Snow

When dad was visiting last week, we were driving back from Lowe's and I swore there was slush hitting our windshield.  The temperature was 40, so not close to snow, but it was chilly and really rainy.  The next day, I stopped at the bank and saw the hills around us and they were covered in snow!!!  It was beautiful :o).

It was a beautiful weekend and Ryan and I had date night last night and decided to go for a hike.  I'll have to take a picture of the path we chose and post it later.....it was straight up and right next to a huge drop off :o).  We had to hang onto the grass to keep from slipping!  It was a beautiful view when we got to the top...we just had to avoid the fresh cow droppings.  From there we went to the gym (he had a free trial where I go) and decided to play a little hoop.  First PIG and then Bump.  It has been awhile since we've played ball and everything was short.  I have got to practice some more.  Bump was against my better judgement because it has been years since we've played is pretty physical.  No one got hurt and by the time I warmed up, Ryan had a quick lead.  I caught him, but in the end he came out ahead.  He was dead on the gym floor, but he won!  A rematch is definitely in the near future :o).  The awesome thing about my gym is it feels like a resort. There's a couple outdoor pools and a big hot tub, so we pretended we were on vacation and hit the hot tub. I rarely have time to do that, so it was a treat and super relaxing.
The kids had a fun weekend too.  Ainsley had a sleepover at the Williams and Reggie and K had their own sleepover.  They boys were very excited :o)!!  Two peas in a pod.....

Birthday parties and more....

All the kids have had birthday parties to attend within the last week.  It was a bit busy, but fun as always.  Reggie is getting old enough that we can finally drop him at parties (we've been lucky enough to have some parents who stay with their kids and watch over Reggie!).  We would never leave him without knowing the place or parents, but we know most all of his friends :o).  Ainsley went to a trampline party, which used to be really cool, but now that we have one in the yard, it isn't quite as exciting.  She did get to hang with her friends which is a huge bonus.  K had a swim party!  It was his first party with his friends and he was bursting with excitement.  He wasn't so sure about swimming, but once we got there, he was fine.  It was quite entertaining to watch him with his school friends at the party and then again when he saw them at school after the party.

Valentine's day snuck up on me this year and I was trying to think of something really thoughtful to get Ryan and nothing was coming to mind.  We are low budget these days and watching our calories since we are going to Maui in a month, so we exchanged cards :o).  I got a free Redbox movie and we enjoyed a quiet night.  The kids loved sharing Valentine cards with their classmates and I was able to help out in Ainsley's class for her party :o).  Look at the concentration....

Goldilocks....Ainsley's class is doing a play next month and she has been talking quite a bit about being Goldilocks-she was very nervous.  I was sure she was misunderstanding because she doesn't really have the personality to get up in front of people and have such a key part.  But, last week she and another student tried out and she did her song in front of her class and actually seemed excited that she might actually be Goldilocks.  Who knew???  I asked her if she was worried about it and she said, "Not anymore."  I'm not sure if she will get chosen, but it was a huge confidence booster for her.  She is really having to come out of her shell these days.  We have been selling girl scout cookies and it has forced her to talk to adults and she has been doing great :o).
We had a four day weekend this week and Friday we picked grandpa up from the airport.  He and Ryan got busy getting supplies and working on framing the bathroom of the Casita.  It has been going really quickly and hopefully, the couple challenges we have will come together quickly (we bought a Neo-angle glass enclosure that doesn't quite fit).  The electrician is there today and when he is done, they should be able to drywall and then it will be close to a functional living space.  Reggie has been very intrigued by all that is going on and has been tagging along on the boys' adventures to pick up supplies and see how things are done.  He's even offered up his advice on fixing some of their issues!
Cutting the tile...

Laying the tile.....

Funny story.....my dad never wears a seat belt and it finally caught up with him.  On the way back from Lowe's today, they got pulled over!  He made up some excuse about his incision scar from his recent lung incident and the cop wasn't buying it....made him put the seat belt on to see if it even hit that spot and of course, it didn't.  You can imagine what Reggie and Ryan were thinking watching this circus!!!  He tried to get out of the car to show the cop his scar and he kept saying don't get out of the car!  He said he'd never heard an excuse quite like that and for some reason he gave him a stern warning (probably because if I remember right, the driver gets the ticket for a passenger with no seat belt, and I'm sure he felt terrible for Ryan).  Ryan has been having way too many close calls with policemen lately.  He got pulled over last week for going 60 in a 35!!!  I can't believe he only got a warning, but it probably was because he recognized the cop from a cub scout tour of the police station.  God is good :o).

It sure has been cold lately, especially at night!  The days warm up to the low-mid 60's, but it feels colder for some reason.  Today, I was freezing in the house, so I decided to sit in the yard and read my bible for a bit.  It was heavenly...so sunny and warm.  It wasn't long before I was snoring!  Nothing like taking a 15 minute power nap :o).
I'm very grateful the days have been warmer because we had our house re-piped this weekend and the front door was open the entire time.  It was such a mess because the crawl space is a very fine, dry, powdery dirt and there were 3 men going in and out of the crawl space.  The dust just from that was quite amazing.  We had to wipe down or vacuum every surface and I think we are going to have to re-mop soon.  We didn't re-pipe the upstairs and since it was an addition a little later, we're hoping to have another 10 years with the existing pipes.  We do have an issue with the kitchen sink (aren't there always issues!) because it is essentially stuck between 2 foundations with no access-they got a permit for the kitchen addition, but didn't follow code??!!  We're hoping they can use the new flex pipe and make it work because our plumber can get his hands in there, just not far enough to solder.
While the plumbing was getting done on Sat., the electrician came over to look at what he has to do.  All the while, Ryan was gone picking up a Murphy bed (we finally got one!!!) with a friend which turned into an all-day event.  It came with 5 cabinets, so we won't have to build any closets in there!  It was a very crazy day, but thankfully, the kids were super good, playing all day without needing anything except food :o).  We are making some good progress on the casita and dad will be coming at the end of next week to frame up the bathroom walls and hopefully, get things in the appropriate places.  It has turned into quite the project and Ryan has done the majority of it and will be happy when it is finished.
Yesterday, we relaxed long enough to watch the Super Bowl.  We were invited to some friends' house, but EVERYONE here is a 49er fan and we just couldn't root for them, so we decided to stay home and have the freedom to scream for the Ravens (did you see the Joe Montana stain commercial??-that was a riot!).  It was a little nauseating to see all the husbands and wives walking around and at the grocery store in their matching jerseys and jackets.  Hopefully, we can be those fans next year!!!  It sure was an exciting game, right down to the wire and we were just happy to be SITTING in a warm house with clean, running water :o).
Other than that, we've been in our normal pattern of life and everyone is going great :o).
Field trip at the Bankhead Theater (I had to have one picture!):