Still no ground

We haven't seen the ground in weeks, but somehow, I'm OK with that...I think the snow is beautiful. Micah and I got out yesterday for a few minutes while Savannah napped and we built a snow fort. Well, I built a snow fort and Micah added much too emphatically, "Mom, it's not big enough." Well, you know, Micah, some kids in Africa don't have any snow forts at all.

Today it actually reached 35 or so and you would have thought it was spring. Apparently I am not the only one who had the bright idea of washing all the grime off our vehicles while it was warm enough not to freeze the water right away. There was a line of about eight cars at the car wash...Yes, we do have more than one car wash, but it's Sunday. So all other car washes are closed b/c it is a sin to wash your car on Sunday in West Michigan. And to mow your lawn. And drink alcohol. (OK, that might be a bit of an exaggeration. But a lot of things really are closed here on Sundays...and we don't even have a Chick-Fil-A. And- just so it doesn't seem like I'm slammin' GR - we really do love living here. The people we've met have richly blessed our lives.) ***Ooooh*** I just got clobbered by my ecstatic husband b/c the red team in the Super Bowl just sacked the quarterback in the yellow pants. And wow...He has a very long last name. I'm just here for the companionship and commercials :)

And yes, for those of you who check this blog for pics and updates of the kiddos...they're doing pretty well :) Savannah is trying to get over a cold that just won't give up. She probably has nightmares of Mommy coming after her with a rag to wipe her nose. She's still her cute little self, though. Now she's starting to "talk" and do what I call the happy dance. She rocks back and forth while smiling and saying "wawawawawa". ADORable. :)

Micah is doing great. We signed him up for preschool in the Fall. His new thing is to say, "It's not fair" over anything he disagrees with. Isn't that supposed to come much later...like in pre-adolescence? Oh dear.

I just finished the Kent County Library's One Book, One County read...It was "The Highest Tide" by Jim Lynch. It takes place in WA on the Puget Sound, which was very cool since that's where my dad lives. A little on the crass side for me at points in the book, but overall very entertaining. I totally got into all the marine biology trivia.

OK - the ball is right next to the end zone. I should sign off before I get clobbered again :)

Our little Michigander

I tease Greg because while I most certainly have the heavier Michigan "twang", he has been known to frequently answer, "You betcha!" (the common form of "No problem!" up here)
Well, today, here's what I overheard in the kitchen:
Greg: "Hey buddy (Micah), will you bring your plate in here to me?"
Micah: "You betcha!"

Here's another little conversation I had with him just a day or two ago:
Mommy: "Wow, Micah! You're making me play-doh carrot soup!"
Micah: "Yep. It has carrots and broccoli in it and I always put broccoli in my carrot soup." (Thinking to myself: 'Broccoli? You hate broccoli! And isn't this the first time you've ever made play-doh carrot soup?')
Mommy: "Oh, I can't wait to eat it! Are you going to eat some, too?"
Micah: "No. I'm the one who cooks it and you are the woman who eats it."

From deep within the cave...

Happy girl :)

This is Savannah's designated spot...right next to her favorite person on earth while he takes
F-O-R-E-V-E-R to finish eating. She just stands there and watches him...too cute.

The title of this post is referring to the colder-than-necessary weather we are experiencing up here. Seriously, can we say, "Mongolia"? I'm having very real flashbacks. We've been little hermits in our 68 degree winter cave while the winds howl outside. Other than that, not much new to report around here...Savannah is movin' and groovin'. I think she's teething because she's been a bit high maintenance (in my opinion.) It was a lot easier when she just sat there but didn't crawl or pull up on things :) The big talk around the house these days is signing up Micah for preschool next year...ah! That one definitely hit me blind sighted. Had NO idea I need to enroll in January and February for the '09-'10 school year. Anyway...took him to a little preschool open house the other night and his exact words were, "Mom, I love this school." That's just because it had a big sand table complete with dump trucks and bulldozers. We'll see where the Lord leads. The little guy is growin' up on us :)

Savannah Smiles

Here's a cute video of Savannah laughing at Greg wearing a Santa hat :)

November and December 2008

Micah's Christmas loot.

