Snow Day Pictures

Getting ready to play in the snow ~


Our cars covererd ~

Pretty deep snow ~

Teddy crying because he couldn't go ~

Snow in Kentucky?

Well, I thought we had escaped snowstorms for a short period in our lives. I was wrong. We had a snowstorm yesterday that dumped around a foot of snow on Louisville. To give our northern readers perspective, this is like the Twin Cities getting two to three feet of snow. The city shut down (well except for Macaroni Grill, which was kind enough to let me work last evening). We took a few photos of the snow (to prove that we haven't turned into sissies) and of the boys (minus Teddy Dean who just plops into the snow and refuses to move; think Christmas Story) playing in the snow. It is fun to play in the snow with Calvin, he squeals with delight as he tackles daddy in the snow. However, I did have to shovel my driveway! It took me nearly an hour to clear the snow. Kimberly commented that we should have kept the snoblower. My thought is that we should move further south! I will post some pictures later, blogspot is having problems posting pictures.

Flat Stanley

A week or two ago, Calvin received a letter from his cousin Jackson. Inside was a laminated paper cutout called Flat Stanley. Accompanying Flat Stanley was the following explanation and request:

We are so excited you have received a Flat Stanley from a student in our 1st
grade class. This Stanley has come all the way from Carter Lake Elementary on
McCord Air Force Base in Lakewood, Washington. In the book Flat Stanley, the
character of Stanley becomes flat and is mailed to visit relatives in
California. As a class we decided to make our own Stanley's to mail to our
relatives and friends.

On the back of this paper is a journal sheet that you can fill out about what you did with Flat Stanley while he visited you. Feel free to take Stanley on an adventure and record that adventure on the journal page. You can also send pictures of you with Stanley or of Stanley on his adventure.

Our classes are very excited about getting our Stanley's back and sharing about all their adventures with our friends and relatives...It is very important to our
students to get their Stanley's back so don't forget to put him in the envelope
you send your journal page back in. Thank you for participating...and for making
this Flat Stanley experience a wonderful way for our students to learn about
letter writing, mail, and the postal service.

Isn't that so fun?

We didn't do anything hugely adventurous while Stanley visited; we just took him along to our normal activities. He was a wonderfully easy house guest. He went to Motor Skills class and watched from the bleachers. He went to library story time and heard all about farm animals. He went to the playground where he went down slides ~

and fell into a mud puddle (was thrown into a mud puddle is more accurate) ~

And he was carried around by Calvin, who shouted out to people passing by, "Look at my Flat Stanley!"

So, Jackson, Flat Stanley is in the mail and on his way back to you. I hope he gets there in time. Thanks for sharing Flat Stanley with us!

Thoughts on Brett Favre retiring

The comment by my good friend Pat made me think. I am not sad that Brett Favre retired. I was surprised initially, but, as I have thought about it, it makes sense. I thought Brett would retire both of the previous two seasons. He was average at best those years. He was awesome this year. This is the way for one of the best football players in the history of the NFL to go out. He had one of his best years. The Packers did much better than anyone thought they would. Also, Brett has played at least 27 seasons of football (this is figuring from his Jr. High days until last season). That is a lot of football folks.

Sundays will be different next year, but, they will be exciting. The Vikings might actually have a chance to beat the Packers now (sorry Pat, you knew that one was coming). I think the Packers will take a step back next year, but in the next 3-5 years they will win at least one Super Bowl with Aaron Rogers.

One last note to Pat, John and Patti will be coming down in a week or so, you know what you can do to get on my good side again (ha ha).

Go Pack Go

The Greatest has retired...

The Things They Say

Some more things Calvin has said that I don't want to forget:


Calvin: What are we having for breakfast today?
Me: Pancakes!
Calvin: Ooh, I can't resist pancakes.

Me: Why didn't you want to talk on the phone last night with Grandpa?
Calvin: I was very nervous.

Me: Teddy Dean! You pooped through your pajamas! Oh no, it's on your sheets.
Calvin: I'm very impressed.

Calvin to me: Teddy took away my toy again. We need to throw him in a pit. (FYI: We had just read about Joseph and his brothers.)

Calvin, after knocking Teddy onto the floor, said to no one in particular: And he fell over like Goliath.

Me, reading aloud from the Read and Learn Bible: "Mary sang a song to praise God. With all my heart I praise the Lord, and I..."
Calvin: Sing it!

Calvin: When I was sleepin' this house started stinkin'.

Lost: We've got it all figured out, sort of

I go to Seminary Wives Institute on Thursday nights. I come home at about 9:05 p.m., dump my books and coat in the middle of the living room, and sit on the couch next to Ken. Ken has, without fail, put the kids to bed and is sitting watching Lost. We don't say a word until the commercial break. My sister witnessed this last week and must have thought we were nuts. At least we warned her. We barely turn the TV on all week and then at 9 p.m. Thursday evening we become glued to it.

After the last episode, Ken and I are 100% sure that Mr. Widmore is the key to everything. Ken called it from the very first time we were introduced to Mr. Widmore (season 2, I think). We think Mr. Widmore is the financier of the entire Dharma Initiative! So at the auction in 1996, when he buys the secret journal from the Black Rock, he already knows all about the island, because Dharma started in the 1970's. And he knows that the Black Rock was shipwrecked on the island and is filled with unstable dynamite. Perhaps he even knows how the Black Rock came to be two miles inland. Or maybe the journal will hold that answer.

Anyway, I would venture to guess that Mr. Widmore sent Naomi and her team (Dharma people), that he is thwarting Penny's efforts to make contact with the island, that he somehow orchestrated Desmond's shipwreck on the island (Desmond was sailing in a Widmore-sponsored race), and that he is the mysterious "boss" that Elsi worked for in Berlin. Widmore is the one who is out to get Ben Linus (and the rest of the "hostiles" and hostile-sympathizers), because Ben put an end to all the Dharma people on the island.

Think about it: Dharma is costly. Widmore is the only character with enough money to finance it. Well, except for Hurley.

And if anyone out there was also into Alias, another JJ Abrams creation, you'll understand this one: Ken thinks that Jacob is really Milo Rombaldi. Now that's funny.