Snow!

I wish I could write that we got snow by our house, but sadly we didn't. On December 17, snow fell in the mountains and high desert, which is about 20 minutes from us. But from my kitchen window I could see it blanketing the mountains. The only thing that fell in our city was rain.

My husband and fellow carpooler got stuck out in the desert, unable to get home, due to 2 freeway closings, and other streets. They finally back tracked to the train station, and took the train home. A normal 1.5 hour commute home took them over 6 hours!

Here is a picture that was taken at the train depot.


The next day John was told his office was going to be shut down, again due to road closures and blustery conditions (have I mentioned he works in THE DESERT!). So the 3 of us hopped in the truck to find some snow!

This photo was taken as we left town. You can see the snow in the distance. Sadly, a few miles up the road a cop was blocking the road, not letting people through.


Because the roads were closed, even people who lived in the towns to the north were unable to get home. The roads and the freeways were lined with people who had spent the night in their cars waiting for the roads to open.

But we persisted in our quest for snow!


We knew of another way up the mountain and tried that way. After going less than a mile we voluntarily turned around, due to icy road conditions. But here was the view.

As of today (Dec. 19) the freeways and roads are now open, and at our home it's a balmy 50 degrees. 20 minutes north of us is a completely different story!

New Tent

I'm not sure why I entitled this post "New Tent" since any tent that is in our living has got to be new (I wouldn't have an old tent in there! No way!) but who cares. I have a title nonetheless.

William has the crankies. I'm not sure if it's due to teeth, due to the late night outing at Babies R Us or what, but he's been driving me crazy. We went to the park in the morning, and he still was cranky. So....I made a tent in the living room. Why, you ask? Because I have nothing better to do with my time, that's why. Dusting, vacuuming, and cleaning toilets can always wait.

Santa Lame-O

A few days ago I was at Babies R Us returning some cupboard locks that my husband promised he'd install. That never happened, and I got sick of moving them from one section of too-full counter space to another section that was just as full. So I returned them and got my $2 back! YES!

As I was checking out I noticed a flyer that listed the various Santa visitings around the Los Angeles area. Since these visits are free (the ones at the mall are NOT!) I grabbed a flyer and immediately posted the event on my calendar, so as not to forget it. My son was going to see Santa!

So last night I reminded my sleep-deprived husband that tonight Santa was stopping his sleigh in Valencia and we were going to pay him a visit. He agreed to go and take pictures of the exciting time we were going to have.

This picture explains it all.
(What on EARTH is under his coat? He looks like a boob-job gone horribly wrong!)

Anyway.

I was gearing up for long lines. Lots of little kids. Crying kids. Lots of picture taking. There was nothing of the sort. John asked where the camera was and I was reluctant to take it out, lest its presence betray the fact that we were here solely to see the man in the red suit. Luckily I needed diapers and wipes, so after the 4.6 second stand next to Santa we were off to another section of the store.

We did let William ride Garfield, since Santa was such a let down.

The Mighty William!!

Not sure how to actually get this video to come up, other than a link....but here ya go!

Mighty William!

A Mish Mash

Lots going on here....

I've been decorating for Christmas...hard to believe that time of year is upon us already. I'm having a hard time getting into the "Christmas mood" when it's 85 degrees out. This hot weather is getting a bit sickening. I'd really just like to wear some cozy clothes. To help get in the spirit I've been listening to lots of Christmas music, and teaching my piano students Christmas songs. :-)

Yesterday while eating lunch we heard a huge BOOM! Last time there was a loud noise like that we were having an earthquake. I thought we were having another, then realized that nothing was shaking. No earthquake. John ran downstairs and turned the tv on - yup! The shuttle had entered the atmosphere! I guess due to rain in Florida the shuttle had to land at Edwards AFB. John was pretty excited, as he was hoping to see it when he went in to work today. Bummer we didn't know about it sooner, though, as we would have been outside waiting for it. The contrail could be seen, as it flew practically right over us.

On a completely different note, I've decided that letting William decide if he's going to do 1 nap or 2 is out of the question. I'm the Mom, and I make the rules. TWO naps it is. End of discussion! He protests, but within minutes he's usually fast asleep.

William now has 7 teeth, as another bottom one popped through yesterday. That makes his extreme crankiness easier to understand. I can deal with him being in pain, but not crankies for the sake of crankies.

Well....that's all for now!

~The Mamma