Pinewood Derby

Today was the big Pinewood Derby races for the Cubscouts. Carter is in his first year of scouting, and his Den is called Tiger Cubs. Last night, we brought his completed car to the track for weigh-in and inspection. Once it was given the "ok", he was allowed to do 2 practice runs then he had to turn the car into their hands until today. It was pretty exciting!

I have to say, there are some pretty serious Derby goers in terms of car styles and designs on how to make the perfect, fastest car. We were given a stack of papers from our cousin on how to build "the winner". I have to admit, it was so involved and Tom and I could hardly understand any of the instructions. We thought that would take us all three weeks to do the car with those instructions. It's supposed to be the kids doing them anyway, and there's no way he would have been able to follow the directions and suggestions. Besides, you must know that Tom now has a new list of tools he needs to add to his empty tool box. So we tucked those winning instructions away with the car kit until the day got closer.

Guess what. The day sure did get closer. And closer. And at about 48 hours before we had to turn the car in, we remembered that we still had not as much as broken the seal on the box the kit was in. So there we began, on Wednesday, coming up with an idea with Carter on how he wanted his car to look. We scribbled some rough aerodynamic sketch onto scrap paper, traced it onto the block of wood, and then realized that we did not have the proper tools to even cut this shape out. So, over to Grandpa's house where all the tools are, the two of them went to cut out the corvette shape. When he got home, he started to work on the car.... sanding it down and then he got to paint it quickly before bed. The next morning, he colored on the windows. After school he sprayed some sparkles on it. After dinner he decorated it and added weights to the bottom. I suggested most of the weight should go near the front, and it proved a good move. We were done - with time to spare, and a hair under the 5 ounce maximum weight allowed. I always say if it wasn't for the last minute, then nothing would get done, right?

So, here are some pictures to tell the story of our first experience with this annual event. You can click on any picture to enlarge it! Enjoy...

Here's the shape Carter wanted - he chose a "Corvette" like his Grampy has.

Next he sanded his car with 2 different grades of sandpaper (that's about as 'handy' as we got!)
Next, he wanted to paint his car blue like Grampy's 'vette. We eventually spray painted some silver sparkle all over it too.
Here he is drawing on his windshield and other windows with a black Sharpie marker.
Putting on the final touches to his USA themed car - some American flags etc.
And here is the final product! We took a picture of it on the scale showing how much the car weighed in the end. We could not go over 5 ounces. Pretty close, huh!
Here is a look at the track set up...
Here is Carter's car after inspection and check-in... his is on the bottom far right.
Here is the start of the race - his car is number 201, first car on the screen.
Can you see what the screen says now? He got the TRACK RECORD!
Check out the winner's circle! 1st-4th place winners for Tigers....
And the FIRST PLACE trophy goes to Carter!! Wooo hoooo!
To say he was excited is an absolute understatement! It was so cute to see him after each heat yell "my car was first, my car was first!" and jump up and look for us in the crowd. He was pretty proud, and so were we. We'll have to come up with our own secret instructions to hand out now..... This car will be put in a place of honor for a long time. Hooray!

Happy Birthday Carter!

Today Carter sprung out of bed at 6:30 am to declare he was no longer SIX! Turning 7 is pretty important!

He came downstairs to find a couple of presents - a new bicycle and a basketball!



We had his birthday party last weekend at a store called Ridemakerz. This place is similar to Build-a-Bear, but instead of stuffed animals, the kids built their own street cars! It was a lot of fun!

Here are the boys building their cars...

Here are the boys showing of their finished cars...

Gathered around to open gifts...


I wrote a letter for Carter to put in his memory book. You can click the image to read it.


Tonight, we have the start of Pinewood Derby in Cubscouts. Tomorrow is the big Derby Race, and he's super excited about that. I have some pictures I'll post this weekend of him making his car. Sunday, we'll be celebrating his birthday with a family dinner here - he chose spaghetti with Grandma's special meat sauce as his birthday dinner!! Yes, this is the child who only used to have about 5 things he'd eat without gagging - turning 7 really IS a big deal! We've come SO far.... :)

Thank goodness it's Monday...

