10.365 What if...

You are the 5th generation to play on this old upright Gulbransen.  The keys are chipped, sticky and even with a sympathetic restoration the piano echoes age.  I think about your beginning..."what ifs" often come to mind.  That is the story of life...what if, maybes, could have been, should have been.  I am so happy that life played out exactly like this...because I really can't imagine a world with out you.

9.365 Stir Crazy

We are now on Day 5 of school cancellation after a 2 week winter break.  To say we are going a little stir crazy to get back into a routine is putting it mildly.  You noticed Maisy watching out the window, twitching her tail wildly at the birds at the feeder, came beside and scooped her up.  I heard you talking quietly to her,  whispering words only for her.  You are sad today thinking about going back to school. Anxious to see your teachers and friends but so worried about missing me.  Thank you for loving me so much.

8.365 Lovey

So many times I have wrapped you in your pink blanket and now you carry it around and cover yourself.  I watch you as you drift to sleep and you take your hand and run it over the ruffle ever so delicately so it just tickles your palm.  I love these fixtures of childhood...it almost pains us parents as much as it does you when it is time for it to go.  

7.365 Patience

 Making snow ice cream!  What a treat.  :)

 

While spending our days indoors, we spent a great deal of it looking out through our windows as our blustery, white bright and very cold world came to life. The deer were a frequent sight just outside our windows and we marveled at the gorgeous birds that came to visit our feeders and trees. We held our breath and spoke in hushed voices so they would stay around. They heard us though and their heads would turn to us. Patiently the birds would wait their turn to feed their hungry bellies and then flock to the feeder to take just a few seed and then fly again to the branches to wait again.

6.365 Cabin Fever

 

You might have had a few "minutes" (hours) of completely "educational play" (who am I kidding...you were playing minecraft) on the electronic devices. You might have even run the battery out once...(or twice). Your other sister must be playing...(or laying on the stairs watching Frozen videos on YouTube). At least you are all in the same room together! 

5.365 Blizzard

 We had so much snow, you had trouble walking in it.  You walked outside and exclaimed, "The snow likes me", as it clung to your hat, mittens and eyelashes.  When walking through the drifts and they came to your thighs and hips you would dramatically fall down and cry for us, "I want to hold you".  You didn't feel such an affection for the snow then.  :)

 This isn't a weird camera angle in which the snowball looks bigger than your head, Allie.  it is not only as big as your head but maybe twice the size of it.  Good throw.

 The making of the snowmillers.

 The fatigue of the day set in and you didn't like your representation of your snowjuliette.  You kept knocking it over saying you didn't like it.  After you walked in the house cold and angry, we righted your snowperson and turned the stick smile into an upside down one.

The snowmillers...introducing snowdaddy (complete with twig glasses), snowisabelle, snowmommy, snowallie and snowjuliette.

I don't know if we technically had a blizzard but we did have over 12 inches of snow, high winds and the temperatures dropped to -15 degrees overnight.  They cancelled pretty much everything on Monday as we prayed our power stayed on!  

4.365 Routine

Ahh...bedtime.  It's when I muster every last bit of patience I have left in the day.  So much energy you have my Juliette...when I have so little this time of the night.  Jump, jump, jump right into your dreams.