Quick Update to Get Caught-Up!

I have no good excuse for why I haven't updated you all in awhile (Since Christmas - YIKES!), and a bunch of you have called me on it, so here goes.... I'll attempt to get caught up as best I can so that I can head into the weekend with a fresh new post on the big shindig we are planning for Brice's 30th birthday (His B-Day is this Saturday).

*** The week following Christmas was spent at home, enjoying all the new presents everyone got. We had beautiful snow all week, and the sun even peeked out a few days, allowing for a couple of fun treks through the woods behind our house.

***New Years Eve was spent with close friends at a fondue party. We played some games, dipped some food, and stayed-up late. The adult party was at one house, while the collective kids stayed at our house with a babysitter. That made for fun clean-up on New Years day.

***With one day left of his Winter Vacation, and a gift certificate for the local water park burning a hole in his pocket, Landin begged Brice and I to plan a trip to Triple Play (the water park). So on Jan. 2nd we headed to town and spent the day at the water park. We finished off the day with an incredible dinner at Outback. Landin told us it was "one of his best days ever"

***Landin and Ryder went back to school on Wed, and Melissa returned to work. The break was wonderful and completely relaxing - - everything vacation should be (but rarely really is). I'm beginning to believe that the snow is to blame. I'm finding the snow to be incredibly peaceful and calming... as I've given in to the fact that its cold and wet and unpredictable, and that it makes driving conditions scary... I've come to realize that it brings peace as it gently falls to the ground; blanketing all the ugliness of dead trees and weeds and uneven landscape with a beautiful, perfect, white blanket. There is a silence when its snowing that is so calming. And as for the driving conditions, well... it just means we spend a whole lot more time at home, as a family, entertaining one another - - and you won't hear a single argument from me on that.