Major Cuteness

It has been a while since I posted anything. I think I was pretty discouraged after Abbey's surgery was postponed, plus we were recovering from illness. Then we geared up for Thanksgiving and Ed's birthday. That just rolled into the December Christmas push. So, sorry for the absence of thoughts and pictures.

On Sunday, the kids were actually wearing coordinated outfits and looked so cute that I took them into the sanctuary to snap a few pictures. Here are a few of my favorites:

Jack and Molly love their little sisters. Sometimes they can't get enough and have to chase our new walkers. It is a good thing that Caroline is getting faster.



Isn't Abbey a sweetie?



This is the best of the four of them. It is hard to get a good one of everyone. If you enlarge the photo, you can see Abbey's cleft. If all goes according to plan, that will be gone on January 7th.



Now, for you family travelers, does all this cuteness make the preparations more worth it?

Frustrated

I'm trying to look on the bright side, but I am still frustrated. Many of you know that Abbey's surgery was officially cancelled and rescheduled today. The fever that she had over the weekend was an automatic cancellation. The bad thing is that the first available date to reschedule it isn't until the beginning of January. The surgeon wanted to do it between ten and twelve months. Now it will be at 14.5 months. (If the weather or another fever doesn't postpone it again.)

I am frustrated and concerned about how this will hinder her speech and language development. In the past month and a half I could already tell that she was making more and more sounds that are characteristic of children with clefts. So, she will have to unlearn the bad habits that she picks up in the next two and a half months.

Plus, they were going to put tubes in her ears. People with a cleft palate can't maintain proper ear pressure, because their eustachian tube doesn't work correctly. So, they often have fluid in the middle ear that interferes with hearing. At times, I can tell that this is happening to her. She doesn't react as quickly to her name or other sounds. So, now we have two and a half months more of her not having normal hearing.

But, I trust the Lord is in control. His plans and purposes are higher than mine. I know that and trust it, but my heart still hurts for my little girl. Plus, I don't want to have to go through this waiting and anticipation again. Please pray for me, Abbey and the rest of our family. Thanks!

All Dressed Up With No Place To Go

The clothes are clean and put aside, the instructions written out, the quarantine almost over, the teachers notified, the reservations made, the departure date approaching, and...Abbey has a fever. Last night she was warm and it was only 99.8, so not technically a fever. I thought it was probably the two new teeth that she is cutting. :o) But, this morning it was 101.4, so not likely the teeth. Plus, her appetite is dropping off, she is a bit fussier than usual and she has a runny nose.

So, I called the hospital and talked to the charge nurse. She said that if Abbey gets better quickly and never really seems that sick, then there is about a 20% chance that they will go through with it. We have to wait until Monday to talk to the nurse practitioner.

But, l know the Lord is in control and we will have the surgery in His timing. Like one friend said, maybe the person that is going to encourage us, or vice versa, won't be having surgery until later. We will see.

By the way, Abbey is all dressed up for her birthday!! She is one today. I can't believe it. It has been a wonderful year. We are going to have a little celebration later this afternoon. I hope to have pictures and thoughts up soon.

Exciting News and Bad News

The exciting news is that Caroline took her first steps. Actually, she took them for Jack. He said he saw her take a step yesterday. Then, last night, she took three for Ed and me. Today she took four for me one time. Yea for Caroline!

Now, the bad news--Jack has a low fever. He has had cold symptoms, and this evening he has complained of an earache. We are supposed to leave for Chicago in just over a week. Of course, Abbey can't be sick, but I am sure they won't let Ed or me in the hospital if we have cold symptoms. The Ronald McDonald House said we have to be completely well to stay there. (I haven't been feeling well either and am not sure it it is allergies or a cold.) So, please pray that Jack will heal quickly and that the rest of us will stay well.

That's our update for now. Thanks

Jack's First School Project

Jack had to pick an animal, research it and create a 3D representation of it in it's habitat. He also had to show it's food. He chose a tiger. Thankfully, we had a lot of orange and black playdough from Halloween last year.



He wanted the tiger to be eating a wild boar. He also wanted some snakes for fun. He had the idea for how the grass would look.



He also had the idea of having the tree on the back of the box so that it would stand up when the box was opened. Isn't he creative and handsome?!

