Slow Start

Something about this time of year makes me rethink the purpose of this blog. I had decided I was going to try to do something different this year, but I haven't made that happen so I'm headed down the same road as usual -- one really, super long post to sum up the month. At least I have lots of pictures to go along with it.

I decided I need an assistant on my photo shoots. Chloe has always loved taking pictures, so I made her my apprentice. After this shoot I took her out and shot a couple pictures of her. This is Chloe after her first job.



I love that she loves to shovel my driveway. I had to get a picture of her doing it in her Sunday best.



The girls in their Christmas dresses. We celebrated a quiet Christmas in our new home this year. Lots of neighbors brought us gifts. I need to get back into that habit.



And since I was taking a picture in the living room I thought I should turn around and shoot the other angle. I've never taken the photos of my house I promised. Lark already came to visit, and got the grand tour, so I feel off the hook. At least you can see what we did to the living room.



Brandon helped the girls build a snow tree. They had a lot of fun. They added a little snowman on the top. We were surprised how long it lasted. It must be cold out there! But Chloe doesn't need a coat.



One-on-one dates: Chloe wanted a turn to go to Color Me Mine. Sophie's been there twice, and Lark has also told her how fun it is, so she needed to go. I don't think she thought it was as great as they did, but she was happy in the end. We get to go pick up her plate later this week.




For our MLK holiday we went to the ice castles in Midway. Their website said Saturday evenings are the busiest time, with a wait time of 20-30 minutes. We didn't know what to expect going on a holiday, but it wasn't good. We were in line for about an hour! When we were on the east side, it wasn't so bad in the sun, but then the line turned and it got cold fast. Sophie put Brandon's hat on to stay warm, but I'm the one who ended up with it for the majority of the time.



While standing in the massive line, I told Chloe I bet that we would see someone we know. She took the bet, and told me she would clean all my baseboards if we did. Lucky me! We ran into our next door neighbors. Chloe is already an awesome cleaner, so I'm not sure I won that much. In the evening when she doesn't want to go to sleep she'll come and ask for jobs to do. Here we are inside the castle.




Olaf was a big hit. It was hard to get a picture of him because he was so popular.






I'm including this picture to show what it was really like. The ice was pretty to look at, if you could get past all the people. Sophie was so cold by the time we got in that we didn't stay all that long. We haven't had a fun family outing for quite a while, though, so I'm still really glad we went. Grandma, thanks for the blankets they were able to wrap up in as soon as we got back to the car.



One more for the road: this is just a picture I snapped of Chloe tonight. She was just hanging out, waiting to go to Young Women's.



Brandon and the girls have been busy picking out seeds. Our garden is on its way! They ordered a whole bunch of stuff last night, and tonight they are getting some trees. I love how excited they are to grow their own food.