Snow Day!

Well, I wished for more snow...and my wish was granted. Generously! About 10 inches from what all the news folk are saying. (Which I'm SO glad to not be one of those anymore...out in the cold talking endlessly about snow)

They even closed the county government, so Dave got to stay home with Andra and me. We took Andra out in the snow...but it was almost too much for her to play in. It was about up to her hips! So she played in the part that had already been cleared off by Daddy. Not before taking a trip down the driveway in her sled!

We also let Pudge outside to play in the snow for awhile. Andra thought it was hilarious watching him attempt to run in snow...it was about up to his hips too!

We didn't go to a big hill for sledding, because we would've had to go in the morning...and the roads still looked pretty intimidating at that point. The temps are supposed to stay low, so maybe we hit a slope in the next few days!

I spent my day doing exciting things like laundry and making a grocery list. I stripped the bed to wash the sheets...and when it was time to make the bed again, this is how I found Dave and Pudge enjoying their snow day.

Potty Seat Drama

We had quite the potty seat experience today...and I hope all you mothers out there yet to purchase a potty seat will learn from my own stupidity. Let me start from the beginning...

I know Andra may seem a little bit young for potty training, but she seems very curious and interested in the "big" toilet, so I figured we might as well take advantage of her interest and just see what happens. We bought the potty seat (which sort of sits inside the adult toilet seat) and a step stool. Well, Andra took an immediate liking to her potty seat. It was like a new toy! We took it out of the package and let her play with it. She sat on it in the living room...but it wasn't long until she discovered it fit quite nicely on her head. Well, we all got quite the kick out of that. So she pranced around the house for a while with it on her head...and I took some funny pictures of her new discovery...then...next thing we knew...it had slipped OVER her head and was around her neck. And wasn't coming off. We tried a few tugs and pulls. Not budging. So Andra started to panic (screaming), so Dave and I started to seriously panic. I had visions of rushing my child to the ER with a toilet seat stuck around her neck. That'd certainly earn me Mother of the Year award!

I tried to calm down...if it went over her head...it HAD to come back off. I finally found the perfect angle, and a few hard tugs later, it was off. Andra, the poor thing, has a scrape by one of her eyes from the pulling. :( It was probably only stuck for 30 seconds or so, but it felt like 30 minutes. Andra was in a complete state of panic...and was NOT so friendly with her toilet seat afterwards. It will be in hiding for few days until she hopefully forgets the whole harrowing experience. I hope this doesn't sabotage our efforts.

Dave and I later discovered there's a warning on the back side of the seat about not letting kids put it over their head because it CAN become stuck around their neck. oops. At least we can laugh about it now.

Here are a few funny pictures before disaster struck...

Big Bro Pudge

Trapped indoors for days on end...I think Andra mistakes Pudge for a furry jungle gym. And what good big bro...he just lets her climb all over him to her heart's content.

Snow Angel

Please don't panic. No, I didn't take Andra out in the -10 degree temperatures...but I DID take her out the afternoon before the frigid temps arrived!...and I'm just now getting around to posting these.

I knew we were going to be trapped indoors for the next few days because of the ridiculously cold weather, so I took Andra out in the snow the afternoon before the bottom fell out. This winter has been pretty disappointing in the snowfall department. She even got a sled AND snow boots for Christmas (thanks Aunt Erin and Aunt Libby!!)...but no snow!!! So even if this measley one inch of snow is all we get this winter, as least she can say she got to play in the snow! We took a few laps around the house in her brand new sled, and even sledded (more like 'skidded' due to the lack of snow!) down our driveway, which we discovered has the perfect slope for a nice little ride. Even though her sled is DESIGNED for snowy days, this gal insisted on going for a wagon ride. INSISTED. So yes, we pulled out her cheerful, meant-for-the-summer wagon, and I pulled her up and down the street. The neighbors surely thought I'd lost my mind, but Andra was tickled pink...and that's all that matters. :)

Not so happy during the "getting dressed" part...

Disney Marathon Wrap-up!

Oh man, I'm suffering from climate shock! We had PERFECT weather in Florida. It was sunny and in the 70s our first few days. Just gorgeous. Our first day there, I must've said "I can't believe how nice it is!" about 72 times. I REALLY couldn't believe it. We've never taken a warm vacation in the dead of winter. I told Dave we should make a habit of it. The sunshine and warm breeze is SO refreshing. Here we are at Downtown Disney, a shopping and dining area. We had a great time just roaming around enjoying the fresh (warm!) air. And no, Andra's not picking her nose...I zoomed in to make sure. :) She's just pointing to it. Who knows why...

Dave ran an excellent first marathon. His finishing time was 4 hours and 18 minutes. Pretty incredible. He'd been having some toe pain the last month of his training, and he was disappointed the pain really flared up during the marathon. It slowed him down some, but he toughed it out, and finished with a smile on his face! Here he is about 50 yards from the finish line. We're so proud of his accomplishment!! And he doubts it'll be his last marathon...although he's looking forward to taking time off.

Andra was proud of her daddy too. She was such a trooper bearing the crowds, skipping her morning nap, and having the sun in her eyes all morning.

She loved her daddy's Mickey Mouse medal! That's some hard earned bling!!

After the marathon, we spent the next day at Magic Kingdom. There were a few attractions that Andra got to experience for the first time. We did a jungle ride where she spotted lots of (robotic) animals. We also went on the "It's a small world afterall" ride...it definitely brought back memories of childhood Disney trips for me! She was a little in awe of it all. That last picture is her favorite spot...the Pooh playland. She could've played in there all day!


It was a great trip, and a perfect excuse to escape the winter weather for a few days. We're busy getting settled in and back to work. For now, Dave's already eyeing a few other marathons... after some well-deserved rest.

Disney Bound!

I know I've been slacking a little on our posts, but we were 'busy' enjoying lots of relaxation and time together over the holidays. We're just now getting back into the swing of things this week...just in time for another vacation!

It's hard to believe, but we're leaving for Disney so Dave can run the Disney Marathon that he's trained so hard for. I think it's been a grueling but exhilarating few months for him, and he feels ready to take on the 26.2 mile course...his very first full marathon! Dave's mom and dad are coming to cheer him on too. While we're there, we'll be spending one day at the Magic Kingdom. I know Andra's too young to really enjoy it, but it should be fun regardless.

We're excited to leave the cold weather behind and soak up some sunshine. We'll be back soon, and I'm sure I'll have lots of pictures and Dave's success story to share with you! (I still think he's nuts)