Snow Day 2011!

We woke up to a wonderful surprise this morning...SNOW!  For those of you not from around here, this is a BIG deal.  We never get snow, so when we do, it's cause to celebrate and shut down the town!  As I write this, the sun has been out for an hour or so and the snow is beginning to melt, but we still had enough on the ground to play in it and build a small snowman.  Well, he's more like a snowdrop, since there was only an inch on the ground and it took us a little effort to scoop enough powder to create him.  This is technically the second snow of Billa's life, but the first for her to actually play in because it didn't stick last year.

The view outside our living room window this morning.

Rabbit tracks...they were everywhere!

Billa is delighted to play outside in the white stuff!

Our snowman!

Mommy and Billa...I think Mommy is waaaaaay more excited than Billa!

"Mama, is cold!"

We didn't stay out for too long since it was cold and my fingers were starting to lose feeling.  The wind has also started to whip up and was smacking us in the face with snow from the roof, so it was the perfect time to come in and have a second breakfast :o)  Michael isn't feeling well, so he watched from the window and when Billa told him all about our snow adventures, she finished up with "And it was really cold!"

Stay warm everyone and happy snow day!
Kelly

Wishing for a White Christmas

I got way too excited about the thought of an impending snowstorm here in Central Texas.  I mean, I KNOW I should have been more realistic about it considering that the last time there was any decent snowfall here was in 1937!  (Ok, and that time in the early 80's when there was a few inches then and David and I played in it)  The weathermen were predicting anywhere from 1-4" and I thought 4" was a bit optimistic, but I hear the word "snow" and I get all excited.  Truthfully, I thought I would at least fet one or two pictures of Sybilla discovering what little snowfall we were to get.  But alas, it was not to be.  As I type this, it's effing freezing and there are a few little flurries on snow and the SUN IS SHINING!  Curse you, sun!  You ruined all my wintry hopes!

But I do have proof at least that it DID snow, even if only a little:

That's not dandruff on my lens... it's snow!  Click on the picture and it will open into a larger resolution for your viewing pleasure! Maybe hopefully we'll get some more this winter.  [sigh]  Seriously, we need to move up north ASAP.  I need four seasons!

Wishingly yours,
Kelly

Winter Wonderland

It snowed, y'all! We discovered it at 4 this morning when Billa woke up (she's teething again) and started crying for the next hour straight until I finally nursed her and put her back to bed. There wasn't very much snow, but there was about a half inch everywhere on the rooftops, ground, and cars in our complex. Yet another example of the crazy weather in Texas! Yesterday was 80 degrees F for the majority of the day and then a cold front blew through bringing the temperature down to the high 20's low 30's last night. I know that my Canadian relatives are laughing at our wussiness, but it was cold enough this morning to break out the wool sweater and puffy vest ensemble.

Of course, it will be back in the 70's for this weekend [sigh]. This is just part of the reason why Michael and I would love to move north at some point; consistent weather patterns, four seasons, and the ability to actually collect and wear nice sweaters would be a lovely novelty. The snow is pretty much gone now of course, but it was a beautiful drive this morning, with it dusting the rooftops and the trees on my way to work. I've been taking a more scenic route these days to avoid the majority of the morning traffic and it gives me time to think on my drive. A more pleasant drive makes for a more pleasant day in Kellyland :o)

I have neglected lately to give a decent account of Sybilla's growth and development. She has learned how to wave hello and bye-bye ala Miss America style. Her walking has also gotten better each day and she now tries to walk everywhere she can. She'll get in about 4 or 5 steps, then falls and crawls to someplace where she can get back up and do it again. She is eating more and more adventurous foods each day and she isn't too terribly picky, but she prefers to eat what we are having and not the premade baby food most days. Her favorite food right now is homemade waffles, which her grandmother Mary made plenty of this weekend. I sent the last one with her to school today and I know it will probably be a little while before she gets some again. I may have to invest in my own waffle iron and start making them on weekends for her!

Sybilla's personality is really starting to develop too and she embodies her monkey spirit with each passing day. She loves books and more specifically to pull them off the shelves and make a big mess. At night when we read her stories, she turns the pages. She also loves to chase the vacuum and when we fold laundry, she grabs what she can and then runs off, dusting everything in sight with said piece of laundry. This past weekend it was Daddy's underwear that got special attention. Sybilla is also very strong for a baby; she did chin ups on the baby gate last night which scared us a bit because there is the potential for the thing to topple over on her. But each time she bumps and bruises, she's learning very quickly and usually gets more upset that we try to comfort her than to let her continue on in her explorations.

We'll keep you posted on everything else that happens and post some videos and pictures soon!

Until then,
K&Co.