Back to life...

So life has resumed...the morning after I got home from Spain I followed the snow plows out of our little town (a fresh falling of snow threatened our travel to the airport but all was well, especially since I got on the freeway right behind the snow plows) and dropped my wonderful Mother in law off at precisely the same time that I was picking up my lovely sister, Sarah (aka Suzie Petunia.) Her visit was much too short but I enjoyed her company so much, as I have all our company.  I love being with my sisters (and brothers) so much, I miss not being closer to them. 

She was very pleasant company indeed.  She loved my children, taught them to crochet, whipped up a scarf spontaneously and validated all of us regularly.
We didn't do much but she at least got to sight see in Newport, one of the mansions where (sans kids) we actually got to listen to the entire tour and walk slowly and everything. 

She also got a VIP tour of Clark's sub-it's an impressive thing to climb up and down a ladder when you are 8 months pregnant (and bathe someone else's kids too which she did happily.)

Come back Sarah, please come back, my kids are starting to stink and need another bath...because apparently an Aunt bath is wayyy better than a Mom bath.
We also took her to get our Christmas tree...it was very. very. very chilly.  But we found the right one...this is us telling Clark that we found the right one.

Look at all those lovely trees.

 

 But then she had to leave and go home to her own children...and finish making her baby that hopefully will be here soon.  You are missed, at least once a day someone asks if they can go live with you...I keep assuring them that if they keep up the whining and misbehaving, one day they just might.

The snow from last week had all melted away and I was beginning to think that was "it" for the year.  Yesterday we were told all day that a huge storm was headed our way.  They even pre-emptively cancelled church with nary a snowflake to be found.  By the time we went to bed it looked like this...

and when we woke up this morning it looked like this.

and this...

and some of this...

I am so glad I invested in that second snow shovel this week.

Clark and I had gotten almost half the driveway shoveled when a plow pulled up and offered to finish the job for $15...you'd better believe it.  We stood and watched him do it with ease, worth every penny. It was a great way to kick off Clark's Christmas leave, even though the girls still have two and a half days of school before they are off. 
So we are sitting back all cozy like in Connecticut tonight, drinkin' wassail and cuddling on the couch.

Here is what I love this week:

Being surprised one Saturday in December when a fire truck carrying a sucker-throwing Santa spontaneously drives up our street.  Yes, Haley is wearing silver pants and everyone else is still in their pajamas...it's what you do on Saturday.

I love our little town.