January -- snowy, lots of sledding, sickness, and other things

Three key words can sum up this month, and they all start with the letter S:

1. SNOW (loads of it)
2. Sledding
3. Sickness

Besides those three, there were a few more events worth blogging so I'll add those into the mix too.


Birthday
Before all the snow came, we celebrated Nathan's birthday.  I surprised him with his favorite cookies (raspberry shortbread thumbprints).  He loved the surprise because he actually had a rough day at work on his birthday that would damper ones spirits.

We had pancake breakfast for dinner (one of Nathan's favorite meals), and then he had to quickly go help push one of our neighbors cars that was stuck on the off ramp of the freeway (yikes).  Upon his return, he enjoyed a conference call with his family which is one of the highlights he looks forward to every year.

Dishes
Hannah really likes to help out around the house, especially if it means Daddy is involved.  One of Hannah's latest thrills is doing dishes.  We give her non-breakable, already rinsed dishes and she "washes" them in the kitchen sink.  Really, she just likes playing in the water, but it's still fun and cute to watch.

Time-out for Zurg

One morning, Nathan was putting his coat on and getting ready to go to work and we noticed that Zurg was in a timeout (he must have been mean to Buzz Lightyear).  We have found Zurg in the corner a few times this month.  Actually, he is the only toy that goes in time-outs.

Shoes and dress up

A few weeks ago, our Relief Society had a "swap."  I always like these free swaps because I end up walking away with a few used books and toys for Hannah.  Well this year I hit the jackpot!  I saw these Rapunzel shoes (from the Disney store), and they had never been worn!  I instantly grabbed them and put them in my box.  The heels even light up.

A few days later, I gave the shoes to Hannah.  Her face lit up and had the biggest smile.  She instantly ran into her room and anxiously said "I'll be right back mommy!"  A few moments later, she turned into this:

Hannah is understanding the concept of princesses.  It's a fun stage.

One day I was working on sending some church emails out, and I noticed it was really quiet in the house.  I snuck around the corner and there was Hannah trying on my boots.  Normally, I don't let Hannah touch my shoes, but this was too funny.

Sickness
I got sick -- again.  Two times in a 4 week period!  Not too happy about that.  This one was not very fun.  My head cold/influenza lasted 9 stinking days!  Just as I thought I was getting better, it came back and it started a whole new cycle.  Sigh.

Nathan started to feel a little sick too towards the end of the month, but thankfully it only was for a day.  We are both feeling much better now, hallelujah.

Mid-way through the month Nathan fell and slipped on some ice just outside our front door.  He hurt his knee bad enough to work from home that day.  Hannah enjoyed that of course.  Luckily, there was not any damage done to the knee.  Just a bruise.

Sledding

Pennsylvania got DUMPED on with a lot of snow this month (about 2 feet total for the month of January).  There was so much snow that Nathan and our neighbor decided to create a burm in between our two houses.  The sides of the yards are very steep on our side of the street and it makes for great sledding.

Hannah is totally fearless and loves every bit of it no matter how cold it is.  She goes, and goes, and goes, and when it's time to come in, Hannah is very distraught.

One afternoon, I was out watching some of the neighborhood kids who were sledding in between the two homes.  Hannah, of course, joined in on the fun.

But after a few days of back-2-back sledding, she was so exhausted that afternoon and I found her lying down in one of the sleds while the others kids took turns.

Napping

Sledding has really tuckered Hannah out lately, and sometimes she will instantly fall asleep in the car.  I couldn't help but take this picture because she was eating her snack, and then 5 minutes later Hannah was out cold with her hand in her cup.

Adjusting to not having Kronk

Believe it or not, no longer having a pet is an adjustment.  Much harder than we thought, but we are adjusting well.

We miss having the little guy around and making us laugh at his stupidity as he played.  We miss the (sometimes quiet) companionship that he offered.  He always wanted to be in the same room as us, and not having him around has made us acutely aware of that loss.

There have been a few perks to not having Kronk around: our laundry room doesn't have the unsightly (and sometimes smelly) litter-box in there, you don't have to worry about feeding another living creature everyday, we don't have to worry about Kronk trying to bolt out of the house each time we open the door, etc.  That being said, we miss not being greeted as we walk in the door (really all Kronk wanted to do was sniff our shoes and bags).

Hannah has inquired about Kronk a few times, but she occasionally says that "Kronk was sick and he had to go to the doctor to get a check up."  She sometimes will say "Mommy, I miss Kronk."

Well Hannah, we all miss the little man.