Blizzard!

Yesterday we had the biggest snow storm in Columbus's history! We were under a blizzard warning, and everyone was "strongly advised" to stay home. We got 15.5" of snow yesterday. This broke quite a few records:

• daily snowfall record - the old record was 5.5" in 1984
• storm total of 20.5 " - the old storm total was 15.3" in 1910
• maximum snowfall in a 24 hour period - the old record was 12.3" in 1987

Anyway, we had a fun day of getting stuff done around the house, and when the snow finally let up around 5 pm, we went out and played! Annie had a blast. She loves playing in the snow. She stayed out there for a good 2 hours, coming in only to eat dinner and because it got dark. Today church was cancelled, so we are enjoying another relaxing day inside. Here are some pictures from yesterday:

Swim Lessons

Annie had her very first swimming lesson today! It seemed kind of funny putting her swim suit on while it is still very much winter outside (we are supposed to get 6-10 inches of snow tomorrow). But we might as well be ready for when summer does come! Annie did pretty good (despite the fact that she was calling out "mommy!" every few seconds for me to come rescue her) and by the end I think she was actually having fun. Good thing her friend, Sam, is in the class with her. It always takes Annie a little while to get used to something new. But on the way home she couldn't stop talking about how "great" of a swimmer she was, and how excited she is for next week!

Leah's 1st Birthday

I can't believe Leah is already one year old! And I can't believe how much we love her. She is the sweetest, happiest baby and she brings so much joy into our lives. Happy Birthday Leah Lou!

Disney on Ice

On Friday night, the four of us went to Disney on Ice: Princess Classics. Annie loved dressing up and joining the hundreds of other little girls dressed as princesses to watch the show. It was so cute. They told the stories of Jasmine, Aurora, Snow White, Mulan, Ariel, and Belle during the first half of the show. Annie was absolutely mesmerized and wouldn't take her eyes off the stage. Leah was pretty into it as well, dancing to the music and clapping her hands when everyone else clapped. During the intermission, Annie turned to me and said, "I didn't see Cinderella." (Cinderella has always been her favorite.) We were excited to soon find out that the whole second half of the show was devoted to Cinderella. It was a great night with our two little princesses!

Graeter's Ice Cream

What causes an ice cream parlor to be PACKED when it's 20 degress and snowing outside? On the day of the season's first ice storm and when we are under severe winter weather warnings? What causes all these Ohioans to say, "Mmmm..... let's go get some cold refreshing ice cream!"

Could it be the famous ice cream they've been making since 1870? (Many will claim it's the best ice cream you will ever taste.) Their signature flavor: Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip



Or could it be the fun play place they have providing kids hours of fun while burning off all those calories they just ate?









Or is it just because all the schools were cancelled for the day and let's face it, there just aren't that many options when you want to get out of the house on a cold winter's day?



Whatever the reason, one thing is for sure: Ohioans LOVE their ice cream as much in the winter as they do in the summer. Which only means one thing: We fit right in!

Photo Shoot

Here are some pictures I took of Leah the other day. Thought I better post them before she gets too big and doesn't look the same. (Hope you're not sick of pictures of our girls. I guess that's what you get for browsing our blog.) She stood on her own for a few seconds today. We'd like to get her walking before her first birthday, but that's only five days away, so I'd say it's unlikely. I'm sure we'll keep you posted, though.

Valentine's Day

Dan did the cutest thing for us girls on Valentine's Day. He's so good at things like this. Each of the girls woke up on Thursday morning to a Valentine balloon in their room, which they were both extremely excited about. Leah had flipped on her light (yes, the light switch is right by her crib) to get a better look at the strange new object floating by her crib, and was standing and pointing saying, "ooooohhhh!" But the real fun began when we read the big red heart that was hanging from Annie's balloon: "This is a Valentine's Treasure Hunt! Look for hearts like this to find clues to get to your Valentine's surprise! Here's you first clue: When you're really dirty, this is where you go to get squeaky clean." Dan had already left for school, so he missed the three of us running around the house, reading clues, and looking for the hidden red hearts. Annie was so into it, and to tell you the truth, so was I! The hunt finally ended when a clue led us down to the laundry room and we found our Valentine's surprise on top of the dryer. A dozen red roses (for me), treats, gifts, and cards. Inside Annie's card Dan had made up some tickets letting us know he's taking us to the Disney Princesses on Ice show this coming weekend. We're so excited!!



I love this picture. Annie was proudly showing us her new pony, while Leah was feeling triumphant over the tiny piece of wrapping paper she ripped off!




The girls were being just so darn cute, we ended up snapping way to many pictures. Here's a few of our favorites:




This is the "where's Leah" part of peek-a-boo.


Leah loves to live on the edge. Here she's practicing her hand spring somersault with a half twist off the couch.


This is Leah's irresistable "hold me" look. It's hard to ignore.