The Dancing Banana. You may have seen it a hundred times. It's an animation that sums up pretty much every excited emotion you have, with just one little yellow banana showin' off it's moves. It's moves evoke feelings of "Yeah! Woo-Hoo! Excellent! Yahoo! Yippee!" etc.... I had to add it here for today's post.



It’s supposed to be a wacky 65 degrees out, and the return to school today for the kids… those highlights are reasons enough to have had Mimosas at the bus stop this morning!

I have to say too, that I’m beginning my thoughts about this post right now at 9:15 am (probably won’t complete my post until later though….) and Olivia is STILL sleeping. She must be celebrating the weather and school resuming too. Tom called to ask how the first “morning back” went and if I’m enjoying the morning to myself. All I could do was let out a big huge sigh as if I was sinking down into a plush leather chair, “ahhhh” – silence. I got the 1st grader out the door, made a cup of hot tea for myself, ate some toast, read the newspaper, listened to a bit of Live with Regis and Kelly on the TV in the background, started a load of towels into the laundry and checked my email. All before 9:15 am. Bliss!

This routine is not out of the ordinary, it’s just that I have not done it consistently since December 19th. Do you know why I know exactly what date threw me off of my regularly scheduled program of life? It’s because my husband’s last day of work before his planned “Winter Break” began. Yep, that’s right, 13 consecutive days. At home. Together. This would not have been such a challenging feat if we were, say, in Hawaii or on another adventurous vacation away from home. But we weren’t. We were home, waiting for the holidays, prying our kids from the ceiling from excitement about Christmas, trying to coexist among the chaos of the season and throwing a wrench into my daily Domestic Duties as a homemaker. Ugg! Carter was on his Winter Break for 15 days too. Need I say more about that?

While one of us was excited to have some much needed time away from the daily grind of a career, the other was bracing themselves for the sort of Year End double-duty work load that most companies endure. Only, I didn’t have to turn in my final projects for the year and get a break – I was just beginning them. That’s how it goes. Of course, it was nice to have that second pair of hands around for running quick errands kid-free, tag teaming baths for the kids, and general helping out when needed. I’m sure there were a few times he would have loved a bubble bath to sink into and not come out until he resembled a prune. “Vacation” is a term he would use loosely when talking about his time off, I’m sure.

Having the kids home for a 15 day break is certainly no comparison to Summer break from school. But there are extreme differences in the two. During Winter break, the kids are on an emotional high (or low) from all of the excitement surrounding the holidays and traditions. While parents are trying hard to keep it stress free and low key (impossible!), they’re getting wound up tighter than a spool of thread. Another challenge is the weather over winter break. Sure, snow is fun. For about a minute. Then they cannot ride their bikes or scooters, or play on the swing set until said white stuff is melted. Friends are off having visits with relatives and the Christmas presents are has-beens by day 3. All the while, every entertainment spot is filled with aggravated parents and crazy kids trying to pack in their days and unwind at the Children’s Museum, Chuck E. Cheese, movies etc. Sure, Summer has it’s “I’m bored” moments too, but there is much more to do and enjoy when the weather is nice. Like tell the kids to go out and play, lock the doors and make them use their imaginations – without having to worry about frostbite.

You see – this is all why it would have been nice to toast with the moms at the bus stop this morning while sipping Mimosas and eating scones. But I didn’t have orange juice or even own a recipe for scones. I know I’m not alone in my celebration. It’s been a long two weeks. I’m happy to have the house back to its normal disarray, my regularly scheduled Domestic Duties in place (even if I have already swept up crumbs from the kitchen floor twice before 9:30 am and have sung Twinkle Twinkle 20 times), it feels much better in THIS skin. I’m a creature of habit; I like things to run like a well oiled machine. I don’t particularly like wrenches thrown into things (like school staff needing a break for 2 weeks and making our kids have to be home with us – how dare they!) I much rather have a reason to miss my kids. For instance, as soon as the bus left I felt a little heavy hearted, yet excited to see him when he returns from school today. It’s bittersweet sometimes isn’t it.... Got a good scone recipe anyone?

Birthday hangover....

Round One of birthdays has been checked off the list. Gearing up for Round Two (Carter) next weekend for his "friends party". Haven't decided on the family gathering yet - but will probably be the 20th if everyone's available. We've got the heavily anticipated "Pinewood Derby" contest for cubscouts coming up on his bday weekend the 18th-19th so we couldn't plan too much during that since it's pretty involved. Oh, and the NFL playoffs.... minor details. It will all work out.

