Well on Her Way!

Our record-breaking blizzard week has brought our household at least one very positive outcome - Katie is doing fantastically with her potty training! Obviously, we haven't been able to get out and about much, so we figured it was as good a time as any to push the training. It's been nice having Mike around to help with things. With an extra pair of hands, we don't have to worry as much about last-minute accidents or long bathroom breaks. As a matter of fact, Katie has been wearing training pants for two days now with no accidents at all! Here she is showing off her completely full sticker/surprise chart. She's reaped some nice rewards (new books, stickers, puzzles, etc.) and she has loved all of the praise that we've lavished on her. Now on to the next steps...the move to undies.....and (sigh) the successful potty trip away from home! Wish us luck!

4-day weekend (and counting...)

Not that Mike is complaining, but he is now certain that he has had more Government "snow days" than he had in his entire public school tenure back in Michigan. And the Government is off tomorrow as well! Feeling good about your tax dollars? Anyway, these free days allow a dad some great opportunities to spend some time with the kids. This afternoon, Mike took Katie out to play in some of the goliath mountains of snow left behind by the plows.

Katie was a little more tolerant of the cold than she was in December's storm. She was amused by her trucks, snowballs, and crazy father for a short time, but her interest was greatly aided by the most random of things...

She could have stayed for hours filling this dirty slush puddle with snow and ice. As it was situated in the middle of the road, she would patiently wait for the "all clear" signal from dad and ask permission to throw "anutter one." She's polite, if not slightly deranged.

Snowtorious B.I.G.

We have survived our second snow-mageddon of the winter! I think we got 22 inches when all was said and done. Thankfully, we never lost power or heat and we got our shoveling done over the span of about three hours. We even had our own grand adventure for the day:


Our good friends Maureen and Brian (Connor's parents) gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Madeline Mary, on Friday evening. All was fine with mom and baby, but they had one major problem: How would they get everybody home safely in their non-4WD vehicle? (As of this afternoon, many major roads were still in awful shape.) So, Mike offered his chauffeur services with our SUV and took over the majorly stressful role of getting a new baby home. Way to go, Mike! And a big congrats to the other McGs!!

Little Betty Crocker

Apparently the only thing we know how to do in blizzard conditions is bake really yummy things! Way back in the Blizzard of '09 (December), Katie and Mike tackled the Christmas cookies. This time, we used Katie's new cupcake-making kit (thanks, Julian & Nico!) to bake some sweet-looking cupcakes with Ariel-green frosting. (We mixed blue and green food coloring together into the frosting to make an ocean-looking turquoise.) Michael didn't want to miss out on the fun, so we plopped him into the exercauser (see rear part of the picture). Katie was actually quite impressive in this round of baking. She poured all of the ingredients in the bowl, did most of the mixing, and poured the batter into the cups. We also let her do the frosting after the cupcakes cooled down. Maybe Mike and I can train her to do all of our cooking?? Oh, and as for the blizzard...8 inches by 10PM, scheduled to get 2 feet by tomorrow night!!

Peace Now, Little One

We just wanted to take a moment tonight to pray for our dear friends, Henry and Maggie. On September 14, 2009, they gave birth to a gorgeous baby boy, Henry V. Unfortunately, little Henry was born with some severe heart and lung complications and was whisked away to a children's hospital. Henry and Maggie were so strong throughout their ordeal, keeping a bedside vigil next to their sweet baby while their older daughter (Katie's age) stayed with loving grandparents. Unfortunately, Henry's body could no longer battle all that was thrown at him, and he passed away this afternoon. Our heads are spinning, wondering how God could take away such a beautiful, innocent soul from such loving parents. We were lucky enough to have watched a video of Henry, taken about a month ago. He had the most expressive eyes and was plucky enough to rip one of his arms out of a tight swaddle to scratch his head. You know....he was just doing stuff that all babies do. Thank God his parents captured moments like that, because they can always remember what a remarkable young man he was (and always will be). God bless you, Henry and Maggie, as you start your heartwrenching journey through what is to come. As you so poignantly wrote in your blog, as Henry's suffering ends, yours is just beginning. We love you and will always be there for you!

Buon Appetit!

Nothing beats the winter-time blahs like bringing out some "new" toys. (Actually, we've kept a large stash of Katie's Christmas/birthday presents hidden in a closet for exactly these kinds of days.) Today we brought out her cool collection of fake foods. Katie had a blast cooking up some great dinners for Mommy, Daddy, and Michael. (Notice Michael chomping on the hot dog in the picture!) All she needed was a piece of cardboard to act as her stovetop, some real pots and pans, a mixing spoon, a chef's glove, and her imagination! Who wouldn't want a banana and fish sandwich covered with milk, eggs, and a slab of steak?

Hanging with the 'Rents

Sometimes it's easy to forget that Katie is only three. She can be....what's the word....mature for her age. It always cracks us up that she would rather play with the mommies and daddies at playdates than the other kids. Take, for example, today's playgroup. She spent the entire time chatting in the mommy circle (especially with Francie, pictured in the gray shirt to Katie's right) rather than socializing with those her age. And, when it was time to leave, she went around and hugged each of the mommies. Traci had to remind her to say goodbye to the kids as well. As long as she doesn't start noticing older men anytime soon, we'll be OK....