything is normal. She's sitting tight. I was a bit dismayed to discover that I weighed the same yesterday as the day I had both boys (who had parallel pregnancies). Something tells me in the next 5 weeks I will continue to get bigger. So something tells me she will also get bigger. If I go 5 more weeks, she will be well over 9 lbs.

I know, I know, lots of people have babies that big. I just never wanted to be one of them!

I told the nurse I am REALLY uncomfortable when I stand or walk very much and I feel like she is going to fall out. It gets downright painful in fact. She kinda laughed, said that was normal in the third (or fourth or more) pregnancy. She just said I am "all stretched out" and it gets more "crampy" with each kid. Isn't that nice? I am all stretched out.

A GOOD thing about my appointment (not that her being perfectly normal and sitting tight isn't good, it really really is and I am so thankful)was they had "Pregnancy" magazine sitting in stacks for moms to pick up. This is one of three magazines this month that have BumGenius diaper coupons in them. I knew the coupons were out there, but didn't want to spend the money to purchase the magazines...defeated the point of saving money! The coupons are pretty much buy one, get one free!

That is a HUGE deal with BumGenius diapers, let me tell you.

I may or may not have picked up two magazines so that my mom could also buy one get one free. I have my eye on two shades of pink and two white (go with everything) ones. Now I just have to budget them into April! I bought my first BG diaper about a month ago as Little Monkey had outgrown several of his pockets and was in need of at least one more diaper(the two white ones I am getting he can also wear...and I guess the pink if we get in a pinch). I got it in 'Ribbit' in case any of you CD moms care, and I LOVE it. They are everything everyone says they are-including, unfortunately, pricey. I can't believe I have cloth diapered for over 18 months and didn't own one. If you are looking to start with cloth diapers, I'd recommend you get at least one and try it for yourself.

W Is Not As Exciting As V

"W" is for Watercolors. Not as exciting as "V" for veterinarian :o) We did two letters in preschool this week because we only have 3 more weeks of Draycare and then I am officially on Maternity leave. I am 1 week from when I had Snug, and 3 weeks from when I had Little Monkey. I went to the OB yesterday and he says she is sitting tight and won't make an appearance until 40 weeks. We'll see!

I try to do lots of painting and fun things with the kids. I thought today I'd share some watercolor tips. So many moms I know don't paint with their kids because it is too "messy". I say bring on the mess because it is SO good for them.

Before the kids come to the table, I have it all set up. Each one of my Draycare clients has a laminated place mat I made for them to do things like playdough and painting on. I cut pictures out of children's catalogs and various magazines-each child has things he/she likes on their mat. I bought some poster board and cut it in half-each mat is a half. After gluing the pictures on, I took them and got them laminated. I used the media resource center at a local university.

Our water cups are old jell-o* or applesauce cups. The plastic Gerber baby food containers work well too. We just recycled various things we've used in the past. The cups each get about 1/4-1/2 full of water so if they spill it isn't a big mess.

Sometimes kids have a hard time getting the watercolors (we use washable) to "work" because they don't put enough water in them to get them started. I take a medicine dropper and put a drop of water in each color before the kids come to the table. By the time they get started each color is ready to go.

For clean up I just wipe off the mats, dump the water, and leave the water colors open for awhile till they dry again.

This little man isn't quite ready to water color yet. Sometimes he gets a small cup of water and a paint brush. Today I got brave and gave him washable marker and put a bib on him. He had it in his hair and all over his hands, but it will all come off in the tub!

So "W" is not as exciting as "V", but we still had a good time together. I am looking forward to the break and having no extra kids, but I will miss all the fun things we do together. The more the merrier!

*I bought the jell-o in containers (I always make it normally) and Snug was enthralled with it. He had never seen it before. Poor sheltered kid.

