I woke up yesterday to a winter wonderland. Our lawn was beautiful blanket of white. Sparkling white! I thought it was snow… until I let our dogs out in it and watched them slip/slide all over each other as they rushed headlong into the yard. Ice! It was ALL ice! It still IS all ice, since it isn’t warm enough outside for any of it to melt. We’ve taken the girls out in it, and while Emma has certainly not appreciated the slippery surfaces, Ana has been having a great time. Especially after Papa put her in the Cozy Coupe and launched her down the hill, right into the fence. (Definitely not my idea but fun anyway!)
We don’t drive on this stuff in Texas, simply because none of us really knows how to drive on ice. We’ve been surprised to find that here in Oklahoma people continue to drive in it as though the integrity of the road hasn’t changed a bit. Wes has been going back and forth to the church to open the doors for the contractors who are finishing up the children’s wing (yay!), and even though the schools, most businesses, and churches are closed, he wasn’t alone out there and saw a whole lot of sliding. We’ve had a couple of SUVs almost turn over right into our driveway because they take the corner on our road too quickly. People, if you can’t walk on the stuff without nearly breaking your neck, perhaps you should exercise a bit more caution when speeding your large vehicle on its surface. I’m just saying.
The upside to the weather is that Wes has been working from home. I’m sure that 24/7 of the girls running around acting crazy will get to him eventually, but it hasn’t yet. It’s been good to have him around the house!
Emma reached the eighteen month mark on Monday. The night before, when I took her out of the bath and cuddled her up in a warm, fluffy towel, I told her how she wasn’t a baby anymore, how she was a big girl now, and how she was such a treasure to us. And then, of course, I cried all over her freshly cleaned little face. Oh, Emma… that year and a half flew by way too quickly! I couldn’t wallow in sentimentality too long, though, since Ana was still in the tub and began drinking the bath water, which provided a nice distraction.
While tucking her in that night, I told Ana what I had told Emma — that she also was special to us and a treasure from God. She nodded her head and added, “Precious to Jesus!” To which I said, “Yes, you ARE precious to Jesus!” To which she affirmed, “Yes, I are!”
I’m going to undertake a massive spring cleaning project soon. All of our kitchen cabinets need new shelf paper. This is one of those things that I should have done when we moved in, but life was a little crazier back then, and I was doing well to just get all of our stuff into the cabinets as is. Better late than never, though, which is why I’m hoping to get it done sometime soon! I’ve got a list of other projects to do as well… but I’m not going to be overly ambitious just yet.
I’m up to week 26 of our Sunday school curriculum. Yes, friends. That means we are halfway through the year-long project! Week 26 begins the New Testament as well, which means finding craft projects should get easier. Last week, we constructed models of the Tabernacle, and while that was a fun project, it was the ONLY project I could find that would go with the lesson. I think the organizing process will go a lot faster when there are more options out there. Here’s hoping!
And I know some very exciting news… but I can’t share it just yet. But I will when I can!
That’s about it from our frozen, frozen corner of the world. Stay warm, y’all!
Jenn Faulk 