Chicago Plans

Well, the plans are coming together to take Abbey to Shriner's Hospital for her palate repair at the end of this month. This morning, I talked with our local Shriner and firmed up the travel details. They are going to reimburse us for our gas, and Ed is going to drive us up. This takes a bit of the pressure off, as we don't have to worry about an upset baby making the trip miserable for two other folks (if she cries, that is). It is a nine hour drive without stops. We have no idea what it will be like trying to drive back with her after the surgery. It could be a nightmare, or the pain meds could make her sleep most of the way.

Ed will be a saying at a Ronald McDonald house for all four nights. Abbey and I will be with him the first night and then in the hospital the other three nights. I am really amazed at the Ronald McDonald house. The photo tour of it looks so nice. It only costs $10 per night and volunteers often bring food for supper. You can bet I'll be putting my spare change in the collection bin next time I am at McDonalds! Our local Shriners are going to pay for Ed's lodging and for my meals in the hospital. So, we shouldn't have very much out of pocket expense.

Both my mom and Ed's mom are planning to come help care for the other three kids while we are gone. This is a huge help to us and our family. Originally we were planning for Ed to stay home, but the compassionate elders at our church encouraged Ed to go with me and Abbey. From what I have read about other moms' experiences with the surgery, I think that was so wise of the elders. It is a huge relief to me to not have to deal with the emotional stress of it all by myself. So, Mom and MaryAnn are going to drive from SC and be here a whole week.

Our family started a self-imposed quarantine last week. If Abbey even has the least little bit of a cold, then we will have to reschedule everything. So, we want to do the best we can to stay well. Jack is still going to school, of course, and Molly gets to go to her ballet class. We are cutting out everything else and staying home as much as possible. I did get out to eat lunch with some other pastor's wives last week and I have a women's meeting at church on Tuesday, so I'm not going stir crazy, thankfully. I am not feeling great, though. I hope it is just allergies and not a cold or the start of something else. I'd love it if you'd pray for the health of our family--especially Abbey, Ed and me. Thanks.

Cedar Hill Farms

I really don't feel like writing a lot right now, but I know some family has been eager to see pictures from our outing to the pumpkin patch. We didn't really go to the "patch," because we spent most of our time enjoying the other fun things that Cedar Hill Farms has to offer.

Ed and Jack loved the corn cob shooter.



Molly had so much fun riding the pony that she used Jack's ticket and rode twice.



The corn box was novel fun. I even got in and enjoyed it a bit.



Jack and Molly were king and queen of the hay fort.



I was super surprised that the spider-shaped corn maze was the main thing that Jack wanted to do. He and Ed were able to answer the spider questions and find their way out fairly quickly. Did you know that spider blood is blue?



The girls and I waited outside the maze and had fun taking pictures. Caroline was glad to receive Molly's affection.



Aunt Weez sent the cute outfits. We decided it was the perfect day to wear them. Poor Abbey, on the right, probably won't get much more festive this season, as we will be traveling back from her surgery on Halloween.



We all rode the tractor-pulled "train." Abbey sat with Molly and me.



Caroline hung with the fellas.



Even though we didn't get them from the field, we did leave with pumpkins. Even the littlest Eubanks (Abbey) got a pumpkin.



Maybe next year Caroline will be able to join in more of the fun. Despite going during their nap time, both babies did really well.

Finally

For the past several months I have been thinking it would happen any day. This is the day! Caroline finally has a tooth poking through the surface. I haven't been able to check Abbey's gums yet this morning.

Also, this week is the week for first words. Caroline has said "mo" for more and "ba" for bottle. Most of the times it has been an imitation of my question, "Do you want more?" or "Do you want a bottle?". This morning, I think that she initiated "mo". Molly's first word was "crack" for cracker and "coke". What is it with my kids and food words? :o)

One of the girls (Abbey, I think) was babbling in her crib this morning and said, "muhmuh". Now, I think she was calling for me, but I'm not sure. So, I won't claim that one, yet.

I think we are headed to the pumpkin patch this afternoon. If disobedience doesn't reign and we really get there, then I'll post some pictures.

More Fun With the Babes

They are just so cute and fun that I couldn't resist snapping some photos and posting them. (Disclaimer: I know that the photo quality isn't that great, so I apologize.)

It's another, "who me?" moment. In addition to dumping out the diaper bin multiple times a day, my little rascally Caroline likes to play her daddy's bass.



