The Daintys

Grandma R. got Leah a new raincoat and matching rain boots this weekend in the nick of time. We had a rainy day here today, but after nap time decided to head outside and explore. Leah's rain boots got an excellent breaking-in. And the neighbors, I must say, received some quality entertainment as they sat all snug and cozy in their warm homes... Here she is, nice and dry, at the beginning of our walk. (And going for a "walk" for Leah currently means going for a run, with one arm pumping like crazy.) Puddle jumping in the street. I know what you're thinking... that this gave us the perfect opportunity to review street-crossing procedures... Leah was fascinated by her own reflection in the puddles! I LOVE this picture!

Ryan was awarded the Light of Learning Award for the 2010-2011 school year this year, and we couldn't be more proud of him! The award recognizes excellence in teaching as well as being a model of our faith. Ryan is truly a talented teacher, and he is so dedicated to his students and the players he coaches. This past week we attended the banquet where the Light of Learning award winners were recognized. Ryan's parents were able to come as well - all the way from Tennessee! Somehow we didn't get a picture of him with them at the banquet... Leah admiring the pictures on the poster board honoring Ryan! (She was actually the star of many of these pictures...) Shaking hands with our new Bishop.

We woke up to sooooo much snow! The kind where you can't get the back door open and you have to shovel your way to the garage to get to the snowblower. Leah and Lucy were both pretty amazed - the snow is deep enough to swallow them both up! We played in the snow while Ryan, bless his heart, began excavating our house. Leah helped shovel us out for a while. What a trooper! Another recent fun event was going to see "Sesame Street Live" on New Year's Eve. We saw Elmo, Grover, the Count, and all of Leah's favorites. The music was pretty awesome - my favorite was a medley of "I love trash" and "We're moving trash," which is a song about decomposition sung by an R&B Beetle. Very fun - Leah was mesmerized.

We finally celebrated our little family Christmas after our trip to Boston. It was actually kind of nice to do it that way...it gave us something to look forward to after our trip. Here are some pictures! Here is Leah sprinkling reindeer feed on our lawn. (Oatmeal to eat, and glitter so they can find our house.) Opening stocking presents. "Christmas" Breakfast of pancakes and turkey bacon. Leah is using all her new Disney gear - plate, silverware, etc. Leah got some fancy new jewelery - how cute are those clip-on earrings?? Merry Christmas to you all!

During Christmas break we traveled to Boston to visit. Despite a massive snowstorm that somewhat limited our activities, we had so much fun. It was a relaxing trip, filled with lots of card games, ring-around-the-rosy, and yummy food. Leah loved playing "motorboat" with Uncle Greg and Grandpa, playing Bananagrams with Grandma and Auntie JJ, and she fell in love with all the cats we encountered. She currently places all new things into one of two categories: scary or nice. She decided the cats were not scary. ("Him not scary, mama. Daddy, the kitty not scary. Him nice!")

Leah got her very first hair cut last week. Now she doesn't spend half her waking moments pushing hair out of her eyes! It was very exciting, and very challenging, as it required Leah to sit still for approximately 7 minutes. Didn't Ryan do a good job? (The pictures are in the reverse order, starting with the final results!)

This year we have had a nice long Christmas! We started the weekend before Christmas in Michigan and Grandma R's. We had fun painting ornaments, making pretzels, doing a little shopping, and playing Taboo. We'll put more pictures up of Christmas soon...