Charisa Darling

Yes, the snow drifted and Daisy could walk right over the fence if she wanted to.

• We're in the middle of a blizzard right now.
• The picture is proof that I'm not exaggerating.
• We got 9 inches of snow last night.
• Possibly 10 more tonight.
• At least we had a couple nice days last week.

Friday Freebies are up! And there's some good ones this week!

Happy Birthday Ry Bray! Wish we could be there to see you blow out your candles! Hope you have a wonderful day! We love and miss you!

I've been meaning to write about our phonebook situation. I don't know where they're coming from, but they keep showing up. I'm sorry to say that I don't have an official count; I've tossed all but one or two. (Well, not really. I've recycled them. Madison doesn't mess around when it comes to recycling, but that's a whole 'nother story.) We've been here for a little over a year and must have gotten at least 10-12 of them. I keep one big Madison one and one neighborhood one. Why? I'm not sure. Seems like I always resort to the Internet when I look up numbers.

Fast forward to today. The snow is still melting and on my way to get the mail I notice something. A bag. A bag peeking through the melting snow. A bag of two more phonebooks! Not sure when they were delivered, but must have been awhile ago. I felt a little like Sean Astin in Encino Man.

In one of Vance's books, there's a picture of two kids laughing. He does a fake laugh whenever he sees it. And now he can do it on command without the book. This is exactly how Surprise! started. And the fun we had with that party trick!

Why didn't I think of this? I totally want one.

• Vance is still sick.
• Symptoms: fever and runny nose. No evidence, but we think his throat hurts
• If not feeling better tomorrow, we'll go to the doc on Monday.
• We actually had plans tonight, but had to cancel.
• Tired of being stuck inside. Tired of wearing lounging clothes.
• Decided to dress up today.
• Held Vance for over 2 hours while he napped (wouldn't sleep anywhere else).
• Guess I'll go put my PJ's back on and take the contacts out.
• Still cold here.

Let's see...What did I do last night??? Oh, that's right! I broke my baby's heart!

Vance loves swim class. We were out of town and missed swim class two weeks ago and last week we missed because of the onset of a cold and a bad runny nose. We promised him he would go this week.

Justin enjoys swimming with Vance, that's why we opted for the night class. Which means swim nights are a little hectic. It's tough for Justin to leave work early, so to save time I bring Vance to the Y, we meet up with Daddy, and I watch (and work on a crossword) while they do their thing. When we get home we rush to eat dinner then it's pretty much time for Vance's bedtime routine to start. I went ahead and made dinner early and was going to keep it warm in the oven, so it would be ready when we got home last night. Early in the day I got Justin's swim gear packed up and set it by the door. It was all going too smoothly.

Finally it's time and I get Vance ready and head out. We arrive at the Y, I see Justin pull in and I remember that I forgot to bring Justin's swim bag. There's nothing I can really do at this point. I don't have a suit, Justin doesn't have one, and Vance can't go solo yet. Running back home to get it really isn't an option either. The class is only 30 min. long. By the time we'd run home, then back to the Y, class would be over. Vance was crushed. I was crushed. He saw Justin walk back to his car and asked in this pathetic voice, "Dada? Pull, pull?" (Vance calls swimming 'pull,pull'. They teach them to reach and pull to get them to use their arms. So, he says it twice (no idea why) and makes the motion with his arm.) It was heartbreaking. Back home we went.

When we got home, Vance wasn't himself. Eyes were red, he kept rubbing his head, and wanted to be held. Fever. So, maybe it's a good thing that he didn't get into the cold water yesterday. He's still sick. Fever and cold symptoms. Thankfully no vomit...yet...

Two nights ago I did something that I haven't done in a long time. I used to do it quite often, but lately I guess I've gotten lazy.

I cleaned my make-up brushes and it was quite disgusting. By far the worst was my big brush that I use for bronzer. Tons and tons of dark brown water ran out. Now that they are dry and happy they're like new brushes. Once again I'm reminded that it's the little things that always make me happy. I invite everyone to do the same. You'll be glad you did.

Happy Valentine's Day! I haven't posted a movie in a long time, so here you go. It's not the most entertaining, but I guess it's appropriate for today. Me and my valentine are off to The Little Gym! Enjoy your day!

I will never do that again.

That's what I say everytime I a. Attempt to make Asian food and b. Go to WalMart.

It's been a hairy couple of days here, but we're finally getting back to normal. Well, as close to normal as we can get.

The high here on Monday was -5. Factor in wind chills and you've got yourself a chilly -30. Schools were closed. Cans of soda exploded. Washing machine drains froze and caused leakage. And when I say leakage, I mean gallons of water. I'm a fan of water. Love water! Yay for water! If I see anymore water on or near my new floors, I'm going to have a breakdown.

Vance had his first Little Gym class on Wednesday and absolutely loved it. He didn't want to leave! He's a pro at log rolling, loves to do somersaults, and hasn't quite figured out the monkey jump. We'll have to keep working on it. What? You don't know what a monkey jump is? Stand with your feet apart, bend at your waist, and put your hands on the floor (kinda like a bear crawl). Then jump/swing your legs to the side. You know you want to try it!

Vance woke up with a cold today. To celebrate, Justin and I broke out the Zicam.

Will someone email Justin and ask him why my favorite white shirt is grey? Or gray? I always forget. Please humor me.

Nighty Night.

Don't hassle me. I'm working on it.