The tenth reindeer ready for Santa's sleigh

After Christmas Eve service

Brrrr...two snow bunnies going on a sled ride outside our house the week before Christmas

Meemaw and Savannah at Children's Museum in GR

Great Meemaw with kids in Dallas

Mimi and Savannah saying goodbye at DFW

Micah on the lookout

Daddy and Savannah on my Dad's deck in Gig Harbor

In November and early December we were able to spend some wonderful quality time with our families. We flew out to WA to see Ha and Gamma, then to Dallas to see Mimi, Papa and Great Meemaw. Then, a few days after we got back to GR, Greg's Mom, brother Steve and niece Melanie came up for a chilly, but very fun visit. Christmas, then, was just the four of us...as quiet as "quiet" can be around here, and very relaxed and meaningful. We loved it. Here are some fun pics of the kids. I'll also post a bunch on snapfish.com for those of you who would like to peruse the whole bundle. As far a pics from my dad's in Washington...I will shamelessly direct you to the much superior blog of Jonathan and Chrissy at http://www.jonathanandchrissy.blogspot.com/. He's got a link to some really great photos of our trip on there you won't want to miss.

Finally, here are a couple Micahisms for you.

"Mom, you like making cookies with me? Yeah, me too. I like eating cookies."

"Dad, can I watch my 'ratoons'?" (ratoons = cartoons)

"Hey, Mom, I think this is a good idea, 'dontcha fink'?" (dontcha fink = don't you think)

"Hey honey" (in referring to Savannah)

"Dre" (we have no idea where this is from, but for months now, this is how he answers for "I don't know.")

Mommyism:
"Micah, let's not put wrapping paper in the garlic press."

And...a recent conversation:

Micah: "Poo poo!"
Mommy: "Micah, did you say 'poo poo'? You need to go sit in time out."
Micah: "But, Mom, 'poo poo' is how you say 'Ethan' in Spanish!" (Ethan is our neighbor)

Mommy (trying not to laugh): "No, Micah, 'poo poo' is not how we say 'Ethan' in Spanish.
Micah: "Yes it is."

Mommy: "No, honey, it's not."
Micah: "Then how do you say 'Ethan' in Spanish?"

Mommy: "I don't know...maybe 'Etano'???

Micah: "oh."

Lions and Tigers and Bears...Oh MY!!

Here's a shot from over a month ago...seems like a lot longer than that, though.

The leaves are long gone and inches of snow is covering the ground. The Christmas tree is up...It's good time of year.

We've been busy, busy, busy with two kiddos...we also had to get a new computer, thus delaying blog entries. I hope to get more regular at this, however.

In October the kids and I (Shawna) went with my Dad and Margo to Disney World in Florida. It was a great trip and Micah's eyes were wide open to the wonder of Magic Kingdom and beyond. I think his favorite, however, was meeting Mickey, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger and Eyore. November we headed on a whirlwind family tour. We visited my Dad's new house in Gig Harbor, WA then to Dallas to see my mom and extended family. My Grandma also came and stayed with us at my mom's, which was an added blessing. I also got to catch up with some dear friends.

Right now Greg's mom, brother, and our youngest niece, Melanie, are up for a visit and getting more than they bargained for in the form of snow :) We're having a great time with them, though.

That's all for now...more later when I download more pics.

Real Quick: I realize that in this season of life I find myself saying things and putting sentences together that are outright ridiculous...Here are a few, but I seriously need to keep a record going.

1) Micah, let's not use the duster to clean off the sweet potato on Mommy's sock.

2) Micah, please don't trap your sister under the laundry basket.

3) It's OK if the baby sucks on the drill (Micah's plastic one, of course :)

Recent Micahisms...

"Dad, are you going to fertilize?"

"Hey friends! Friends! I have a bike!"

"Hey, you have a cool potty." (when we were visiting someone's house)

"Aunt Chrissy has a cool house." (during our visit to the NY Walshes)

"Hey, Mom! It's just my size!!" (when we went to the Children's Museum here in town and they had a midget kid-sized potty.)

"Mom, I miss Daddy." (He says this like one hundred times a day. I think he says it when he can't think of anything else to say. It's like a filler between sentences. And since he talks non-stop, I hear it all the time.)

I told him if he stayed in bed he could have a waffle in the morning. He thinks about it and says, "Ummm, but it's hard to stay in bed!"

He likes to sing, "John Jacob Jingle Heimer Shrimp" :)

"No prob, Mom!" (He then follows that with a thumbs up sign)