Abbey loves this rocking horse in the church nursery. I have literally had to pry her hands from it on occasion.



My sweet, helpful Molly is willing to help feed Caroline if it means that it will free me to feed a screaming Abbey. This is partly due to her desire to hear the cartoons she watches in the morning. Whatever the motivation, it brings peace to our home.



We haven't been able to resist the beautiful, fall weather. The other day we got outside to swing. Both girls loved it. The belly laughs they made when Molly pushed them high were just priceless. Abbey is the little Gamecock below.

The Joys of Having a Daughter, Part 2

Who me?

The Joys of Having a Daughter

Maybe, it is not that she is a girl. Maybe, it is her unique personality. Or, maybe, it is just a stage. Regardless, I am loving Molly's desire to be helpful and to organize. Here is her "surprise" for me and Jack:

Cutie Pies

I thought it had been awhile since I'd posted photos of the two cuties. They are growing so fast and learning so much. Ann Louise and Dave were here last weekend. They were amazed at all that Abbey and Caroline had learned in the month between visits. When they came in August, the babies were still immobile. Now they are sitting, crawling, pulling up, and cruising.

The other morning I left them in the den to go into my bathroom for something. The next thing I knew, Caroline was crawling across my room. One afternoon I was bringing Caroline in from the car, after having brought Abbey in first. Instead of sitting in the den where I'd left her, Abbey had crawled to the front door, where she met me.

They are just beginning to get the hang of getting the Cheerios into their mouths now. The quicker they master that, the better. Then I can stop being the momma bird putting each little piece of cereal into the open (sometimes, crying) mouth.

Here are pictures of them. Abbey is first:

They are so precious and so fun. Their first birthday will be here in the blink of an eye. It is so hard to believe that we didn't know them this time last year. I really do love them so very much and I enjoy them immensely.

I Should've Stayed Home

We've been sick all week. So, when the Memphis Mom's of Multiples Club planned a playdate to check out the new children's garden at the Memphis Botanic Gardens, we thought that would be the perfect cure for our cabin fever. Jack has the day off from school, and we are all well enough to go. Granted, I'd have to time the babies' feeding so that we could enjoy the gardens long enough before we had to break for their lunch, and they would have to sleep in their carseats or forgo their morning naps. It was going to take a lot of effort, but it would be worth it.

The forecast said partly cloudy with scattered showers possible (10% chance). It started sprinkling here, so I called the club president to see if they were rescheduling. "Oh, the radar shows that the rain will be gone before we get there. Plus, it is just sprinkles." So, we loaded up and headed out. Jack and Molly were fighting and like a good mom, I promised to "turn the car around and go home if they didn't start to obey." More and more cars headed towards me had their lights on. Then the rain picked up. Still, we were thirty minutes away, and we really needed this outing. The radio announcer said that it was officially raining in Memphis. Then it started lightning.

So, onto plan B--Chick-fil-A play place with a coupon for free fries. But, was it really worth getting both babies out of car, into the stroller and then into the store in the rain? Sure, what the heck? But, before we could get very far towards the store, one of the children didn't heed a second warning against disobedience. So, I followed through on my warning and turned the car around.

Not one to want to waste all of the effort of getting everyone ready for an outing, I decided we would stop by Amy's Country Clippers to get Jack his much needed haircut. Alas, it was all dark inside. Amy decided to close up shop early for the Labor Day weekend.

I guess I should've stayed home.

Consignment Sale Success

I went in saying I'd be happy if we spent less than $200. I ended up writing my check for $192.50. Then, during my shift as a worker, I found $10 more worth of stuff. So, I went over my goal, but I racked up. I got 66 items total, so that is only $3.06 for each item. It is funny that my sister prices all of her stuff at $3.00. I guess she is on target. So, here is the breakdown:

Winter/next size up school uniform clothes for Jack: 12 pieces totaling $36
Non-school clothes for Jack: 12 pieces totaling $37.50
Clothing for Abbey and Caroline: 4 pieces totaling $9
Clothing for Molly: 18 pieces totaling $57.50
Baby/Kid "gear": 11 pieces totaling $29.50
Christmas/Birthday toys/gifts: 8 items totaling $22.50
Huge bag of Lincoln Logs for Ed's study at church: $10