In case you didn't get a chance to see the previous posting on her actual birthday, click here.

In the meantime, here are some pictures of the Birthday Girl enjoying a sugar high.

Time lapse of tasting her first bit of frosting......


Hey, this is good stuff....

Don't want to waste any frosting you know....

Kisses anyone?

Using sign language to tell us "More" (she did this after every bite, so cute!)

Ta Da! All done....

2 Grandads admiring...

Getting "help" opening gifts...

Precious giving Daddy kisses...

One Year!

Happy 1st Birthday Olivia!

Here's a letter I wrote for Olivia's baby book to remember her first birthday. You can click on the image to read it.... I've also made a video montage to music celebrating her first year ...




Here's the video set to music!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Happy New Year!

Wow - another year! Remember when it was going to turn "2000" and how strange that was going to sound rolling off of our tongues? Eight years later... time sure flies.

2007 was a pretty good year, despite losing my beloved grandmother in March. Some of my favorite highlights of the year started off with the birth of our daughter on January 3rd, the Colts won the Superbowl, we had a terrific 10-day family vacation in Florida at the start of summer, my girlfriend's little boy finished his 2 yrs of cancer treatment, and my son started school full-time into the first grade last Fall!

I'm not even going to kid myself into making any New Year's Resolutions! Thankfully, I'm pretty happy in my life and there's not too much I want or need to do differently! Too much is they key word - there are always things that could be improved upon so I'll quietly work on those and maybe even update the progress - or lack thereof...

Have a terrific 2008 - I'm looking forward to the seasons changing into some warmer weather. Can you believe I just said that? Me, wanting the warm weather? Well, it's a long winter after the holidays come and go, so yearning for the warmer weather to get here isn't that crazy. Especially when I glance at my outdoor digital reading and it says a mere 8 degrees. And it's snowing. Cocoa anyone?

Does this look familar to you?

LOST:
One thick, fluffy roll of cotton. 5-6" in diameter. Flap folds over the top. Found usually with a posse of 5 buddies. Goes by the name, "Cottonelle". Aka, "T.P." as heard on the streets.

WANTED:
One male human. Blue eyes. Same last name as victim. May have cotton fibers left over on fingerprints. Will have guilty look on face when confronted. May claim he did not realize roll was left vacant. Suspect may be armed with excuses but is not considered dangerous.

Does this look familiar to you?



This speaks a thousand words without actually saying anything. First, it screams “touched by a male”, and I only know this fact because it is always of the male persuasion that leaves the untidy empty roll in our house. I have a good idea of which male probably disappeared into the shadows, but I can’t be 100% certain because there are two suspects living in our home. How hard of a task is this guys??

Secondly, women don’t leave untidy empty rolls on the holder. We know if we left it like that, we’d get called upon to rescue such male in the midst of a private moment anyway by tossing one to them. Or, it would be our luck that we would again be the next person to need the bathroom and the empty roll would still be there in silence. So, we change it, right then and there. And we even restock the extra rolls if their “extras” spot happens to be completely empty in the bathroom. You know, to make it easier on anyone who needs to reach for a new roll and replace it next time. We are thoughtful like that. Because we are women.

There is also a universal groan that comes from women around the world when they realize the roll is empty, and has not been replaced. It’s a sound that is a cross between the growl of a bear and the exhale of a yawn, followed by an eyeroll left over from teenage-hood. Mine sounds like that anyway. That huff and puff we do when we realize we’ve been left to forage for a new roll, says “How inconsiderate of you! How lazy of you!”

Is there a gene missing in the male genetic makeup that accounts for the actions of such creatures? It doesn’t begin and end with the toilet paper roll either. Oh no. It goes hand in hand with the toilet seat being left up, the bar of soap smidge left behind in the shower, the few morsels of cereal hidden in the powdery substance at the bottom of a cereal box, the trash bag that might hold just one more thing, you get the picture.

I’m sure there is a list of “female factor” line items that could be addressed here. But since it’s my blog, and I’m writing about being the victim of the untidy empty toilet paper roll, there will be no lady bashing. And since I was alone without any male companions this afternoon, my huff and puff was not heard when I discovered such conditions. It was a nice parting gift don’t you think?

