The Pocket Park in the Fall

It's funny how things can change in just a short period of time. I'm so used to south Alabama seasons where you can wear short sleeves for most of the year. (And I never complained about that!) But these pictures, taken in early October, show a very different view than what I see out the window. Right now, it's snowing pretty hard. We may get up to 8 inches by tomorrow night. Scott is flying west again - this time to California - the same as he did during the Valentine's Day Blizzard, but it's not supposed to be as nasty as it was then with all the ice. The girls are going to be disappointed if school isn't canceled, though. They've been doing "snow dances" all night!

These photos were taken at a little park less than a 1/4 mile from our house. The kids call it The Pocket Park. It's in a beautiful spot with a winding brook that the girls loved to wade in when the weather was warmer.

The Turkey Trot

Dylan had fun participating in a program this fall called "Girls on the Run". She learned all kind of stuff about healthy lifestyle choices. She also trained for a marathon held in November, appropriately called the "Turkey Trot". This was a great outlet for some of Dylan's excess energy! In the end, we were very proud of her for completing the 3 mile run in 45 minutes.

It would be unfair at this point not to mention Scott's role in the race. Unfortunately, I didn't have a camera in hand when, two nights before the race, Dylan informed Scott that she had signed him up to run with her! But I have to admit, he was a trooper. When I drove to the halfway point, (yes, I got in my car and drove) I was sure that wasn't the same Scott I know, running backwards in front of her, cheering her on. I guess his recent viewing of Cinderella Man had inspired his inner trainer.

Here are a few pictures taken the day of the race of Dylan and her cheering squad (Katherine took this job very seriously).

Hearts, Blizzards, & King Cakes

Happy late Valentine's Day to everyone! Our home is a mishmash of holidays at the moment. Our Valentine's celebration has been extended because of the blizzard that shut down our part of the world last week. The kids, planning to make up their parties at school later this week, insist on keeping the decorations up until they celebrate with their friends. And thanks to our friend Renny in Baton Rouge, we received a Mardi Gras care package today, complete with King Cakes, beads and other Mardi Gras goodies. So, throw us some moon pies, King Cupid, we're ready!

I didn't mean to wait so long to post again, but I was bombarded with requests for photos of Isaac. We were in Birmingham when the big snow came, so he missed out. These two are recent pictures of him, but as I go through some of our pictures we've taken since fall, I'll post more over the next few weeks to get you caught up.

More Snow Pictures

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

After a record breaking warm December, the kids had all but given up on seeing snow. But it finally happened. About 4 inches! Plenty for snowball fights, making snow angels, and sledding. So we got to bring out those expensive heirloom quality sleds we spent an arm and a leg on. All our visions of a winter wonderland fantasy finally realized, right? Except that the kids spent all their time on the red plastic disc we purchased at Target for $2. Can I have my arm and leg back, please?