Valentine's Day -- and the Last Big Snow

(at least we hope)

Well, Winter is not letting go gracefully.  We've had a couple lovely spring days here and there, but they are vastly outnumbered by the lousy winter-in-its-death-throes ones.  I'm actually trying to plant stuff this year, but I have to wait until the silly nights stop freezing.  The bulbs are coming up, though, so there is hope that spring will eventually come -- hopefully before our lovely Virginia summer catches up.

So, Valentine's Day.  Mr. Pickles is a die-hard grillmaster.  Any day it's above freezing is fair game for grilling, according to him. 

I am NOT complaining.  Grilled steak in February?  Why, yes, please!

He finished just in the nick of time, too:

that's dedication right there.

A couple weeks later:

those snowballs molded in preparation for battle thawed and re-froze into ice balls -- they probably would have been lethal had they actually been used

sorry, Boston, couldn't help ya out

One of the things I love about snow is how bright it makes everything.  This next one was taken at night.  I had to lighten it up a bit for the screen, but this is what it looked like to human eyes.

winter morning

I never realize how much of a major highway our yard is for the local fauna until I can see all the tracks left.

won't be using that for a little while...

poor oppressed bush -- wet snow is heavy

after its release (helpful children were more than willing to beat the snow off with sticks)

it was SO bright in the dining room we had to put out the awning!

So long, Winter!  You were pretty while you lasted.  Now it's time to bid you farewell until next year.

...please?

Happy First Day of Spring...?

Sigh...

Boo hoo hooooo.....

 Although I suppose it's only just -- it was in the 60s on the first day of winter.

Andy gets shorn

So back in December, I bought a pair of electric clippers for about the price of one and a half kid haircuts.  It took me about a month to work up the courage to use it finally.  Andy was getting so shaggy that parts of his head were disappearing.

Before:

During:

What's happening to me??!?

(For the record, I did start with a towel around his shoulders.  It lasted about 2.5 minutes.)

After:

that is a lot of little boy hair.

A friend commented that he seems so more expressive.  I replied that it's because now you can see his eyebrows.

hey!  get outta my frame!

now they look even MORE like brothers

I trimmed Joseph and Daniel a few weeks later.  They both requested hair styles just like Andy's.  Aw.  These clippers are going to save us a small fortune!

proof that he's a real hockey player

Jojo finally lost his first tooth!

(and no, it wasn't while playing hockey.)

Mystery photographer

Someone left the camera in the bathroom, and someone else found it...

Final hint:

New Year Traditions

Yet another Historical post

So, one of Mr. Pickles' personal principles is that if it's above freezing, it's warm enough to grill.  So, for New Year's Day, he grilled dinner.

 ...in the dark.

Christmas present, so he wouldn't have to wear my pretty blue apron.  He also got a left-handed grilling mitt.

We had Christmas crackers, of course, with the usual stupid games and jokes and one-size-fits-none paper hats.

need to work on our framing methinks

'stache kazoo

Of course, we also made the traditional gingerbread house, this year allergy-friendly.  (gluten-free dough, corn- and soy- free candy, which is actually really good)

artists hard at work

The final mesterpiece:

When it came time to break into it, we practically had to fight off the feral children.

10 minutes later:

the gummy bears ALWAYS disappear first.  (the mug was to provide internal structural integrity)

The next day:

The day after that:

Feral children approve of allergy-friendly gingerbread house.

Is it too late to wish you a Happy New Year 2015?

Traveling

Another Historical post.

So after Christmas, we packed our bags, found a rabbit-and-gerbil sitter, and headed out to the wild and wooly west.

most of the wildness was provided by our own passengers

We had a brand new nephew, son of the beloved Aunt Katie, who was being baptized in the Byzantine Rite.  These things are not to be missed. 

It was bee-yoo-tiful.  Four-part harmony up the wazoo.

It was kind of a crazy trip (do we take any other kind?) -- we stayed at a hotel the night before the baptism, then the next evening we visited with the girls' former piano teacher who had moved back to PA (and of course took no pictures), and we had planned to go straight home from there but the Steubenville relatives (godparents, above) invited us to stay with them.  They wanted us to stay through New Year's but we had to get back lest our animals starve, so we only stayed one night.

It was a fun, busy time, with lots of good cousin time.  Of course, I took no pictures then either.

I wish we could take more quick trips like this -- it was so good to be able to visit with family even for a short time.  Our friends out here are wonderful, but there's really no one you can impose upon like family.

3.1415

Happy Pi Day! 

All the math nerds are exceptionally excited this year.  Even a woman in my Bible study was geeking out about the fact it was 3/14/15, something that only happens once a century.

I also just want to take a moment to sing the praises of my renaissance man husband.  Mr. Pickles, our resident mathematician, also makes a mean mixed berry Pi Pie.

It's still looking a lot like...

Well, now that it's March, I thought it a fitting time to write about... our Christmas!

Andrew getting into the Christmas spirit

Our children have such electric personalities.

 I didn't take too many pictures this year... but the Christmas Pulla must be documented.

Daniel's preferred Picture Face

 The kids all picked out presents for each other this year.  It was super cute seeing what they chose, and how they reacted when they opened their gifts.

Andy LOVED his laser gun from Jojo

how DARE you disturb the reader of the Harry Potter.

this book was a big hit

I think the most-loved present was a box of die-cast cars and trucks given to Andy by his cousin Paul.  It was such a sweet gift, and Andy LOVES it.  Someday I will take a picture of our coffee table, which is always covered with traffic.

I don't remember too many of the details of the day, now -- we did go to the vigil Mass (chickened out on Midnight Mass again this year); then on Christmas Day we spent a majority of the day in our jammies eating pulla and candy, playing with our toys, watching movies, and eating our Christmas feast.  It was low-key and delightful.
We have our end-of-the-year family newsletter all written out -- we might even send it before the summer!