Here we go again. . .

Well, I have a bit of free time to blog since we are home for a snow day.  Ugh.  I am not sure spring is coming this year.  As we hurried to the car yesterday, ice pelting our faces, Lily yelled, "Mom, this snow is not a success!"  I have never heard it put that way, but I certainly agree.
I don't have the heart to post any more snow pictures, so here are a few others that make me smile.

A little Saturday Night Fever?  (yes, Mike drew in some chest hair)

Loving the frozen bananas in his mesh chewer.

The gorgeous flowers at my Grandma's funeral last weekend. 

What a wonderful woman and a great celebration of her life.   

Now and Then

I posted this picture recently, but as I looked at it more, something looked familiar. 

So I sifted through some old photos, knowing what I was looking for.  Here, nearly four years ago, is that very same puckered smile (we called it her "smucker" back then).

 I know every parent says it way too much, but really, how did this happen so fast?

Around the house

Winter has kept us tucked up inside more than we might like, but we still manage to find some smiles.

Here is our little Norwegian boy.

Our beautiful princess

A visit from Grandma Olson (Lily is showing off her bracelets, in case you were wondering about the pose)

My fashion diva

My strong boy -- look at that push-up!

Little Miss Chatterbox

Lily is a self-proclaimed chatterbox. She will readily admit she loves to talk. If there is a silence, she likes to fill it, however she can. Lately she has been breaking the silence with this: "Mom," (pause for me to respond), "I love you."

It must have been the 6th or 7th time she had told me this in a day when I said, "That's very nice Lily. You are telling me that a lot today."
"Yeah, I know. Sometimes I just want to say something and I can't think of anything else to say so that's what I say."
Hmmmmm, I love you too, Lily.



The other day I was at Target with Lily and Sam.  We had finished checking out and were ready to head out the door when Lily told me she needed use the bathroom.  "Okay, but let's hurry," I said.  Three of the four stalls were occupied, so Lily quickly hustled into the last open stall.  She was chattering away, telling me about how the stall looked from the inside. (I was waiting by the sinks with Sam in the cart.)  Then she started grunting.
"Mom, I guess I need to go poop."  I am sure the women in the stalls on either side of her were glad to know what was going on.  After more chattering, she started to click her tongue.  "Mom, when I make that noise it means I am done."
I head into the stall to help her and she hops off the toilet and turns around to inspect her "work".  "Wow, that's a monster!" she said at full volume.  You could have heard a pin drop in that bathroom.  I don't know if the other women were horrified or stifling a laugh, but I know I still chuckle thinking about it.