Swimming, Scuba Diving, Sickness, and Snow...and Sick of the Snow!!

We had a great trip to Grandma and Grandpa's a few weekends ago. Wow, it was nice to leave the mountains of snow for a weekend of swimming, golfing, shopping, the parade of homes, and of course the park and feeding the ducks. A long awaited event. I could've stayed until June! Grandpa...get the pool warmed up! We can't wait to come back!

Grandma and Grandpa Balch are getting their scuba diving certification. They came up for the weekend to scuba dive at the Homestead. The girls had a great time trying on all of the equipment and going to the crater to see where they "swim." It was also nice to have someone stay in our basement! We love visitors...anyone is welcome! We finally got our funiture ordered, come and stay!

The rest of the week didn't go so well though. We have been dealing with sick kids since last Friday. It started with Brielle's fever on Friday and Saturday, Jacob's started on Sunday and continued until yesterday, and Brooke's started Tuesday and she is still a little warm today. Brooke definately had it the worst, which was good in one way...it inspired Charles to buy a forehead thermometer. Yeah! Those are great in the middle of the night. It gave Brooke a reading of 105 in the middle of the night on Wed. , so I'm hoping it is a little inaccurate, hasn't really seemed to be though. A bath and lots of Motrin and tylenol brought it down to 101 quickly. It was scary though! Along with the fevers we had the usual...pukes, coughs, bad noses, all of it. Yuck! Glad it seems to be going away finally.

Now for some good news! Some of our snow is melting! I can hear it finally starting to melt off of the roof. There is still quite a bit up there, but it is slowly melting away. I can't wait to see grass, and I keep hoping my sidewalks will melt off since I have no motivation to go outside and shovel them. No such luck yet. We still have a huge mountain of snow at the entrance to our driveway. My dad is the only person without 4-wheel drive who has braved driving over it. Everyone else parks on the street (which is still pretty narrow from the snow). We only got stuck once, good thing we have a truck to pull our explorer out of the snow. Four wheel drive sometimes just doesn't do it!

And Still Snowing.

I figure that since we don't get this much snow very often, I'd better take some pictures of it. We should be sliding off the roof! And believe it or not (I'm sure most of you do, because you are in it too), it is snowing right now!

My trampoline frame

My kids' playhouse

Icicles hanging from my roof in the backyard, (and the neighbors tramp, that is in my yard, and that he tried to take apart again yesterday and didn't get very far, waited too long I guess! I hope it's okay.)

A Snowman?

The girls have been begging to make a snowman all winter, and in the meantime it has snowed and snowed and snowed. Saturday we decided it was snowman day. Yeah right! No one could even walk, let alone make a snowman. The girls were a little scared that they were going to sink and be stuck in the snow forever. It's a good thing they are light! I have to admit, as much as I love winter, and as much as I love snow. Wow, I'm a little sick of it.

My Jewelry Girl

My girls are all girl. They love jewelry and make-up. I guess I really should teach Brooke that earrings go on the bottom of your ears and not the top. Hmm. I guess I thought it was just common knowledge. But isn't she pretty?!

Brooke's Black Eye

I really never would've guessed bumping into the corner of the banister could blacken your entire eye, but hey, now I know!