Winter 2015!

We experienced another exceptionally cold, snowy winter this year, with temperatures dipping into the negatives several times, causing Emma and I to miss 7 and 8 days of school, respectively. In February, we finally were able to take advantage of a 25-degree "heat wave" to go outside and enjoy the snow. The rare good packing snow enabled us to make a snowman taller than Emma and to build a 10 x 10-foot snow fort that lasted quite a while! In addition, we went to Disney on Ice with Emma's Brownie troop. Although Em and I have been to this event several times before, it was Aunt Kristen's first time going with us, and she thoroughly enjoyed it!

Cookie Capers!

January is Girl Scout Cookie Sale season, and Emma came home from her Brownie meeting with a lofty goal...to sell 200 boxes! I just laughed and suggested she just aim for the troop goal of 160 boxes per girl. After all, last year we'd sold 117 boxes and thought that was pretty good, and we were sure we'd asked as many people as we could. Not only that, but since Emma's Brownie meeting was a week after sales had already started, we really only had just over a week left to sell. However, Emma wasn't shy this year about asking people at church during the 50th anniversary luncheon, soliciting sales on her own in our crowded social hall. In spite of the snow and ice on our neighborhood sidewalks, Emma insisted on stopping at nearly every house on our block. Of course, it also didn't hurt that I didn't have any competition at work this year, either. One day before the initial sale ended, Emma had surpassed the 160 mark and we figured we were finished. At her friend's birthday party, I took along her order form but didn't want to ask during the party, and quite frankly, I think we were both worn out from asking all week. At the end of the party, I decided to ask one more parent who was there to pick up his daughter...and he ordered 16 boxes! Suddenly, the 200 goal didn't seem so impossible. Emma called several family members to ask if any of them would order just one more box. Finally, late Saturday night on the last day of sales, Emma had surpassed the 200 mark. Of course, it didn't hurt to have an incentive. Reaching 200 boxes in initial sales meant that Emma had earned a special edition stuffed animal (and you know how she is about those)! Now, if only the delivery process was as quick and easy as the sale...as I write this in May, we still have 2 more boxes to deliver today!

Merry Christmas...and Happy New Year!

After weeks of preparation, Christmas came and went quickly, but we had several get-togethers with family all the way through the new year that made it seem to last longer than one day! We went to church on Christmas Eve, where we had the honor of lighting the advent wreath. When we went home, Emma gave her elf Holly a send-off letter and put out the usual milk and cookies for Santa before sprinkling reindeer food on the lawn. On Christmas Day, in spite of her excitement, Emma slept in until almost 11:00! Later in the day, my Mom and Dad, Jason and Kristen came down for a gift exchange before the rest of the Mansfield gang joined us for dinner. Two days later, we were off to Toledo to enjoy Christmas with Todd's family. We went to Children's Wonderland with Norm and Sheila, "Big" David and Little David (who's now almost 4), where the kids enjoyed riding the train and ringing the bell, as well as the displays and activities. On Sunday, we went to Fifth Third Field (the Mud Hens' baseball park), where the Toledo Walleye Hockey Team was hosting Winterfest, complete with a full-sized ice rink on the ball field! We even got to experience an open skating session, although Emma was a little intimidated by the hockey skates. We also enjoyed dinner and a gift exchange at Norm and Sheila's. On Monday we did a little shopping before going back to the Toledo Zoo to see the lights again, as we had done at Thanksgiving. This time, however, we were able to try the new ice slide, which was a bit like snow tubing. Later that same night, we went back to Winterfest, where we got a photo taken with the Stanley Cup. We went back home on Tuesday after a nice visit with Grandma Karen, who is getting around much better these days. We celebrated New Year's Eve at home with games and the ball drop (our night owl had no trouble staying up). On New Year's Day, Emma and I went to Mom and Dad's, where we enjoyed playing games and watching the Sugar Bowl with Mom and Dad, Jason and Kristen. Now, if only the rest of the winter could be so entertaining...

Happy Holly-days!

Holly, Emma's Elf on the Shelf, returned this year to continue to keep an eye on Emma and report back to Santa. While she's here, she's sometimes naughty, and sometimes nice. When she's naughty, she does things like pour out the toothpaste, unroll toilet paper, and cover herself in M & Ms. When she's nice, though, she brings Emma little notes and gifts like Pez dispensers, mini tree ornaments, and a gingerbread house kit. When Santa comes on Christmas Eve, Holly will go with him back to the North Pole until next Christmas season. Emma really looks forward to seeing where Holly will end up next, and will probably feel a little sad when her little elf friend goes home!