Best/Favorite Finds:
A sweater with four dogs on it for Jack--He has been wearing it all morning.
Tinkerbell pajamas and two cute dresses for Molly--She wanted to wear one today, but I said, "Not yet."
New pack of disposable colored spoons for the babies for 50 cents. It is going in the diaper bag to use as toys and/or for feeding.
A pea pod costume for Caroline--Poor Abbey will be traveling back from her surgery in Chicago on Halloween, so I doubt she will feel like trick-or-treating.
A bag of Power Rangers and Superheroes for Jack's birthday for $3.00

So, although I hate spending $200, I think I did pretty good. It is really good when you consider that I hope to make at least that much on the stuff I sell. Last spring I thought I'd made about $80, but ended up getting a check for $250. So, it may be that all of that stuff is really free.

Truth

This has been a hard several days. The brokenness of the world and in my own heart have been pressing down hard on me. This morning I was encouraged by the songs of Bebo Norman. He sings songs of truth; songs about hard things and beautiful things. He sings about the power of Jesus in the darkness of our lives and this world and the hope of a new day. I am thankful for Bebo and his reminders of the Truth.

We Have A Surgery Date

I went ahead and called Edie, the scheduling secretary at Shriners Hospital, even though the info. we had said that messages wouldn't be returned for two to four weeks. Lo and behold, Edie answered the phone and even had Abbey's paperwork on her desk. I was so surprised and excited.

She went ahead and scheduled the repair of Abbey's cleft palate for Thursday, October 29th, five days after her first birthday. Since it is still a good ways out, she said it could get changed if the surgeon has to go out of the country for something. (He's just that good of a surgeon.) We will need to be there on the day before at 10:00 for a full day of pre-op stuff. They will want her to stay three nights total: the night before and two nights after. So, if all goes well, we will come home on Halloween.

If she even has the slightest runny nose, we will have to postpone the surgery. Edie told me not to even bother coming. She has to be perfectly healthy for the week prior to the surgery. So, I think we will probably have a self-imposed quarantine for three weeks prior to the surgery.

For a ten days post-op, she will have to wear arm immobilizers so that she doesn't put her fingers in her mouth. We will be able to take them off for a few minutes here and there when she is highly supervised. Also, she won't be able to eat anything solid and must be fed with a syringe. I hear that the babies stay pretty hungry for those ten days. Sounds like fun, huh?

Despite the uncertainty, quarantine and post-op fun, I am thrilled that we get to have her surgery performed by such great doctors and specialists. I am really so thankful.

And now, here are a few recent pictures of the unsuspecting, precious girl:

Small Town Fourth

I forgot how fun the Fourth of July can be in our small town.

I must admit that when I moved here I was pretty skeptical. Every year growing up in Charlotte, we went to watch the big city display downtown. When I lived in Columbia, SC, I was amazed at the display at Fort Jackson. You can count on some serious fireworks on a military base. That was awesome.

So, when I moved here, where there is no official display, I was pretty bummed. I marveled at the six firework tents that went up by mid-June--six tents for a town of less than 5,000. Crazy. Keep in mind that fireworks are illegal in Memphis and Shelby County, so all those folks have to come out here to buy. It's kinda like how we Mecklenburg County folks had to go to SC to get our supplies. Still, six tents?

After tonight, I remember the wonder I had last year, and I understand a bit more about how six tents can make it. I stood in our back yard and watched fireworks bought by folks all over my neighborhood and others close by. At first, I couldn't decide whether to watch from the front yard or the back. When I decided the back was the best, I couldn't decide which way to look. There were showers of color in several directions. Some were small, others were surprisingly big. It wasn't coordinated. It wasn't set to music. It was just plain folks all around me enjoying the holiday in their own yards. I got to be the beneficiary. It was great!

The prelude was great, too. Last night, we set off our stash. Now we didn't buy any of the really big ones, but we had more than just bottle rockets and firecrackers. And, we had the freedom to do so without worrying about the police coming to write us a citation. Jack and Molly ran around the yard, back and forth from the street up to the safety of the front porch. Ed is so cautious with things that I was able to be fairly relaxed about it. It was so very fun!

Happy Fourth of July!

Tomorrow Is The Big Day.

(Some initial thoughts about this got published by mistake. I wanted to write a fuller version, so that I could refer back to it in the future. So, if you got a much shorter version of this, I apologize for the duplication.)

