Snow Way!

This December marked our first family snow trip up to freezing cold Flagstaff since we moved to Phoenix 5 years ago. I know. We like to take our time with these things. (Also, our thin Southern California blood prevents us from being in a hurry to freeze our noses off in the snow.)

This year, though, Craig booked us for the Polar Express train trip in Williams, AZ, so we were forced to venture into sub-60s temperatures. Brrr! We dropped my sister Laura off at her cozy cabin on our way to Williams and the girls got to play in the snow for a bit. (Have I mentioned that my kids have absolutely no qualms about playing in the snow even when they are not properly outfitted for it? They have been known to play all day in soggy mary-janes and no gloves without the tiniest complaint of the cold.) (I, on the other hand, have been known to wave at them from the window and loudly remind them to shut the door on their way out.)

My 2 cute snow bunnies

Poor kiddo didn't realize that there is really 

no such thing as walking "on" the snow.

Lex observing from afar

There we go, that's better.

Julia, uncomplainingly laboring to clear the massively 

snowed-in driveway with her kid-sized snow shovel.

Hold on to your beanies for more snow-ventures coming soon...

Obligatory Bath Pictures

We figured we'd better document the radical bathtub hair before it gets too long to be so awesome.

P.S. Man, I love this munchie-kin.

P.P.S Merry Christmas!

When in Doubt, Take a Nap

My mom tells me that my Grandma used to say, "I have so much to do...I think I'll take a nap first and get it out of the way."

Nothing makes me want to take a nap like the current state of the kitchen sink.

 Good night, folks.

Cooking with Frankenstein

In the words of Richard Nixon, "I am not a cook."

Indeed, cooking is not something that I do exceptionally well. (Believe it or not, there is a whole litany of areas in which I don't particularly excel, but let's save that list for another moment when we have more time.) For this reason, I can't make a meal without a recipe, I shy away from doing anything experimental in the kitchen, and I avoid anything resembling challenging kitchen tasks at all costs.

It is also for this reason that I never make a pie crust. While I have many fond memories of hovering over my mom while she very adeptly mixed, rolled, and executed beautiful pie crusts filled with yummy goodness, my own attempts never come close to what her talents seem to have effortlessly produced.

Sadly, my own pie crusts resemble something that only Chef Frankenstein would be proud of-- painstakingly pieced-together catastrophes that barely pass for pie crusts at all:

And yet, when leftover turkey and gravy persistently beckon my hungry family's post-Thanksgiving taste buds, I have no choice but to don the surgical gloves and perform this unpleasant procedure, which typically involves a huge mess of flour, an increasingly grumpy Mommy, and 2-3 phone calls to my mom and/or sister. 

Until next year, adieu, ugly pie crust.

(The final product: it's a wreck, but man, it sure tasted good.)

Raise Your Glasses

Looks like Julia has unofficially inherited my horrible eyesight. For the moment, she is far-sighted, but the eye doctor said that it will likely progress into nearsightedness as she gets older. (I have no idea how this happens. Good thing I'm not an eye doctor.)

She could hardly contain her excitement when she found out she was destined for a brand new pair of glasses. Little does she know that she will shake her fist at her bad eyesight for many years to come.

Is it sad that Craig and I don't like her glasses because they make her look so much older? As far as we're concerned, she is plenty old enough already.

(working on boring homework with
her fashionable new accessories.)