Yay, SNOW!

When it started snowing Christmas night I was sure it would be melted by the next day, but it actually stuck around! So we didn't hesitate this morning to pull out the snow clothes and take advantage of it before it is all gone. One of the schools in town, Perrine Elementary, makes the perfect sledding destination for little kids. They got to play on the playground and go sledding on the big hill. It was quite a work-out pulling the two of them up, especially after going to my first Zumba class this morning at 5:30! Ryan even brought hot chocolate to recharge when the girls got cold. Fantastic day! 

Wow, has it really been six months since my last blog post? That's too long! This morning we enjoyed watching the girls open lots of special gifts from family. I really missed seeing everyone and being around family for our usual traditions. Good thing I had the girls to distract me. They were very excited, but also patient with eachother. They did a great job taking turns opening each of their gifts and wanted to make sure we had turns too. All day they played and played with their new treasures and watched Christmas movies. Then we went out to dinner at one of our favorite family restaurants, Shari's.

Lisa has been asking to sleep under the Christmas tree for days now and we finally relented, once Lyra had fallen asleep. Ryan just set up the projector we are borrowing in our bedroom so we can watch a movie from our bed. Fun! I am so glad I get the next two weeks to have Ryan at home on vacation. We were just watching music videos on youtube from a new musical called "Matilda" and dreaming about taking Lisa to see it on Broadway. Maybe spring break? :) 

So glad Rivercrest Apartments has a pool! We go almost every day. It has been fun to see how fearless Lyra is with her arm floaties. (Or as she would put it, arm "ploaties") Lisa learned to swim a couple  summers ago when we first moved here and is usually very confident in the water. They both already have that swimsuit tan line that seems to appear no matter how much sunscreen you lather on their bodies. Cute little fishies.

Lyra's sunscreen face, doesn't matter if you are nowhere near her face

Looks kinda cold, huh? That's cause they insist on going swimming even if it is only 70 degrees out. Sun is shining, pool is open...in their minds there is no question. Must swim!

Last week Donna suggested we take the kids cherry picking at Kelley Orchard near Filer. It was a beautiful day and the kids had a blast filling their own baskets. It is so nice they have a few pick-your-own-produce farms around here. Hopefully we will go back later this summer for other fresh fruits!

Donna's response to me warning everyone I would be obnoxious with my photo taking

Ryan was sweet and held our friend Hugh for me while I watched the girls pick their cherries

And, of course, Cherry Pie!

Our best pie effort to date. We went all out and put in a little grenadine, in addition to the almond extract that gives it its signature flavor. We also brushed the crust with milk before baking, which I don't usually do. Yummy, flaky goodness! Makes me miss my Grandma Marj and her perfect pies. 

So tired!

Contrary to what it appears, Lyra is not bowing down to the TV or Dora. She actually fell asleep this way one evening after a long day. It got really quiet so I looked over and said,"Lisa, what is Lyra doing? Is she sleeping?!" She slept that way for about 30 minutes before I moved her to her bed. For the past 6 months or so her napping has been hit and miss. We usually only give her a nap if she is extremely grumpy, otherwise it is very difficult to get her to sleep at bedtime. On some days, she ends up just falling asleep wherever she is, usually in the car or watching a movie, but it has never been quite in that position before. Looks like she is almost doing a yoga child's pose, which often makes me want to sleep too. 

A little snow

This winter has not brought much snow at all for Twin Falls, so we jumped at the chance to go play in the snow at Magic Mountain a few weeks ago. Donna and Tony invited us to go with them and take the kids on the tubing hills. My first time down the hill with Lyra I felt like I was on a roller coaster the way my stomach dropped, but it was super fun.  I was happy that the girls were not too afraid to try it, although Lisa definitely lasted longer than Lyra. It was nice that they have a lift system that pulls you up the hill in the tube so you don't have to walk up. Afterward we all had hot chocolate before heading home. It was so sweet of Donna and Tony to treat us to such a fun day.