Winter Fun

Things have pretty much been the same around here.  Snow, snow and more snow.  We keep having schools closed.  Since school went back in session after Christmas break we have only gone 7 out of the 15 days and 2 out of the last 6.  Seems like winter has taken control!  Most plans are cancelled and traveling is limited. 

We took a little roadtrip to Brownsburg this past weekend where Luke and Susi live.  They offered to have Josh & Cate come to their house for an overnight so us adults could have some down time.  They all had a great time sledding and playing Wii while we enjoyed sleeping late in the morning. 

 

 

 

Luke and Susi gave Cate a Princess Cookbook for Christmas.  It had a recipe for pink princess popcorn in it and Cate was sure this was going to be her favorite thing ever. It was fun to make but not as tasty as she thought it would be. " Not really my favorite!"  in the words of Cate.

 

 

We also stopped by to see Grandma Joan and take her some ice cream.  She never turns down ice cream and we love it too! 

 

Even with being snowed in many days we are still having fun.  Some days are more fun than others but these guys are learning to be more flexible in the realm of daily routine.  This winter they've had to learn to go with the flow! 

I pray you are safe and warm this winter.  The temps tonight are to be -15 with windchill of -30 and school is already cancelled for tomorrow.  Sigh!  This seems to be the normal for us right now in IN.  Blessings to all of you!  Thanks for praying for us and reading the blog. 

Choosing joy,
Chris & crew

The snow just keeps coming!

It has really been winter here in Indiana.  It is only mid January and most folks are tired of the snow and cold temperatures already.  As I type, Jeff and the kids are out shoveling once again.  We have tried to enjoy the snow and took last Saturday to go tobogganing with friends.

We had a blast at Pokagon State Park on the toboggan run.  We want to thank Melissa and Jeremy Wolfe, Josh & Leah for joining us for this adventure.

 

Josh loves to help in the kitchen.  I think he's going to be a chef.  He loves to prepare food and eat it when it's ready. 

 

Josh has a couple new sports happening.  He is in baseball and basketball.  Both are going great. 

Cate and I had a fun afternoon.  We went to Panda Express for lunch.  Cate will take Panda anyday of the week.  Her favorite is rice and orange chicken.  After lunch we went to get her first hair cut in the USA.  She is definitely a beauty so either way the haircut was a success.  She looks great with her new bangs style.  She also had 4 inches cut off!

Cate is definitely the princess of the one true King.  She asked if her bangs made her pretty and I said my favorite part of your look is that smile!  Cate is sometimes not happy with things so we don't see the smile alot but when she smiles it is a great look!

 I went to visit Sweet Nolan this week.  What a charmer he is.  If you've ever had the chance to snuggle with a grandchild you know what I'm talking about.  Love the children in my life. What a priveledge to help nurture these kiddos.  Thanks for praying for us and reading the blog.

Choosing joy,
Chris

Snow! Snow! Snow some more and Get Super Cold!

The big news since Christmas is just all the snow we've gotten and how cold the temperatures are here in Indiana.  The kids were to start back to school this week and so far no schools are open.  In fact for 3 days we have not been able to drive on the roads even due to the conditions.  So cabin fever is about to set in for us.  Josh and Cate have learned to relax and chill out a bit at home so that is good but we are all ready to get back to our school routine.

We visited with our friends, the Boroffs, over break.  Moses and Sandria and mom Julie are always fun for us to be with.  Lots of games were played, food was eaten, and even a walk with their beautiful dogs, Turner and Shania!

 

 

 

 

 Our friends, John & Kim Porter, came to visit New Year's Eve.  It is always fun to see them and they are always so generous with Josh & Cate.  We all enjoy our time together!

We always love family dinners.  We hadn't seen our cousins, the Walker boys, for any Christmas celebrations so we managed to meet up at our favorite Chinese restaurant for dinner.  Matt and Jon Walker made it.  Jacob had to work and couldn't be there.  Uncle Kirk and Aunt Jenni were sick so they missed out too.  We were thrilled to have Grandma and Grandpa there along with Uncle Jerry.

Since we were snowed in a few little projects needed taken care of.  Jeff decided to repair our couch and Josh was right there helping out.  Josh loves to be working.  Later in the week we had a sweeper repair and as soon as Jeff started working on it guess who was right there next to him.  I love it when these 2 work together.

This is what it looks like outside today.  We have about 18 inches of snow blowing around and the temps are at -11 with windchill of -25F degrees.  So everyone was required to stay off the roads and out of the elements unless you were emergency personnel.

 

So the 2 pictures below are what Josh and Cate looked like inside today.  They really took advantage of relaxing and kicking back.  They stayed in pajamas all day and watched movies and played video games.  The weather will clear up soon and they'll head back to school but for now they are enjoying the extended Christmas break.

We tell Cate all the time that she is a princess since she is the daughter of the one true King.  I gave her a new placemat and she right away said "Look Mom, they made it for me!"

I pray you know the one true King and grow closer to Him in 2014!  Happy New Year!

Choosing joy,
Chris & crew