Igloo

I'm sitting at the computer right now (obviously) which is in the office on the second floor of the house. I can see the roof of my garage and the neighbor's house and both look like igloos. Yes, we got some of yesterday's whopper winter storm. Fortunately, we did not get 9 feet of snow (unlike Mexico, New York last week) but we did get about 9 inches. But today the sun is out, the sky is blue and everything is warm and cozy inside.

And you know that you are in the Upper Midwest in the winter when you hear the snowblowers fire up at 6:30 a.m. But first you have to hear your daughter chatting in her crib at 6:25..."Mommy!!! Datteeeee!!! Mommmmyyyyy!!! Datteeeee!!! Eeeeeennnn!!! Atty!!!" (OK, I think "Atty" is what she calls Sawyer...I think it's short for "Fatty" which is what that cat is but I think she's really trying to say "Kitty Cat.")

I read in yesterday's paper that we need to be taking up to 800 i.u.'s of Vitamin D each day to compensate for the lack of sun in our climate. We may end up doing that but we've had a good amount of solid sunshine (including 3 days last week) in the past month...I'm talking not-a-cloud-in-the-sky type of days, including today. I just position myself like a plant --- or my cat --- in a window and bask. You almost forget it's 20 degrees outside.

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The tooth, the whole tooth

We've officially joined the ranks of households who have been visited by the Tooth Fairy.

Yes, that's right: IEM is a snaggletooth.

And, no, it didn't fall out on its own; it had a little help from Dr. Kay. You may recall that last Easter, IEM fell off of our retaining wall back in Memphis, breaking said fall by using his front teeth. Dr. Brad was able to repair the tooth but we knew that it was a temporary fix.

IEM announced last weekend that he had a "wiggly tooth" and sure enough, he did. Dr. Kay confirmed yesterday via Xray that the tooth's root was gone and an infection was settling in.

So bye-bye tooth. And IEM informed us last evening that his Tooth Fairy brought money AND gifts...what?!? Zack and I immediately started the "Back when we were kids, we were lucky if the Tooth Fairy brought us a quarter per tooth!!" IEM just looked at us blankly.

We are off to Istanbul this Thursday, so I don't know if I'll have a chance to do another post before we take off. We'll be back the 24th after a quick stay in Amsterdam.

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Is 8:30 a.m. too early to start drinking?

Here's what was on the A2 public schools' website this morning:

Tuesday, February 6, 2007:Due to extreme weather conditions, schools will be closed.

Yes, no school. For the second day in a row. Gives "long weekend" a whole new meaning when the windchill is -23.

My neighbor called to make sure we knew the good news. I told her that I was going to have to start drinking, early. She laughed and said that if you space it out all day, it would take the edge off and make the kids a lot more charming.

I'm kidding, of course. But I may have to open some wine late this afternoon.

Zack just left to take them both to the Y so I'm going to shower, do the kitchen and run the vacuum around.

Brrrr. But the sun is shining, which is nice.

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If you've ever wondered what -25 feels like...

...come up to Michigan in February for a visit!

No, seriously. They cancelled school across the lower part of the state today because the windchills were -25 or more. I don't think it was that cold in A2 but it sure cut through you. We didn't spend a lot of time outside today but the sun was shining and if you bundled up, it really wasn't that bad.

So I took the kids to the Y and to Whole Foods and then IEM had a playdate this afternoon. I cooked dinner while EPM napped. And then they chased each other around the house. That's their newest game. IEM calls it "Tom and Jerry." You can see where this is headed. IEM is Tom and EPM is Jerry and they just run and shriek and laugh.

Last night, EPM was having a ball running into her room, running back out again and having us chase her. At one point, I changed up the game and hid. When she ran by the kitchen door, I jumped out and said "Boo!" Her expression and body movement was priceless...she literally did a little side-kick into the air while laughing the whole time. That one is truly a ham.

The photo is of IEM eating chicken noodle o's and modeling "winter hat hair." This is a standard look around here right now. I really admire the kid. I send him to school with boots (can't say enough about the Kamik brand. They're Canadian and insulated to about -40.), snowpants, hat, neck gaiter, mittens, coat. And the teachers get it all on these kids and send them out to the playground. Each day I pick him up from school and watch all these little Michelin boys and girls waddle and run around. They're troopers. And they need the fresh air.

Stay warm. Thanks for stopping by.

It's beginning to look a lot like...

...winter.

Yes, it's finally here. Even the locals agree that this is, in fact, winter weather.

The high this Sunday is going to be 5 degrees. That's the high. Without the windchill. It's about 11 right now outside, perfectly clear with the full moon so you know it's super cold.

We had the neighborhood pizza party tonight. It must've been a good one because the last guests just left close to 9:15. It was a lot of fun and not a lot of work, which is key. We'll miss doing this when we go.

I can't even start thinking about leaving...although extended periods of 5 degrees might change my tune.

The photos are not too recent...taken during the ice storm last month but we liked them.

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