Ugh! No school again!!!!!!!

So the fun and novelty of the snow has officially worn off....they cancelled school again today! As long as they go to school on Thursday, that will be their only school day this week (b/c Monday was MLK holiday, Tues snow day, Wed ice day, and Friday teacher work day). The general concern for weather today is the ice on the roads. Nearly everything is on a delay but they cancelled school all together.

So all-in-all I think we got 3-4 inches of snow yesterday. Not bad for NC. Here are some more photos....

Snowball fight!

We all got in on the action!

Our snow covered house....never thought I'd see that!

The view down our street.

It snowed at the beach too! The people we bought our house from moved to Carolina Beach, about 90 miles from here. She sent me a some photos yesterday of what it was like out there...So for all of you who are always complaining about wanting to be at the beach....you might want to be careful what you wish for!

Snow in NC?

SNOW DAY, SNOW DAY, ERIN HAS A SNOW DAY!

Well, according to Erin it is officially winter now that we have snow. Particularly odd because at this time last year I remember sitting out on the back patio in a t-shirt drinking a glass of wine!

It was actually a nice day yesterday, but they were predicting armageddon so everyone was out stocking up on french toast supplies (bread, milk, eggs). While it was still 44 degrees and nice out yesterday they announced that school and work would be delayed today by 2 hours. But at 6a.m. this morning the phone started ringing...school's cancelled, work's cancelled and apparently the sky is falling. So I look outside and there is just a dusting of snow! I know NC is wimpy when it comes to snow, but we thought they were going a little overboard......until the snow picked up. It's crazy outside right now! They made a good call closing everything!

I know this is kid's stuff to you northerners, but for down here it's a big deal.

Jason ended up having to work yesterday, so we didn't get to take full advantage of our long weekend together. So it's extra nice that he's home today enjoying the snow with us! I know his time with us is dwindling, so we're all trying to appreciate it while we have it (although I'm sure sitting on the beach is probably his preference to freezing in the snow!)

Here is a video and a couple photos from this morning!

Our little snow angel!

Still getting XMas stuff up....

So I missed my goal of doing updates everday....I knew it was unrealistic but it was a good goal!

Here are some more photos of everyone from Jim and Sandy's visit.

Jim, Sandy Erin and Sydney (not pictured) getting ready for a walk.

We were happy that we had decent weather while they were here. It was icky on some days, but overall a vast improvement over what was going on in Ohio. Erin got some good backyard time.

Jason was happy to get his newest Star Trek ornament this year. He's got so many now that they no longer go on the tree, they have their own little display. Alot of them make noises too.....Gene Roddenberry's estate thanks us all for our contributions.

When we visitied Ohio last spring, Erin spent hours playing with a small tape measure at Mimi and Papa's. She measured EVERYTHING in the room. So for Christmas this year they got her one of her own. She loves it, and is meauring the chair I'm sitting in, as I type.

More Christmas shots

Erin's three requests from Santa were a little gum-ball machine, a Hello Kitty marshmallow and and Ariel doll. All of these items she saw at Claire's, and I think non of them cost more than $2. We explained to her that her list to Santa is just a "wish list" and that Santa doesn't bring everything on it, so she didn't get the Ariel doll (really it was because when Santa's elves went back to Claire's they were out of it!) It was a good lesson though.

Here is the gumball "machine."

And here is the Hello Kitty marshmallow. She was as happy as a clam....she's soooooo easy sometimes! We're enjoying it now because we know it won't last!

This is a great photo because it proves that Jason really does do dishes. The real reason I like this photo so much is his feet....flip flops and socks? I think he's having Korea flashbacks!

Erin sprinkling Reindeer Sparkles in the yard. I'm glad it was warm that night!

Beetle-Mania

Happy New Year everyone! I know it's been awhile since the blog has been updated (as my mom has reminded me!) so I'm finally getting to it.
We had a nice Christmas relaxing here in NC with Jason's parents. Although the weather was not as nice as we had expected, it was still much better than what they left behind in OH (no snide comments from you Fort Drum people!). I was surprised at how much time we spend in downtown Fayetteville. It's such a nice surprise that the downtown here is really turning into a place that is nice to go with your family. We found some great (and cheap!) antique shops and basically just walked around. Although Fayetteville will probably always be known as Fayettenam, I'm glad the city has made an effort to rid itself of the strip clubs, tattoo parlors and other rif-raf downtown.

I'll try to update everyday so I can get all of the photos in and share the stories.

This photo is a little blurry, but hilarious. Like Elvis, John Lennon is not dead! Now we just have to teach her a little Sgt. Pepper....Santa brought Erin a guitar this year, and she has been having a ball with it. We often say that living in our house is like living in a musical because Erin is always singing and dancing. The guitar adds a new dimension to it!

Erin took great pride and energy in preparing for Santa's arrival this year. She was very specific that Santa needed chocolate milk, and chocolate chip cookies. The Mattox's sent us "reindeer sparkles" (oatmeal) for the yard that were to help guide the reindeer to the house. She spent quite awhile outside sprinkling it from the street up to the front door. After much debate about whether Santa would fit down the chimney, or whether we should just leave a key for him to come in the door we were all set. Erin has made several videos (which I'll continue to post in the coming days) and she gives a "shout out" to most of our family members. It's quite hilarious, so keep checking back to see which video you pop-up in!