This post is brought to you by the letter "S".

Before we get to all this S business, Happy 2014 to you all!


Slapstick.

What a great tradition we started a few years back - carving out a little time during winter break to get our FCC kids together. Mary Pat and Thomas couldn't join us this year but these fabulous four were unstoppable.

Laughter and running and bossing continued the full three hours we were together at Ava's house. Like it or not, these kids are going to be friends. The mamas like each other too much.


Scrumptious.

Our noodle girl at our favorite Chinese restaurant.

Surly.

Christmas Break means a lot of 'together' time, and huge departures from routine. As a parent, you go into this thinking "Yippee!! PJ's all day, last-minute adventures, etc." By the end of the break, you are climbing the walls. As a result, moods can often plummet to amazing lows in a moment's notice.

Lucky mama is usually on the receiving end of this while she spares everyone else. I am happy to report that her ability to re-group to a manageable Sassy is getting better.


Surprise.

A family-style trip to our Museum is always full of surprises. (Side note: It also helps with previously mentioned Surly and Sassy) Watching our friends perform world music in the beautiful Peristyle was excellent, not to mention the belly dancing. Ella sat riveted in Larry's lap for the longest time.

No trip the Museum is complete without a stop at the Family Center.

And when Ella laid eyes on Adrianne, her buddy from pre-school, perfect balance was restored. The day was full of sweet little surprises.

Sick.

Happy New Year to us. My body (apparently ready to give in to the germs surrounding us at every turn) shut down on New Year's Eve. We scrapped our plans to attend two parties in the neighborhood and fired up Despicable Me II. I slept through the ball drop and neighborhood fireworks. I've spent a lot of time on my back looking at these faces and blowing my nose in between.

Snow.

It is winter in the Midwest. No question. But a four year old does not have to limit herself to sleds.

Rosy cheeks just like our baby Guan Man Li!

Sabotage(r).

We dismantled Christmas. It was a family event. The Rule Breaker Extraordinaire wasn't pleased that his napping tree was being removed. His last ditch effort to take it all in as we were boxing up around him...

Support.

Another day in the office with my IT Support employee. We are in the process of setting up a new computer system at work. My desk is filled with monitors, keyboards, etc. She took over the mouse - pointing and clicking like she's been doing it for 20 years, moved the monitor around to her liking and she was quiet for a half hour. (Internet history shows me Laurie Berkner website got a lot of activity that day.)


Serenity.

She would lay in a bathtub for hours if the water would just stay warm.

Shiver.

In addition to the blast of snow, we are also being blasted with below zero temperatures. I pulled back the bedroom curtains and my window was just a tad frosty. But beautiful.

Tonight we are bundling up to see The Wizard of Oz at our historic theatre downtown. We're meeting some of our best peeps for pizza first before we all head down. Ella has caught the Oz bug (FINALLY) from her BFF.

Enjoy your weekend, Ella-Land!

~H