Blast From The Past

Oh I have so so much in my head, I feel like it is swimming. I think I felt that exact same way last year on March 1, which was a Monday also. Didja know that? Here is my post from last year if you are interested:
http://thedraystoday.blogspot.com/2009/03/welcome-to-not-me-monday-this-blog.html

It was a Not Me Monday post and I was feeling very overwhelmed with both #1's health and Little Monkey Man's (who was Baby J back then). Well a year later we are still having trouble with his health, but thankfully #1's health is great!

I took Monkey Man to the allergist today and he does NOT have food allergies. We are so thankful for that...but in the words of the allergist "this is good news, this is bad news". The bad part is we still have no idea where the diarrhea is coming from.

His diarrhea was so bad this morning that I ran OUT OF DIAPERS AND WIPES at the dr. and had to resort to filling a diaper cover (I was using fitteds/covers today) with tissues to absorb the mess. Can you imagine? Oh our exam room REEKED. I am so sorry to everyone who came after us. Every time a nurse or the Dr. came in I was changing and other diaper of nastyness. They agreed it is NOT normal for this to be happening, but had no answers for us. They did ask if we were sure he doesn't have Celiac Disease. I'm not sure of anything at this point.

Ok, back to looking at the past. I started blogging about two and a half months from when Monkey Man was born. I can now look back (and share with you) how things were at the same place in that pregnancy as this one! Here is a post from about the same time: http://thedraystoday.blogspot.com/2008/04/great-spring-day.html

Snug is 20 months old in these posts, same as what Little Monkey is now. So fun to look back and see what he was like back then, he's changed so much!

32 Weeks...For Real

Tonight I had #1 take a picture for you. So there. Be happy :o)

At 32 weeks I weigh almost as much as I did when I delivered the boys. I'll know technically how much at my appt. next Wednesday...but I think I am within 3 lbs right now. My maternity clothes are starting to get tight.

I am 2 weeks from when I had Snug and 5 weeks from when I had Little Monkey Man. I have conflicting feelings about when I deliver. I do not want a preemie and all the potential complications...however I am so tired and feel so stretched out I don't know how I can get any bigger. I also know if I go to 40 weeks I am very likely to have a well over 9 lb baby. Ugh. Lets aim for 37 weeks. I think I can do anything for 5 more weeks. I think.

For the past few weeks I have craved anything sugary. I'm not a big sweets eater normally. Don't get me wrong, I love a good chocolate chip cookie or an ice cream, but not daily...or hourly. I seriously think about foods like that ALL the time. I also crave ice water. I am drinking tons of it, which is great.

I have braxton hicks contractions on and off throughout the day, but in the evenings will get several contractions that start very low and go up so high it is hard to breath and last about 45 seconds or longer. If I get more than 4 of these in an hour my OB wants me at the hospital. I also have quite a bit of low cramping if I lift anything. I have not been lifting Little Monkey for quite some time unless absolutely necessary, and now I don't even do it if it is necessary-I just make sure it never is. He'll have to be bleeding and needing medical attention at this point for me to pick him up. He does climb up on the couch and sit on my lap on his own power, and most of the time that is ok as long as he sits still (ha ha). I've actually found the more I can't hold him the more he wants it. It is kind of nice to be wanted!

So that is me at 32 weeks. I hate hate hate belly pictures of me, but thought Hannah might want to know someday what I looked like when I was having her...you know when she is feeling the same way. Not that this blog will exist in 20 some years, but I'll still have the actual picture. I don't think the boys will care a hoot what I looked like when I was prego with them, but I have a couple of pictures anyway.

31 Weeks Pregnant-Belly Shots

Many of you like belly shots. You have asked for belly shots. I gave one back here but thought it was high time you saw another one...or two.
So this is what I look like! Nice, huh?

Here is another belly shot. This belly so SO much cuter than mine. Trust me on that.

Yep, love those belly shots!

Moving Week: Wonderful Wednesday

Wow, the past 24 hours have been WOW. Late yesterday afternoon I got a call from a lady who said the house I talked about here had come available to rent again, and would we still be interested? Um...YES. Last night about 8:30 I went and signed the lease and gave them the deposit and rent money. We now have a place to live, PRAISE THE LORD!

