MegaSnow - January 2016

We waited a long time for winter to begin this year.  December was a record for warm temperatures.  I'm pretty sure we could have cooked our Christmas Turkey on the grill outdoors.  But once mother nature took a turn for colder weather, she didn't mess around.  Our first big storm of the year brought us about a foot of snow...official totals have been hard to measure due to drifting.  

So many adults hate the snow.  They view it as the absolute inconvenience.  And, in some ways it certainly is.  But I cannot help but LOVE the white stuff.  With the snow comes snuggling under blankets with my girls, warm cups of hot chocolate, sledding, snowball fights, and homemade soup. Matt, quite possibly, loves the snow more than me.  As I type, he is absolutely itching to get out and drive in this weather even though we do not have a 4 wheel drive vehicle.

This snow was Jenna's first real experience with snow, sledding, and all the trimmings.  Katie is an old pro, and enjoys it as much as Matt and I.  But Jenna is still a little tentative.  She will go outside with us, stomp around, help clean cars.  But she wasn't crazy about sledding.




















With a late start to winter, this may be our only shot at snow play.  So, we are trying to enjoy each moment.

Elfie "Fred" - 2015

Elfie "Fred" returned this year to visit the Barnes family.  He was full of mischief, as always --- performing some of his old tricks and some new ones as well.   My personal favorite this year was when Elfie painted everyone's toes while they slept....even Daddy's.  A nice hot pink color, ha!  Fortunately for daddy, Elfie only had time for ONE of his toenails.

For those of you who have not read the book, a special Christmas Elf is designated for each family.  The Elf's job is watch over the girls from Thanksgiving to Christmas and fly back to the North Pole each night to give Santa a full report.  When Elfie returns from his trip, he finds a new place in the house to stay for the next day.  Elfie's location was always a fun surprise.  The girls love Elfie and embrace him with all the magic of Christmas.  Each morning they would awake, practically wiggling with excitement, and launch into a search for Elfie's new spot. 

On Christmas Eve, Elfie goes back to the North Pole with Santa to stay for the rest of the year.  Below is a picture of the girls saying goodbye to Elfie Fred on Christmas Eve.  They sent him back with cookies and the Gingerbread Train they made.