It is absolutely beautiful here. The roads are getting better and the sun came out for a little while. Tomorrow is supposed to be in the single digits.
This is what I wake up to this morning.
A good 5 inches of snow and it is still coming down.
We went from this...
It is great for the kids to get outside and run and play in the sun. We'll take it while we can.I finally got around to emptying out my point and shoot.
This was a fairly common sight the week before Christmas.
While teaching Noah how to make his sister's hats, I got busy and made a couple of hats myself. I am working on a couple other hats now.
Bea is wearing one similar to one I made for myself last year.
The kids were up at 5am this morning to check out their Santa gifts and stockings. Darren sent them to bed for fighting at 5:15. So we slept in and didn't begin opening presents until 8:30 or so.
Christmas pajamas
Every year the kids make gifts for each other. This year Noah learned to crotchet the week before Christmas. I didn't think he could do it, but he got busy and finished a hat for each of his sisters. I think he did a great job and they both love their new hats. 
Beret made by Noah
Bea made Noah brownies. We told him they were for carolling, so he was quite surprised to find them this morning.
Darren seems happy with our new toothbrush.
Bea is happy.
Annabel has been buying Tiger Beat lately and asked for a subscription. I remember I had a Tiger Beat subscription, but I think I was a few years older.
A Joe Jonas pillow has thrilled Annabel.
Winnie was as excited as the kids were to have a new lobster toy.
The kids were very gracious and seem very happy. -- Thank goodness!
Merry Christmas to all of you.
on Christmas eve. This year we were smart and opened them before our annual carolling party. We came home and were able to send the kids to bed so Santa could do his job.
performed by the Hansen family are the highlight of this Christmas season.
They brought me to tears and brought the beautiful message of Christmas into our home. I really hope they make our house a yearly stop each December.We have a new membership to the science museum, so we have been twice this month.
School was canceled on Monday because of wind chill. Darren wanted the house to stay clean,so we left the house and headed to the museum with friends. The house stayed clean and there was less fighting.
Aren't I so clever with my titles?
These two would really like to walk out on the pool cover, but they don't dare.The snow from our neighbor's driveway makes a nice little sledding hill. It is very tiny, but the girls love it.
blew through today.
This has been one of our best decorating years. Annabel has done most of it by herself. She decorated our living room and put up the tree. Darren did all of the lights-outside and on the tree, and the kids put the ornaments on themselves. This is always very stressful for me, but this year has been a breeze. Annabel put the angel on the tree herself. She put one of the kitchen barstools on top of one of the kitchen table chairs(which are very rickety) and climbed up. I was holding the stool for all I was worth!
I have lunch regulary with two of my best friends. We are so close that we can share our most intimate secrets, we can point out fuzz hanging off the end of one's nose, or fluff caught in one's hair. We are that close..., but not close enough to point out a huge piece of black bean caught in my teeth. I left these two "great" friends and then took Noah to piano lessons, went shopping to several different places, picked up books from the library, pretty much being seen around town. I come home and walk past a mirror and find this monstrosity staring me in the face.
My girls got to go see baby Jane the day after she came home from the hospital. Bea thinks April is the coolest to let them see Jane this early. (She let them see Adam this early as well) She is so excited about seeing a newborn baby. 
Annabel is our baby whisperer. She is smelling Jane and says, "She smells so good. I love the smell of the womb." I told her if she had ever been in a delivery room, she wouldn't think the womb smelled so good.
Noah spent the night with his friend, Kent. They decided to entertain themselves by digging a hole. 
With a pickax, no less.
I'm glad they were smart enough to wear gloves.
Kent will have to fill the hole himself. Noah had to return to NY.
The girls thought the hole was pretty cool.
My kids then showed up for Thanksgiving dinner in these clothes. Really looking their best.
these pics were taken with my iphone
One of the ways the girls found to keep themselves occupied during the drive home. Much better than fighting.
We couldn't believe how cheap gas was in Utah and most of the states through which we travelled. Gas was a good $.50-.60 more expensive in NY.
This was one of the highlights of the day. Mary is the Pied Piper and we all follow.
Grandma Pulley has been making quilts for her grandchildren's weddings. Noah and Bea have brought theirs home. Annabel's has the binding left to finish, so she will get hers a little later. What a wonderful heirloom for each of them to share with their own families.
Sheryl hosted a night of hamburgers and hotdogs, smores and games. David brought fresh trout that he had caught that morning. My girls were crazy about the fish, mostly, the cleaning of the fish. One would think they were city girls who had never seen fish out of a tank! They have, but don't remember their last trip to Texas.
First an apology for everyone I didn't get to see. We only had so much time and most of it was spent with family. This was our first trip back in 3 years to see Darren's mother (who is recovering from surgery) and siblings. I wish I could have seen all of our friends in UT, but it wasn't possible. That said...
My kids got to see their long-lost best friends. (As did the parents)
Bea was so excited to see Laurel and Clara. She hadn't seen Laurel since they moved from Rochester 2 1/2 yrs ago. That is a very long time when you are only seven--though these little girls have been friends since birth. It didn't take long for them to make up the lost time.
Noah and Kent have been best buds for 12 years. It is good to have friends like this.
was in the Autumn Crest neighborhood, just down the street from Lone Peak HS. We were only here for a year, but Darren managed to put in 8-9 trees in that time. I especially liked the 5 kwanzaa cherry trees that we planted on the parkway.
We spent a lot of time eating and visiting with all of the Pulley cousins. By the time I finish blogging this trip, everyone of Darren's extended family should show up, even those who tried really hard to escape my camera.
We travel 2000 miles so that my two young, innocent babies can put a people-killing machine in their hands. (don't I sound like a freakin' liberal democrat from NY? I'm not, really.)
Notice the baby idolizing Noah? Kimball's thinking I want to hold a gun just like my awesome cousin.
Just so long as they don't get any ideas.
I kept my sweet, little Bea away from the gun, especially after Annabel started pointing it at people!
Disclaimer: I know it is not really an AK 47, but it is close enough for the majority of us who don't know the difference.
One of the first things we did upon our arrival in Utah was to eat at Cafe Rio. We just don't have anything like this in Rochester. Moe's comes close, but just leaves us wishing for more.
No matter the time of day, this place always seems to be busy.
Even Grandma felt well enough to join us for lunch.
We decided to go to Utah for Thanksgiving 12 days before we needed to leave. I then spent that time packing and downloading iPods (which were supposed to be for Christmas). Two hours into our trip, Noah proclaimed this the best road trip we have ever taken. We would have been stir crazy without each kid having their own movies to watch. 
One of the highlights for me was finding a Long John Silvers in Indiana. Noah ate KFC biscuits for dinner. Darren attempted the fish. The girls and I couldn't have been happier.
We are getting closer.
