Treat night!

We don't have many days, especially Saturdays, when there is NOTHING on the calendar.  Today happened to be one of those gloriously relaxing days!  It was so nice to have nowhere that we needed to be or be needing to watch the clock to make sure we get a kid off to their scheduled activity.  We had a relaxing day together, ran a few errands, played outside for a bit, had yummy meatloaf for dinner (made in my new Perfect Meatloaf pan that I got for Christmas), and then went out for a special treat of dessert at Dairy Queen!  Everything was half off for "Customer Appreciation Day," which made the treats even better!

Two of the cutest!

My week hasn't been all bad...

Cooper goes to preschool Monday through Thursday in the the afternoon.  Chloe is also in school at this time, so that means that I get to have one on one time with my fabulous Miss Piper!  I know that both she and I enjoy our alone time to hang out with no other kids around. Some days, we even luck out and get to go out to lunch with Justin, just the three of us!  She revels in her alone time with us, walking between us, holding both of our hands and having our undivided attention.  It is fun to watch her be her own person, without her siblings around. I'm so grateful for her and her gigantic personality!

Hanging out, chatting with me, in the front seat of the van while we waited for Cooper to get out of school yesterday!

Argh.

Last weekend, I developed a cold sore.  Now when it comes to cold sores, I don't get them like a typical person. Mine explode into a huge nasty sore within a day.  Normally, I can sense them coming and ward them off with L-Lysine supplements and Abreva before they manifest, but every once in a while I get one that is resistant to my cold sore fighting efforts.  When this happens, I have to go to the doctor and get a prescription for an oral anti-viral medicine... Valtrax.  Yup, the same thing you'd take for the OTHER kind of Herpes.  Lucky me, right?!  So, I have a lovely cold sore healing on my face.  On Monday, I slipped in the snow at Cooper's preschool and ended up with a nice stiff neck and sore upper back muscles.  Thankfully I have a husband that is willing to rub my back and help me take it easy (as easy as a stay at home parent of three can take it without interrupting life).  Today, Wednesday, I broke a tooth.  I have major anxiety about going to the dentist and now I can't put it off. While the tooth break is a whole corner of one molar, the upside is that it doesn't hurt, but the downside is that the break looks severe enough that I'll probably need a root canal on the tooth plus a crown and not just a crown alone.  

It just isn't my week.  It can only get better from here, right?!

Day 5 of snow!

We are onto day five of snow and the third cancelled day of school for the week. Fortunately, Monday was a school holiday and Tuesday, Chloe had a two-hour late start (many districts canceled that day), but they sent the kids home at 1pm because of the snow that was coming down so quickly. So while they were only at school for two hours, it means they won't have to make it up! AND, school has just been cancelled for tomorrow too. That means Chloe had two hours of school this week and Cooper had none. Lucky for us, Justin worked short days on Monday and Tuesday and had snow-days of his own yesterday and today (all paid!). Maybe we'll luck out and he'll get to be home tomorrow too, but I think that might be pushing my luck!

The kids are still loving the snow and are definitely not tired of yet. I guess that is an upside to only getting severe winter like this once every 2 years or so. Today has been filled with sledding, video games, hot chocolate, homework (gotta keep the kids busy!), and even donut making! I love having the kids home but I'm sure I'll be happy to have them off to school when Monday rolls around!

Important! End piracy, not liberty!

We need to do something about internet piracy, but these two bills don't fit. From Google: Two bills before Congress, known as the Protect IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House, would censor the Web and impose harmful regulations on American business. Millions of Internet users and entrepreneurs already oppose SOPA and PIPA. The Senate will begin voting on January 24th. Please let them know how you feel. Sign this petition urging Congress to vote NO on PIPA and SOPA before it is too late. Go here to sign the petition: https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/

Phone Dump!

I've seen this done on other blogs and have always thought it was a great idea, so here I go...  I snap lots of pictures on my phone and I find that cell phone pics give a fun glimpse into everyday life!  Here are some from the past month!

Chloe with the paper doll that she had to design and dress in traditional Swedish clothing for her school cultural/heritage report.  She dressed hers for Lucia Day! 12/06/11

Piper restyled her shirt into a tube top while dining at Taco Bell! 12/13/11

Seeing the thousands of Christmas lights at our annual trek out to Woodinville Wonderland! 12/18/11 

The new stockings that I finally splurged on this year! 12/24/11

Piper, on her 2nd birthday, having a pre-bed tea party at her new table! 12/27/11 

Cooper ready to head to the swimming pool this past Saturday, despite the 32 degree weather! 01/14/12

The on-ramp onto 405 that we passed on our way home from church on Sunday.  All those cars were stopped/sliding/stuck! 01/15/12