More Ice Than Snow

We got lucky. Really lucky.

500,000 without power & we're NOT one of them.

Last night, the power flickered and dimmed throughout the night. Transformers could be seen and heard exploding.

I rained ice all night long!

Then, it snowed 5" on top of the ice,






Schools are out the rest of the week, as the plows and crews can't reach all the side streets. (Including us) It takes a 4-wheel drive to safely leave our neighborhood & we only have one of those...the Volvo.

Dev & I are on our own today.

"Apple Pie is Difficult."

Here's Dev giving her Apple Pie recipe.

Listen to the first thing she says....

"Apple Pie is difficult."

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Snow! Finally!

Just Running Around

We had a low-key weekend, filled with errands and tennis.

Matt finally found a guy who really knows how to work on BMW M3's. It's a very difficult and expensive car to repair.

However, it is a 1997 M3 with over 130K miles. And, we've owned it almost 10 years.

What's great about Drew at Evolution?

He helps Matt fix the car himself. He orders the part and sells them to us AT COST.

Here we are Saturday morning getting the "Check Engine" light turned off.


Then, it was off to the barber shop for Matt.

Devin told us she goes to a "salon."


Lookin' sharp!




Wanna know what happens when I play doubles at the 4.5 level?

1) I lose 6-1, 6-0.

2) I get hit on the fly with 2 overheads. One was in the middle of my back...I managed to turn at the last second.

The other left this reminder on my leg.


I'm going to politely suggest I stick with singles.

We're crossing our fingers for a BIG snow this week. We bought 2 new sleds and all the gear you would need for sledding.

Louisville (as a whole) goes completely insane when it's supposed to snow. The grocery stores get jammed with people buying the essentials. (Bread, milk and eggs)

We bought into the hype and made our trip to Meijer.

Our local weatherman has a bread slice index.

0 Slices= No snow
5 Slices= A few inches
10 Slices=Major Storm.

This morning, he's at a 7 slice level.

You Gotta Watch Every. Single. Word.

So, Dev's pretty much able to figure out everything we're talking about. If she doesn't understand, she'll ask.

What's hilarious, is a first-hand glimpse at just how difficult it is to learn English & all of it's subtleties. (As evidenced by my grammar and punctuation mistakes)

Some examples:

-Matt and I were having a conversation about money, bills etc... Devin asked what we were talking about and said, "Oh just money and bills stuff, Dev." She responds, "Like chocolate money, Mama?" (Referring to those gold chocolate coins you get at Xmas)

-We were discussing Matt's new amazing suits. We hit a "sale" at Joseph A. Banks. Buy, 1 get 2 FREE! Of course one suit is breathtakingly priced above $800.00...but they are really nice suits. So, I said, "...Dev, doesn't Dada look sharp in his new suit?" She says, "Sharp! You mean like a knife or scissors, Mama?"

-Just this week, she's started to sense frustration or sadness. She'll ask, "What's wrong, Mama?" It's very cute.

We had a super-busy week.

I gotta take some pictures!

A week of hammering

Before:


After:


It took 3 1/2 days.


What a week. I've never been through a roof replacement.

It sucks.

Dev couldn't nap, there was no way. There was constant banging, crashing and hammering. By the end of each day, she was literally running into the walls/furniture. We tried to keep her still, by letting her watch tons of TV...but nope.

She actually did really well considering.

Both days at preschool went well & she's doing the carpool for drop-off and pick-up. I don't even have to get out of the car. Sweet!

Today at lunch.


We went to see Grandma play tennis & she gets to play with Caroline. (The front desk lady's youngest daughter...she's a bit over 4)


They always have fun & get to watch tennis, instead of chase Devin.

.......whew.

Insurance agreed to pay for a new a new roof, due to damage from the September storm. We had no idea how much damage was done, until water started pouring in the house.

The insurance company paid just under $20,000 to fix & replace our roof.

We're so, so happy. It's a huge weight off our collective shoulders. We were just about to start a "roof fund."

Devin's got another cold. I guess it's just a constant state of sickness this winter. We're certainly learning to deal with it. I'm so used to her coughing, sneezing and snotting....it's second nature.

Removal of our old roof starts tomorrow.

1st Salon Experience

We've had many haircuts at the "kiddie" places.

She likes it, but the haircuts have not been good.

So, I decided to take her to a "real" salon.

She was not thrilled, but she needed a haircut....


Before...


These days, stylists insist on flat ironing hair perfectly straight before they cut.

I was wondering how a 2.5 yr old would react to 30 min+ in the chair.


In typical Devin fashion...she sat perfectly still the entire time. It took a long time to get that hair so straight, but those tourmaline flat irons are amazing.




Finally, the cutting begins.








After.

Mashed Potatoes

It's never to early to learn how to make good mashed potatoes. And, Matt makes the best.

She also let me flat iron her hair, which was fun!


She looks so different with straight hair! Older maybe?

Happy New Year!