Baking Christmas Cookies

Yesterday was our cookie baking with my parents. This has been a tradition since Carter was born that we do together - we look forward to this every December!

Here are some photos of the day..... MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Here is Mom with the kids before we started the mess...

Dad with Carter
Mom and Carter decorating some cookies
Olivia and Mommy
Modeling her new headband
Olivia making her very first cookie - an angel!

Examining some dough on her finger - not quite sure about this!

...oh, it must be God

Ring, Ring, Ring, Ring.......

Carter: "Mommy, the phone is ringing!"
Me: "I know, I can't get it right now I'm busy with Olivia"
Carter: "Can I answer it?"
Me: "no, not this time, they'll leave a message"
Carter: "can I push the message button then?"
Me: "When I'm done changing Olivia"

I'm done, so we go to the kitchen to see the phone glowing orange which indicates a message - and he wants to listen...

Me: "Ok Carter, remember which button to press?"
Carter: "yesssssss Mommmmmyyyyy" (imagine an eyeroll inserted here from Carter because apparently kids think their parents are so dumb already at the ripe old age of SIX)

Listening to silence as the caller didn't want to leave a message it appears...

Me: "Well, I guess no one was there."
Carter: "No, I think it must have been God...."
Me: "God? Why would it be God if there's nobody on the answering machine?
Carter: "Becaaaaauuuuse, we can't hear God, and we didn't hear anyone on the message!" (imagine an eyeroll inserted here from Carter yet again in frustration as if to say - DUH Mom!)

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Well, if he says it must be God....... (shrug) I have no argument!

Gingerbread house fun!

Yesterday began a weekend of being snowed in. We got a significant enough storm, that we stocked up on things to do at home, one of which included making our traditional gingerbread house. I'm no Martha Stewart, so there will be no homemade gingerbread recipes found in my tattered recipe book. Nope - we buy the pre-made kits. Comes with rock hard gingerbread forms (that taste disgusting by the way!), a bag of icing to use as glue (and tastes like it's intentions), a couple of small bags of candy to decorate with, and instructions that are pretty idiot proof. My kind of creation! I erected the house as Carter requested, then it was time for him to decorate.

It went sort of like this: One gumdrop here, another in his mouth. One gumball there, let's see how this one tastes. You get the picture. Just as it should be. No fun making a gingerbread house if you can't sample to goodies while you're working. All of that thinking and planning how you want it to look makes a boy need to refuel with sugar you know! Those brilliantly colored blobs of kid-crack do the job. The temptation can not be overcome, and children must sample all of the delights. Thankfully I know this in advance, so I wasn't having a fit while he ate the materials for our house. I love when the small stuff make a kid have a thrill. Oh, but I'm making up for it today, as he's eaten several parts of the house while there weren't any glaring eyes on him. And began bouncing off of every surface his feet and body touched today. So much for sniffing glue - he was eating it! Those sugar highs can really be something.....

Here's some pictures of our fun!

Click photos to enlarge

And so you can get an idea of what's being ingested every time he looks at it... the walkway gumdrops have disappeared. Snow and sprinkles, as well as the Christmas Tree gingerbread cookie, and lots of gumballs along the roof line. So funny.


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Here's some cute pictures of Carter and Olivia playing together. She's starting to protest if a toy is taken away, and big brother is starting to get the feel of how to tease. Good times all around!


How cute is she? With her sock she loves to carry around with her everywhere. Some kids have a special blankie - she.has.a.sock. Yep, that's my child.

Oh, and here's a closeup of the only two teeth she has in her mouth. We lovingly call her our hamster. Looks just like a rodent right? If she only had the top two...

Are these not the biggest blueberries you've ever seen?

Birthday party planning....

January seems to be our lucky month for having a baby (no, we're not pregnant...). Both of the kids have birthdays next month - Olivia's is the 3rd and Carter's is the 18th. This means, that among all of the holiday hoopla we're trying to climb out from under, we have to plan a couple of parties. To wait until after Christmas would be too late - the 3rd of January comes pretty quickly. I suppose I should not complain, there are other days that could be more challenging - say, like December 25th - when one of my best girlfriends had her first baby last year. What a fantastic Christmas present for them! Yet, they will forever face the challenge of celebrating 2 major events on the same day.