#1 has been there all day painting the living room, halls and bedrooms. That is part of the contract. Fine with us, it will be nice and ready for us tomorrow. This house is about $50 more a month than our current mortgage (as opposed to the apartment where we were going to end up which with a storage unit was going to be over $300 a month more) and includes ALL the storage we will need.

I don't plan on unpacking very much at this house as we will only be there until May 1st and should have the baby by then...don't really feel like packing up a ton while juggling a newborn. Now we have to look REALLY hard for a new house. So far nothing is really available, but we know more will keep going on the market.

This house has 3 bedrooms, one of which I can use for a playroom. Snug picked which room he wants to be in today. I really didn't care, and it gave him some control of his world that is changing so fast. It also has a small room off the laundry area that will be PERFECT for doing preschool. A brand new stove was delivered today. I am thrilled.

Our current home's closing is at 5pm tonight. That is kinda sad because I love this house, but we are so blessed to have sold it.

In other news, mainly pregnancy news, we got to visit the hospital unit we plan to deliver in. I am so excited about it. I will be needing some advice on giving birth without pain medication, but other than that it "fixes" everything we didn't like about having a baby in the traditional hospital setting.

1. #1 does not have to sleep on a hard little couch type thing. There is a queen size bed in the room.

2. I do not have to lay in a bed on my back through labor. They encourage you to walk around, be in the tub, and relax.

3. I do not have to wait until after I have the baby to have a drink or something to eat. In fact, they encourage the women to snack and drink during labor. YEAH!

4. The baby will not be whisked away 5 minutes after birth to be weighed, bathed, and check out for an hour. EVERYTHING is done in the room and you are encouraged to nurse as soon as possible (not when it is convenient for the nurses).

5. If everything goes well, we can leave the hospital within 24 hours of giving birth...not 48!

6. The kids don't have to wait a few hours to come. In fact if we want them to be they can be IN the room (I don't want that). There is a wonderful family waiting area right outside the room with couches, toys, and a DVD player that they can use and then come in as soon as she is born and I am ready to see them.

7. Mom and baby have their vitals checked at the same time and they prefer to check baby when he/she is being nursed because they are so relaxed. When we had Little Monkey they were coming in every hour to check one of us. We were so exhausted and it interrupted nursing quite a bit because the insisted on holding him to check his vitals.

And the best news we got last night was that the ban the hospital had against children under 14 due to H1N1 has been lifted and the boys will be able to be there! So exciting. This is turning out to be a wonderful Wednesday!

Moving Week: Tuesday

Even though Little Monkey Man had a bath right before bed last night (hence the great looking bed head) he really did need one again this morning. For everyone's sake. The water in the tub wasn't quite ready and he was trying to climb in by himself. Then he decided to flash everyone who was still at the breakfast table. Finally I stood him in the sink to keep him occupied. I had some other really cute pictures of him looking at himself in the mirror, but they showed too much private property on his end.

So day #2 of the Great Moving week. I was up from 2:30-6am. I wasn't UP but I was awake. I've had more insomnia with this pregnancy than any of my others. It is just maddening to lay there and NOT be able to sleep, but know how tired I will be the next day. Along with having Draycare back today and doing preschool (working on a book of colors, counting out specific numbers, letter "O", and our Bible story) we managed to get everything but a rice cooker* packed out of our basement storage area.

My kitchen has very few cupboards and many items like my crock pot, stock pots, and popcorn popper had residency on a shelf in the basement. Along with this was all of our Christmas items (Thanks mom and Danielle for helping get that all packed earlier), camping gear, and random things that didn't have another home.

We have yet another box for Goodwill, threw away a significant amount of stuff that we weren't sure WHY we even had, and packed the rest. I'm a keeper, not a tosser, but I have to say getting rid of so much stuff is actually...relieving. Anyone who helps us move will think I had better get rid of 200 more things. We even negotiated. "I'll throw/give this away if you get rid of __________." Fun times.

