February

After the excitment and busyness of the Christmas season/wedding season things have settled down here. We got some good snow here last week so Jay and Jenny took advantage of it and went sledding. Fortunately for Jay he was out of town when it snowed so I had to shovel the driveway three times in a 24 hour period. I hate shoveling. Jay laughs because he has been out of town every time we've had significant snowfall.

Andrew is quite the explorer and we laugh at the places he is able to manuever around/into with his little body. He enjoys playing basketball with the new toy Grandma and Grandpa gave him for Christmas.

We are all anxious to meet our new nieces and our new nephew and we look forward to celebrating with Kenny and Erin at their wedding.

January

Growing up in sunny, southern California did not prepare me for sending my kids to school appropriately dressed and prepared for the weather. At Jenny's preschool the kids go outside for recess as long as it is over 22 degrees and not raining or snowing. Last week I thought I was doing pretty good when I sent her with a warm coat, gloves, hat, and snowboots. However, when I went to pick her up I realized she was the only child there who did not also have snowpants on. The poor kid was soaking wet. Having been a teacher myself I'm sure the two teachers were discussing my parenting skills (or lack thereof) as they helped the children get ready to go outside to play. Needless to say, Jenny will have her snowpants in her backpack for the rest of the winter!

Christmas Season

A little snow fell the other day so Jay and Jenny braved the elements to build a snowman together. It turned out well, and Jenny is pretty excited every time we pull into our driveway. Jenny also had her preschool Christmas program last week and we enjoyed watching her sing. Jenny and Andrew are enjoying the Christmas tree and the presents underneath. Thus far all presents have remained wrapped.

Thanksgiving

We had a nice Thanksgiving with Steve and Alyona. We were served a delicious turkey with wild rice, beet salad, pasta salad, a potato dish, as well as sliced tomatoes and a hot mushroom appetizer. Alyona did a lot of work to prepare the meal and we enjoyed our time with them. When we finished dessert our family headed to an indoor water park to spend the remainder of the weekend with Jay's family. The kids had a good time hanging out with their cousins and Jay and his nieces braved the crowds early, early Friday morning in search of good deals. Jenny enjoyed the water slides when she was brave enough to go on them, and we all enjoyed hanging out, eating good food, and playing games and going in the water.

Fall Fun

We've enjoyed the Fall season so far (with the exception of raking the leaves.) Jay and Jenny carved a pumpkin together and we spent an enjoyable weekend in WI with Jay's family. The cousins had a good time trick-or-treating together. The adults had a good time playing cards after the kids went to bed. Jenny was a poodle and Andrew dressed as a pumpkin, although it was really too cold for him to be outside.

Jenny continues to enjoy preschool. Andrew is dealing with his first ear infection, although he seems to be doing better. Other than that, there is not much else to report. We're looking forward to seeing Steve and Alyona over Thanksgiving and then going to an indoor water park with Jay's family.

Fall Days

It figures that the week after Steve and Alyona get married the weather turns nice. It's been in the high 60's and sunny so the kids and I have taken full advantage of the warmer temperatures. It's been good to be outside again. Hopefully we get some more nice days before we are stuck inside until April.

Unfortunately, I failed to take my camera to Steve and Alyona's wedding, so I have no pictures to share. Despite the frigid temperatures it was still a beautiful ceremony and a very entertaining reception.

Weather permitting, we are hoping to go to a pumpkin patch and a corn maze this weekend. We've heard it is a good time and we're anxious to check it out.

Labor Day Weekend

We had planned on spending Labor Day weekend in WI, but our departure was pushed back a day as our family battled the flu last week. Fortunately Andrew stayed healthy and on Sunday morning we loaded up the minivan and headed to WI for church to witness the baptism of Jay's niece. Sunday afternoon found us lounging by the lake while the cousins went swimming and Jay did some tubing. On Monday morning Jay got up at the crack of dawn to go skiing with a friend and a brother-in-law. He was quite pleased that after a five year hiatus he can still bare-foot water ski. When he returned we headed to the local fair where we spent the day eating, watching a demolition derby, and watching Jenny and her cousin Camron go on the rides together. Usually the fair is a good excuse to eat all sorts of unhealthy food, however as we drove home I decided the bratwurst and ice cream I consumed did not do the fair justice. I'll have to try to eat some more deep-fat-fried items next year. Andrew didn't seem to care about the fair, but he did take an excellent nap in his stroller as we walked around.

On Tuesday morning Jenny started preschool and seemed to have a good time. She enjoyed playing dress up with the other girls and eating the crackers and apples. Those two things seemed to be the highlights of her day.

I am adjusting to not working every day. It was a little weird when the school year started and I did not head back to work. But I am enjoying spending the day with Jenny and Andrew and going about our business without keeping an eye on the clock. Jay continues to be busy with work.

We're looking forward to the "wedding season" coming up and seeing everyone often!