Winter Wonderland and Beyond

We have had a veritable winter wonderland in these parts for more than a week. It is so unusual in these parts, the city isn't even prepared and nothing gets ploughed, since it rarely snows IN TOWN and STAYS! It has been lots of fun for the kids, though the roads have been a mess. We have 4wd, so it has been a lot more manageable for us, than some. I hadn't yet driven Leia, the truck/SUV, in snowy or icy weather, so was hesitant to just hop in and go for it until Jay said it was very much like driving our subaru's in the same kind of weather. I am grateful for all the experience driving in Colorado, sometimes in more extreme circumstances than this, though there are many more hills much closer to together, which makes driving more interesting. I do tend to say, 'If it's going to be this cold, it may as well snow!' So I am glad it did and I am even grateful for the lack of ploughing and simple throwing of gravel, since it makes it more natural and prettier as it subsides.

Let see, we are getting along well enough. We had a visit from Jay's parents, which was nice, since we hadn't seen them since our move out here. The girls had a blast and it was Mini Mae's first meeting of her paternal grandparents. By last week's end, they were on their way to the next stop on their adventure in the RV and we were settling in to St. Nicholas, aka-most hectic day of the year besides Holy Saturday. Thankfully, when Sissy woke up in the middle of the night on St. Nicholas Eve with a fever, we already had most everything taken care of. Liturgy was cancelled due to weather and illness, so was not so sad to have made the choice to stay at home. The fever was gone by morning, but the poor kid didn't eat or do almost anything for 2.5 days! All is well now, for the time being, though I seem to be fighting off something that resembles laryngitis, but it is somewhat elusive in its manifestation.

What else...oh, Sissy is taking piano lessons and is quite good. It appears to challenge her whole brain and she needs that sort of engagement. Mini is rather into singing and has a fantastic ear for music, too. We got her a drum for St. Nicholas day, so she would have something that is OK to hit, since being 2 can be frustrating sometimes. The girls also have a penny whistle, harmonic, pear-shaped maraca, and kazoo, so every day we have some music 'jam' time, where everyone just digs in. 

We are all looking forward to Nativity, of course, for various reasons. Papa and the girls are anticipating large amounts of meat, I am sure, while I look forward to the ambiance of church with all the kids and families so joyfully participating in the feast. We put up some lights in the front window and a lighted blue and white angel, plus icicle lights on the porch; it surely gives a cheerful feel and glow. Our kitties are too young to appreciate why we might want to have a tree in the house, so we have a small fake tree my mom gave us a number of years ago set up. 

I think that is all for now. Glory to God for all things!