There are some really cool things about being born on Christmas Day though. Besides, sharing your birthday with one of the most famous people of all time - Jesus, everyone is getting together on your birthday - noone ever forgets! And there will probably be double the gifts for quite a few years that the child can cash in on. How cool to have birthday presents wrapped in birthday wrapping paper - under the Christmas Tree! There are not many people that can claim that special day as their birthday - I believe that birth day was hand picked just for her, by Him. And I think it's pretty darn cool.

Now, back to January and my whining. We had our hearts set on having Carter's 7th birthday party at the "Carter's Toy Museum" that just opened here in our town. They have a small diner-style place to grab lunch, they have an ice cream parlor, the toy museum tour, and in the basement there are about 20+ coin operated toys for the kids to enjoy. And a carousel on the 3rd floor. Well, we went last weekend to check it out in person, and although I was really impressed, I think we'll have to save it for Olivia's birthday sometime. It was just too young of a place for a 7 year old's bday. More the speed for those under 5. Now the museum, that's for anyone older that can enjoy toys collected and played with older than the 1960's. Some really cool stuff to see!

Plan B: There's a new franchise that just opened up here in our Mall, called Ridemakerz. Have you ever heard of Build-A-Bear? Well, this is for boys what build-a-bear is for girls! Here, we will bring the boys to build a toy car of their own. They can customize it to their liking by choosing a style, a color, tires, rims, decals, license plate and special name for their car. They will build the car at the Ridemakerz "shop", and be able to take it home with them. The neat part too, is that at any time the boys would like to upgrade their cars' features (can even make it a remote-control car), they can bring it back to the "shop" and customize it further on their own. We will have cake etc. at the mall too and call it a day! Carter is really into the movie "CARS", so he wants a cake that is from the movie, and this place fits perfectly to the theme. It should have been Plan A from the start - but I just found out about it in our local newspaper, and I'm so glad! Looking forward to this!

Olivia - is turning *gulp* ONE! My gosh, seriously - where did this year go? It's been 6 years since we've been able to enjoy this baby stage with another child and it's been such a joy. She is so incredibly easy going and always happy, I could SO have 10 more if I was sure they'd all be this (dare I say...) easy! I'm sure I'll be chomping these words once she's more able to assert herself in the world (with a lovely sassy mouth she's sure to inherit from me, or learn how from her brother....) - but for now, pure bliss and we wouldn't trade it for anything. We'll have a family party here at home probably on Jan. 5th. I don't know much more than that, but I have a bullseye on the day, and that's something to start with right?


Here's a picture of her latest accomplishment - from bottle to SIPPY CUP!!!


click on photo to enlarge

Winter fun! Pictures & Video Clip

Since there's not too much going on other than getting Christmas shopping done and fretting about Luminary Night that was supposed to happen in my neighborhood tonight (postponed because of rain), I thought I'd post some pictures of Carter enjoying our freshly fallen snow and a cute video of Olivia's new tricks!

As always, click photos to enlarge!
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The view into the back yard trees looked so pretty after the snow fell...

Carter preparing to create his work of art...

Here we have the quintessential snow angel art! He couldn't wait to stamp one into the ground....

Tada!

And before the rain began to wash it all away, we had to build our first snowman of 2007!

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And here's my sweet Olivia - this video contains 2 parts - the first is her kissing the pictures in her favorite book. The second part of it is her showing off her new trick of shaking her head "No No" and giggling! Enjoy! Just an FYI, she's not said "Mama" yet (sure, she'll point to me if you ask her where Mama is), but she can already tell me "no"... what's up with that?


Olivia kissing pictures 12/9/07

Snow gear insanity!

Why is it that snow gear for children takes 11 hours to put on them for only 5 minutes of play time because they're too cold? Arrrrgh! And there is never any gear left in the store when you actually need to buy it...

