Blizzard of 2011!!!

It's now classified as the third worst blizzard in Chicago's history, but to us, it was the first real snow for our boys in three years.

Tom was in heaven, having to snow blow the drive twice at night and twice in the morning. But the real fun happened when we opened the kitchen door that leads to the side yard. Drifts that were taller than Jeb greeted us. In a flash, the boys were in their snow gear and out the door. Snowforts and snow tunnels were dug, snowangels were created and getting stuck was the common theme for Jeb whose legs were just to short to trudge through the snow. The highlight for the boys was daddy lifting them up to the rooftop (and breaking the picnic table while doing so) and then jumping off the roof into the huge drifts below. I was more than a bit worried, but it actually looked like fun and the boys loved it! I have made them promise NEVER to do it again. Especially in the summer!

It all reminded me of snowstorms when I was little. We had a lot of fun. And then we looked out to see the newspaper. Tom decided that if the paper could make it's way to our house, then he could make his way into work. Bummer. So I took over digging tunnels in addition to my normal duty of making hot cocoa. Here's to winter...and may it be over soon!

Building forts in the drifts

The surprise behind the door

Jacob's jump

Aiden's jump!

Bahama Mama!

When in a new city, it becomes a must to say yes to everything that you are invited to. This is purely to meet as many people as possible with the hopes to create an inner circle of new friends. I never thought that I'd be invited to a girls weekend...in the Bahamas. But, I had to listen to my own advise and Tom was 100% behind me. So, off I went with 13 other moms for a girls weekend away.

The airport shuttle picked me up at 3:00 am on Thursday and we were on the plane by 6:00. I looked out my window 4 hours later to see beautiful blue waters and white sandy beaches. I was pumped! I turned to talk to my friend and looked out again to see clouds, right as we were descending. Nassau was covered. Just our luck!

We made the most of it and the next day it was partly cloudy. No one got sun except for me - I can manage to get burned in the cloudiest weather. I knew it was bad when a little old lady informed me of my burn in the elevator. But, upon close inspection, I determined it's what the Dutch call "a tan." With full sun the next day, SPF 50 became my new best friend.

The weekend was great. I was well aware of being the new girl, always feeling bad for the person who had to sit next to me at the pool for the day. But, by the end of the weekend it was very comfortable. And, best of all, I was relaxed!

On Sunday night, I was picked up by 4 handsome boys, whom I was more than excited to see. They even seemed happy to see me. I think we are at the point of appreciating each other once again! Yep, a weekend away is great for everyone. When's the next one??