I had to laugh this morning. After meals the kids always clear their dishes and then go wash their hands and faces/use the bathroom if they need to. Little M (boy that I sit for) said "Where is the bathroom???" He was trying to get around a big stack of boxes in the hallway and couldn't find his way through!

Tonight we are going over to the hospital where I will deliver for an orientation. It is the same hospital I had both of the boys at but we are going to try something different this time. Although many doulas or midwives would probably laugh, this section of the maternity ward is considered a more natural delivery environment than traditional L&D areas. There is a mandatory orientation and then another day of tour just to make SURE you want to use this facility. My dr. says I am a great candidate to try this because it is baby #3 (I know what I am doing) and so far my pregnancy has been by the book perfect.

With my boys this wouldn't have even been an option because Snug was a preemie (delivered in an O.R. just in case) and Little Monkey Man had me on bedrest for a few weeks and was born the day after he was considered NOT to be a preemie. He cut it very close. We'll see how this one goes, but so far the pregnancies have been night and day so my dr. thinks I will probably go full term. Remind me when I am 41 weeks how GOOD of a thing that is...cause I'm pretty sure when I hit 37 weeks I will be more than ready to be DONE.

Still don't know where we are moving for sure, will tell you tomorrow...cause we have to know by tomorrow. Fun times!




*Ok. We got a 10 c. rice cooker (20 c. when done) as a wedding present. We've never used it that I can remember. I am all for giving it away to someone who wants it. #1 didn't know we had it and thinks we will use it constantly. It is in the pile of "if we can fit it in the storage area, it stays, if it doesn't fit, it's gone". Really, who makes 20 c of rice?????

Let It Snow, Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

Well if you didn't immediately CLOSE your browser after seeing this first picture, welcome to winter wonderland! Several of my online friends have been e-mailing me or posting comments that they want to see how big my belly is. Under normal circumstances I'd be completely flabbergasted at this request, but given that I am 25 weeks pregnant...well here it is folks. Very flattering. This is me trying to get on my girls size XL snow pants. I think a woman's size XL would be appropriate. My ski jacket, which does still manage to zip, is a Youth size 18/20. I'm not planning on being able to put this lovely ensemble together in February.

Although Little M is deathly afraid of our dogs, Chester did get to make an appearance because he has been begging to play outside with the boys. Our dogs are 1/2 husky and they love the snow. They love to run, and jump, and eat, and wrestle in it. They love that they can get a big lick in and the boys can barely walk let alone get them away. Chester is extremely obedient and he left Little M alone, so he had no need to be scared. He's mostly into his own boys anyway. Our other dog, Lucy, would have been at the local elementary school by the time I had the camera out, so I didn't bother letting her in the front yard to frolic.

The snow is yet another opportunity to wrestle with daddy, and everyone piled on him and laughed when he threw them off. I think Chester was his biggest competition actually.

In these pictures you can still see grass, but we've received at least two more inches since the kids were out and you won't be seeing the grass anymore! Little Monkey managed to figure out how to get up after falling down. When I took these pictures the other day, he'd fall and then grunt and fuss until we picked him up. I guess we didn't rescue him fast enough today because he managed to get himself picked up.

#1 decided to shovel the driveway and sidewalk. All the kids decided to take the shovel and use it in the yard. It really didn't matter that he never finished, because what little bit he did manage to do is completely buried.

Snug was very serious about his shoveling. He never complained about being cold even though his face was beet red by the time we got done. (Why beet red? Aren't beets purple? Shouldn't it be like radish red?)

Chester took a time out with Little Monkey Man. He was very nice not to lick at him while he was down. What a good dog. Actually, it used to be that he rarely would lick their faces at all but both boys encourage it and I've decided to quit punishing the dog for something his "other owners" are rewarding him for.

School let out 2 hours early to ensure that the kids got home safe. I'm sure my Minnesota and Northern Michigan friends think that is pretty funny, but we are far enough south in Ohio that when we get more than 3 inches the road crews don't do a great job at clearing it. Along with that, it has been snowing for 7 hours and supposed to go at least another 5. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!