So, tomorrow is the big day. Jack starts first grade at Oakland Elementary School. We bought our school supplies. We have our official uniform compliant clothes laid out. We have yummy lunch box items ready to be packed. We visited the school today (on our own initiative, not for an open house). However, we do not know who his teacher will be.

I can't believe that we haven't gotten a letter, a call or been notified in some way. This morning I decided we should go up there, ask about it, and give Jack a chance to see his school. They said that parents would be welcome to accompany the children to the gym tomorrow morning, where they will be seated by grade level. Each teacher will then call out the names of the children in her class, and the children and parents will accompany her to the classroom. I sure am glad that I don't work outside the home. I mean, can you imagine sending your kids off on the bus not even knowing the name of your child's teacher?

We thought that homeschooling Jack last year went really well but have made this change for several reasons. So, before I start to question myself too much, wondering what on earth we have done, I need to get my reasons for making this change down in black and white. Then, I can refer back to this post as a reminder. So, here goes:

1. Our changing family situation: Ed and I decided to homeschool before we found out I was pregnant, much less having twins. It was great having Jack at home for most of the babies' first year. I think it would have been too much change for him to adjust to a new family situation at the same time as adjusting to a new school situation. Having him home allowed him to bond with his new sisters. Now, however, Abbey and Caroline are nine months old. We have adjusted, mostly. :o) They are about to become mobile, and that is a whole new ball game.

2. My stress and patience levels: I realized at the end of our school year that I was very stressed out. I would try to hurry through our school work so that we could be finished before the morning naps were done and so that I could move on to household things. Caring for two babies and managing a household of six takes me a lot of time. So, I often felt the time crunch. Adding homeschool into the mix made me even more stressed. And, like many others, when I am stressed I am not very fun to be around. We all know what they say about "when Mama ain't happy..."

3. My relationship with Jack and the others: Because of the stress, I often got way too impatient with Jack's inattention and dawdling. Even when he wanted to talk about connections he saw between what we were reading in his science book and another book we owned, I would get frustrated. I know that in my impatience and anger, I sinned against him a lot and did not foster the kind of learning environment that I had envisioned. While sending him to public school won't keep me from sinning against him, it will prevent us from having a perfect storm that could do permanent damage to our relationship.

4. Jack's attention problems: I don't know if he is a normal, fidgety, distracted six year old boy or if he has real attention problems. Regardless, he had trouble focusing on his work while Molly played and I tended to the babies. Keep in mind that the babies mostly needed comforting and bottles. This year however, they are going to need a lot of redirection as they become mobile and are able to get into everything. Jack doesn't do well with interruptions and loses his focus. So, homeschooling Jack while we have toddlers doesn't seem like a good mix. I don't know if going to an overcrowded public school will be any better, but at least it won't set us up for the perfect storm mentioned above. Also, it will provide a context where those trained in these things can give us some wisdom and guidance.

5. Socialization: First, I must say that I firmly believe the socialization argument against homeschooling is a myth. However, we think that at this time, in this place, homeschooling Jack prevented him from learning important social skills with peers. Since we live in a small town with limited extra-curricular options and go to a church with only a few other children, it has been hard for him to have opportunities to interact with a lot of other kids on a regular basis. We think going to Oakland Elementary will be good for him in many ways in this respect, although we do expect to have to deal with some negative consequences of this as well.

6. Confidence building: Jack is an anxious boy and is often insecure about trying new things. He leans on me, and even Molly, a bit more than I'd prefer. We think doing this all on his own will be great for him.

7. The Gospel: I think that having our kids in an environment where they interact with people who don't share our beliefs and values will teach them the beauty of the Gospel. They will better see the darkness and brokenness of the world and therefore the need for a Savior will shine brighter. It would be all too easy for us to shelter them and surround them with people who share our worldview, especially as a pastor's family. Experiencing diversity will help us teach them what we believe and why He matters.

I think those are all the reasons. So, as we go forward with this decision, I am reminded why I'm not teaching him here at home, even though I don't know who will be teaching him tomorrow at school.

The Middle Child

Jack is our first born and the only boy. Abbey and Caroline are twins, need I say more? It would be easy for Molly to get lost in the shuffle as the middle child. She is such a precious girl, and I would hate for her to ever feel unimportant. I want to learn to be intentional about making her feel special. So, let me devote this post to her. Isn't she growing up so big and pretty?


