Snow Days

We're just about dug out from the 14 inches of snow we got on Christmas Eve.  Some of it has melted now, but a lot is still around, and Monday we got an inch or two more.  We're loving seeing our neighborhood blanketed in the snow.  My parents were up here for a couple days over the weekend, and they made Clayton's day when they decided to build a snowman.  Eli was content to sit on a non-icy portion of the sidewalk.  He wanted nothing to do with the snow, which was probably a good thing considering he doesn't own a pair of snowpants.  We're soaking up our time in the snow knowing it probably won't last too much longer.

Blizzard 2009

So, we're having a blizzard today.  Sustained winds in the 40s, gusts into the 60s, 22 degrees, 0 windchill, 0 visibility.  Lucky for us, it also rained a lot overnight, so under all that snow is a nice thick sheet of ice.  Ryan went into work early this morning before it got bad.  Thankfully he was able to make it home with only one very minor fender bender when someone tapped him from behind.  It was just a tiny scratch.  Praise Jesus, as there has been so much worse around here, and we're not exactly seasoned ice drivers.  They have now officially closed all interstates in the state of Oklahoma.  It's looking like most churches, ours included, have cancelled all their Christmas Eve services.  It's really bad out there, and I'm disappointed we won't be able to go to church, but now that my husband is home in one piece, and we're here in our nice, warm home, I'm pretty content.  Looks like it will be a white Christmas for us.  Good thing we didn't have any travel plans.

Our backyard

When I opened our front door, I noticed this package on the porch.  I cannot believe the USPS.  They delivered on the day of our record breaking ice storm two years ago, and now they're delivering in this storm.  I did hear someone call into the news a little while ago saying that their mailman was stuck at their house!  Our mail lady is severely cranky, so I'm relieved she didn't get stuck here.

We couldn't get the storm door opened because of the snow, so Ryan had to break the layer of ice off the garage door and go around to the front door.  Kristin, your package made it!

The view from our garage.  That's our neighbor's car.

The street that T's in front of our house.

Now if you happen to be reading this blog from South Dakota (you know who you are), this is probably no biggie for you, but this is a pretty big deal where we live in Oklahoma.  It's not too often we see this kind of weather in this part of the state. 

Times like these make me so thankful I have a warm home and plenty of food in the pantry.  I know the shelters are overwhelmed today, and I hope they are doing okay.

Christmas Cookies

Clayton and I have been busy baking.  We made, cut, and baked all our sugar cookie dough on Monday.  Then we iced and decorated on Tuesday.  It took two days with Clayton's assistance.  He thoroughly enjoyed the process, and I had a lot of fun as well.  I think our cookies turned out pretty well.  We sent half to work with Ryan the next day, and he didn't bring any home, so they tasted okay too.

Getting ready to decorate

Mommy iced.  Clayton sprinkled (mostly with my assistance, though a few had less assistance than others).

Excited to decorate

Eli took care of the rejects.

Our finished products

Clayton Tells the Christmas Story

I've been working on teaching Clayton the Christmas story.  We started talking about the birth of Jesus right around Thanksgiving and have talked about it everyday since.  At first it seemed like he was retaining zero information, but then they started learning about it at school as well, and all of a sudden certain elements began to stick.

The Christmas Story
By Clayton Zeitler

There's Mary and Josep (yes, Jo-Sep) and Baby Jesus.  There's the star of Christmas.  Mary rode a donkey... Hee-honk, Hee-honk, Hee-honk (yes, Hee-Honk, he must have learned that part at school).  The End.

Okay, so there are a few theological gaps in the story, but he's identified many of the key players, including the donkey, hee-honk, and honestly, I think Clayton often knows and understands a lot more than he let's on about.

The other day we were baking Christmas cookies, and Clayton was playing with a set of gingerbread cookie cutters.  He then identified them as Mary, Jo-Sep, and Baby Jesus.  This little boy's got Christmas on his mind.

I am really looking forward to sharing more and more of the Christmas story as the boys get older.  It's exciting to watch Clayton learn more and more every year.

I've also been trying to teach him "Away in a Manger" and have had zero success.  He's not really a singer though.  Maybe next year.

Looks Like Christmas

The boys at church this morning

I love little boys in sweater vests.

On the Canal

I've been looking for fun Christmas things to do around town.  Last year, having just had a c-section and having a two week old baby, we didn't get out very much.  Tonight we went down to Bricktown to ride the watertaxis (think San Antonio on a MUCH smaller scale).  I found out they have free rides on the weekends in December, and the canal is all decorated with Christmas lights.  It was 30 degrees, but there wasn't any wind, so tonight was our chance.  We bundled up and headed out.  Unfortunately, it is very hard to snap pictures on a boat ride when each adult has a child whom they are trying to prevent from jumping overboard, so I didn't get much on the boat, but I did get a few a we were loading up back at the car.  The boys looked so silly and were so good on the ride.  Afterward we drove through a recommended neighborhood to look at Christmas lights, so it was a good night out for the family.

Santa through the Years

I took the boys to the mall for their annual Santa picture today.  I guess Clayton has grown a little since we lived in Florida.  I fully expected a meltdown from Eli, and he totally surprised me.  He does look a little "deer in the headlights" in the picture, but he sat there for a long time checking out the beard.  Clayton just hopped right up there because he and Santa go way back. 

PS I loved Santa's new outfit this year.