So we had our first accumulative snowfall yesterday (3.5"), not too much, but just enough to need snow gear to play outside. I'm not usually a procrastinator, ok maybe sometimes, but I have good reasons. You know how swim suits, flip flops & pool toys start making it to the store shelves in February? - yeah, ridiculous to us Northerners - well snow gear starts getting into the stores before pumpkin seeds are even planted. Who's in charge at these dept. stores, of ordering for the seasons anyway? Whoever it is must be from the south - where those timelines actually make sense. That, or they're just idiots. (I don't sound bitter do I?)

So while parents are starting to think about what their plans for 4th of July are, the store stock boys are removing flip flops (which is usually around the time I start looking for some and they're gone), swimsuits, putting up Christmas decorations - and hanging snow gear. Mercy - who's thinking about snow any time other than the day before the first storm is to arrive - in December? Not me. Sure, I see the snow pants, the latest snow boot fashion, the cute hats and gloves I will need to stock up on. Somehow each year, pairs of gloves disappear in the abyss and join the secret "other sock" collection, and need to be replaced. But no, I'm searching for flip flops, not snow gear during that time.

Then December hits. Getting cold out. Starting to think about needing snow gear for the kids. Alas, some snow is predicted! Flurries! No need for gear in flurries - we'll wait for The Big One to be predicted. Not good. Do you know why it's not good? Because now the gear flies off the shelf as fast as bread and eggs before a storm (people must like to make french toast during a storm or something? It's always the first to go!). Once the gear is picked over, and inevitably your kids' sizes are gone, you are forced to drive all over town from store to store hoping you find said gear. Sometimes you're lucky - sometimes not so much. Sure, there's always L.L. Bean (great store!) if you want to spend $70 on snow pants, but I like to keep my recurring annual purchase under $20 if I can. That is not an unreasonable request, because they're usually on sale - and this causes the giant stampede of Mothers In Mass to suck up every thread they can get their hands on.

The real frustrating part of all this you ask? They do not restock. Nope, that's it folks. The gear was out since July - you should have purchased some then! They need to make room for flip flops and swim suits now.... thankfully, we 'geared up' before the mention of our season's First Snow. A day earlier. That, was close! More snow tonight - 1-2". Not much, but enough for the kids to need that snow gear - and we've got it! Imagine my evil laugh inserted here....

It's December - did you notice?

How did it get to be 5 days into December already? I feel like I blinked and then here we are. It's nice to have some things crossed off the To Do list though. On Saturday, I had my ornament exchange at my house with about 19 of us, indulging on much-too-fattening appetizers and much-too-easy to sip cocktails. We had a great time chatting the night away, laughing and telling stories. And we all ended the night with a fabulous ornament to add to our trees. I'm looking forward to this again next year and it was a great kick-off to the holiday season!

On Sunday, we were up and out of the house a little after 9:00 am to head south 2 hours for our winter family reunion. It's a fun day to spend time with everyone that we don't get to see very often. We have a Women's and Men's gift exchange there, and parents wrap a gift for each of their children to enjoy too. The weather was pouring rain though, so it took quite a while to drive home at the end of the day.

Monday was spent cleaning up from Saturday's party. Of course I rinsed all of my platters and glasses out after the party, but I was so tired that I went to bed right after everyone left, knowing we had to be up bright and early to head to the reunion. Needless to say, on Monday I had my work cut out for me!

Tuesday I got a lot of Christmas shopping done! YAY! What a nice feeling that is to start scratching things off of THAT list. The best part? I did it all online, sitting in my pajamas until noon and got FREE SHIPPING on all of it. No lines, no crowds, no far-away parking spots in the cold, no dragging kids along - and I could do it all with bed-head and a cup of tea in my hand! I love technology! Inevitably, I will have to show up at a mall and be annoyed, but that all goes away once you get home and it's time to wrap. I love to wrap! Not that I am super good at it or anything, I just like to do it. I love choosing wrapping paper and bows, and seeing the growing pile of presents before me of things that are going to make people smile. Carter is getting really excited about the festivities, and it's contagious!

This weekend, we're taking the kids to buy presents for a family that my Mothers and More group "adopted" for Christmas through our local fire department. Our assignment as a family, is to get Star Wars items for this family's 7 year old boy. Carter is eager to shop for toys and it is going to be a great opportunity to discuss the act of giving and helping others with him. He asks some hard questions though, so we'll have to be prepared with some good answers!

I'll leave you with this.... It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!



First snowfall - Dec. 5, 2007