She loves wearing dresses. This is one of her favorites.

She is very much into her friends lately. Her three favorites are Cheyenne, Adisyn and Carly. When I go to pick her up from preschool I see her on the playground holding one of their hands. I have talked to these girl's mothers and they say that their daughters love Molly. It is mutual. Here are some pictures of her with her friends:


Molly had a great time with Adisyn at the zoo. Don't you love Molly's pose? So girlie.


Adisyn had a cowboy themed birthday party. Cheyenne was there, so it was doubly fun for Molly.


Her whole class had an Easter egg hunt. Carly is on the left side of the photo and Adisyn is on the right. Of course, Molly is in the middle of it all.


Carly's big sister plays on a ball team that competes against Jack's team. So, when Carly doesn't have her own game, then she and Molly get to hang out while their older siblings battle it out.

In addition to friends, Molly likes playing guessing games. ""Is the green ring in my left hand or my right hand?" "Am I going to give you a kiss on your left cheek or your right cheek?" And on it goes. She still loves to look at books and have me read to her. Almost daily, she colors me Strawberry Shortcake pictures and tapes them to my bedroom wall. She loves Jack and playing with him outside and she loves her baby sisters. Sometimes her love is a bit much for them, but they take it in stride. They are going to be tough little girls.



Molly is a delight!

And the Verdict Is.....

Our girls are identical twins! Ed's mom, MaryAnn, was so generous to pay to have the DNA tests run. Affiliated Genetics sent us a test kit in the mail. I swabbed their cheeks and mailed it back. They tested 15 different STR DNA markers and they all came back "concordant". So, with "greater than 99% accuracy" we can say that they are monozygotic--from one egg. Actually, I think that they are "mirror image" identical twins, because their hair whorls spin in the opposite directions. So, one is likely to be a lefty. I was surprised by the results, but Ed had guessed it all along. He is usually right about things. Both of us are excited, as we think it will be fun. What do you think, would you have guessed identical?

Children of the Covenant

Yesterday we had Caroline and Abbey baptized.  In this picture I am holding Caroline, and Ed is holding Abbey.

It was extra special, because it was Ed's first two baptisms ever.

We were thrilled to have a bunch of family come for it.  In this picture are Steve Crow, Louise Crews , Molly, Ann Louise Eubanks, Me, Caroline, Jack, Ed, Abbey, MaryAnn Crews (Mimi),  and Jerry Frank Crews (Doc).

Some family friends gave the girls these beautiful monogrammed bibs.  

We have a family baptism gown that Ann Louise, Ed, Jack, and Molly all wore.  I was torn about how we were going to handle having two girls and only one dress.  A smart friend suggested that one girl could wear the dress, and one could wear the long and very pretty slip.  The slip is sleeveless so it needed something under it.  The dress above was perfect.  It was a dress that I wore as a child.  Since Abbey bears my mother's maiden name as her middle name, we decided that Abbey would wear my dress with the baptism gown's slip over it.   

Caroline wore the outer gown, since her first name is "Anna", taken as a form of "Ann", her grandmother's name and a strong family name on Ed's side.  

I really like having our children wear this gown that has a family heritage.  More than that, I am glad that God has made way for them to be included in His Covenant Family.  I am so glad that God makes promises to me and my children.

Our Creations

The snow was too powdery to make a traditional snowman.  So, we used Molly's new ball to make impressions for this snowman.  The big icicle that Jack was holding in the last post made a good pen for drawing the arms, hat and face.  Part of it made for a good nose, too.

Here is Jack lying inside of my angel.

Here are our angels together.  This picture doesn't do it justice, but I don't think I've ever had such a good angel.  It has been rare that I have made one that didn't have grass poking through. 

Okay, so that is it for the snow pictures.  I guess this is what happens with a record snow, especially from a Southern girl like me.  Isn't digital photography great?!  Thanks for hanging in there with me through the series.  

We Had Tons of Fun

Look at the smiles in these pictures.  Also notice Jack's missing tooth.  

Molly had a hard time walking in it, but gave it her best shot.


We walked down the street to the empty field.  Jack loved being the first one to play in this big space.

We found some huge icicles.

Even the post-snow activity was fun.  Molly enjoyed this almost as much as the snow itself.

One more snow post to come and we'll be done.  :o)