Once there was a snowman

Once there was a snowman...who would NOT melt.

It's been almost 2 weeks and there is still a LOT of snow around here. We aren't really used to this. Usually it snows, they call a snow day and then all of the snow is melted by 10am. I told my kids I'd help them build a snowman (what was I thinking?? I'm from YUMA - it doesn't snow in YUMA - I should've googled "how to build a snowman" it would've helped). Anyway - we figured it out and I think we did a pretty darn good job...We received a snowman kit a few years ago for Christmas from a friend and I've been saving it for the perfect time - I guess its a good thing the snow didn't melt because it took me about 3 days to finally go out and build it after I told them we would...

Other snow related news - we went sledding...this was quite difficult with a semi-mobile Ella (how mobile can an 18month old be in snow...especially when her lame mothers forgets her coat and mittens??) photographing sledding requires being at the bottom of the hill...except mom's (I noticed I wasn't the only one with this dilemma) never seem to be "outfitted" for the snow. Sure we've got our kids (at least most of them) bundled up, but when it comes to us - we throw on some pants and a scarf and wear our slippers! So trying to get down the monster hill (how did we end up on such a giant hill??) was difficult - and hearing Ella cry for me as I left her wrapped in a blanket on a boogie board (the extent of our sledding equipment) made it even more difficult. But we managed to capture a few moments.

**If you look closely you will see that Laina's 2 front teeth are completely gone - in addition to the 2 teeth on each side of the 2 front teeth - which NEVER showed up - as in...she was born without them...this makes for a really really big space in front - which we all LOVE! Maggie is also missing her 2 fronts, but we were working on smiling with her eyes open and it probably would have thrown her for a loop if I had told her to show me her missing teeth also :)

**If this boy could live in an igloo he would...Matt and I have decided that when we need to get him to do something - all we have to do is "throw snow on it" and he'll do it...(i.e. cleaning his room - if there was a pile of snow in there he'd shovel it without even blinking...clean the table - if there was a pile of snow on the table he'd get to work in a flash...take a shower - if it was in the snow - he'd be begging us to bathe!)

This teeny tiny rascal is rapidly growing teeth. She has yet to make it to nursery because we've been gone :( BUT she actively plays with her baby dolls and is currently -as I type-walking around holding her drink in one arm and a bowl of cereal in the other hand and managing to eat it while walking...pretty impressive!) Her favorite thing is to put a glove/sock on her hand and walk around growling/scaring everybody...a regular bully in the making - O'Doyle rules!! (and seriously - do cheeks come ANY cuter??)

**I promise nobody was injured...

**WOW. All of the sudden this little guy looks so OLD. How/when did that happen?? I've told him that I will have to sit on him to keep him from growing bigger...all he wants is to grow up and be a dad - but why does he have to get bigger - couldn't he just be a tiny dad?

Non-snow-related news - Matt and I rang in 13 whole whopping years together this weekend. We spent it basking in the sun in Phoenix - one final get away before the "season" begins.