It's Raining!

I am so happy to see the rain! We are melted except for a few spots of thick ice in certain areas that don't get sunlight. The cars look terrible with all of the salt on them. I hope this rain clears some of the gunk off the roads. I wasn't able to blog yesterday, my typical Monday blogging. John was off work, after being on call all weekend (which wasn't bad call at all thankfully). We ran some errands in the morning, including getting an estimate done on the F250 from the tree limb that fell on it during the ice storm. It needs a new hood, new windshield and the dents popped out of the roof and repainted. Hoping to get in in the shop sometime next week, and they will have it at least 3 or 4 days. Glad we have an extra vehicle or that would be no fun for me! I spent the weekend sick with what I think is tonsillitis. It may be crossed a bit with strep throat but the main symptoms are tonsillitis. Ick! I haven't had this sore of a throat in I don't know how many years, maybe since I was a teenager?? It feels like I am swallowing shards of glass. I have even gargled with salt water, and I detest that. I am a touch better today and hoping it stays that way. By evening time I am miserable, probably because I have talked all day, so today I am trying to NOT TALK which will be challenging because a) I like to talk, and b) I have a 2 year old. LOL I was supposed to host our Playgroup's Valentine Party/Potluck today, and am very disappointed to have to change those plans. I didn't want to risk getting anyone sick. So far John and the kids are okay, and I am hoping it stays that way. Nothing like getting sick to have the kids (well mainly Allie, Asher understands and won't even hug me!) wanting to literally be right in your face constantly! We have spent several hours already working on our taxes for the home/farm. We do them ourselves and I am glad we do, but it can be stressful at times. We are about 60% done. This is our second year to file them ourselves with the farm, and I am learning more about how to organize throughout the year to make it easiest come tax time. Found out that Asher will have to attend school through Friday, May 29th to help make up for the snow days - they were going to get out on Wednesday, May 20th. They also have to go President's Day, Election Day, and the Thur/Fri before Easter for make-up days. They decided to not touch Spring Break. They did that a couple of years ago and all heck broke loose with the parents we heard! John is taking the week off of Spring Break, but as of now we have no plans. Last year we visited family back home and couldn't get back to Kentucky for 3 days because of a blizzard! So we are hesitant to plan anything until we see what the weather looks like. Couple of things I have been wanting to get logged down in here about the kids: Allie - right at 2 yrs old - her favorite books are Goodnight Sweet Butterflies; Goodnight Moon; Who's Hiding?; Noah's Crew Came 2 by 2. With the Noah's Crew book, about a week ago, she and John were reading, and I was cleaning up in the kitchen, and all of a sudden she shouts out, "Santa!" while pointing to Noah. We cracked up! He does kind of look like Santa with his white hair and beard. John corrected her, but she still does it every night they read it, she will say Santa and then John says, noooo, that's not Santa, and then she will say Noah. Yesterday at the body shop getting the estimate on the truck, and man walked in with gray hair/beard, and she pointed and said, Santa! We giggled and so did he, then she said Noah! LOL. She is obsessed with Santa I do think. In the bathtub, I started this a few years back with Asher and this was the first year for Allie, around Christmastime I take the bubbles from the pouf and rub it on their cheeks and chin and say, "Santa! Ho, ho, ho!" She caught right on this year, and now almost every time she's in the bath she will rub the bubbles on herself do her own Santa impression - "Santa! Ho, ho, ho!" In this really deep voice (as deep as she can make it). Kids are so fun! Also right now, she loves MUSIC and dancing (don't all 2 year olds???) and is entranced, as many women are, by Barry Manilow. We have one of his concerts recorded on the DVR and she will stand a few feet away from the TV and just stare at him, moving slowly to his slow songs and going crazy to the fast ones - especially all of our favorite - Copacabana of course!! She started stringing two words together right around turning 2 at the end of January. "Daddy work" "Asher school" "Dogdog bed" "Read please" "Baby sleeping" are some of her favorite things to say. Her please comes out "pease?" and is adorable. She also just started saying No to everything you ask her, even if the answer is yes! I figured this phase was coming, but for awhile there she would answer yes or no appropriately. And if she doesn't like something, here comes the shriek along with nonononono this is usually directed at Asher. Ash was never a shrieker and we are working on that with her! Ear splitting!!! Talking about these things with John last night, he said he wanted me to jot down how every night after her bath (if he is the one doing this, of course Mama does things differently, lol) their routine is he carries her into her room wrapped in her towel, goes to her closet and picks out her jammies, then slings them over her shoulder. While walking to her changing table, she then slings them over his shoulder, and they do this back and forth giggling all the while. For a long time, I was the only one she wanted to actually tuck her in. A few months ago, John started doing it after reading with her, he will tell her to tell Mama and Asher nite-nite and she actually does now without bursting into tears that I am not the one taking her to the crib. She gives us big hugs and kisses, then runs back to Daddy who picks her up and goes through the routine of telling the fish nite-nite, the giraffes/butterflies/flowers in the frames in the hallway nite-nite, and then he puts her in the crib with her 3 loveys that stay in there (bear, duck, baby) and wraps each on in its own little blankie and then tucks them and her in with her own blankie. Such precious little moments that we cherish each and every day. I also have a funny story for Asher. Last week, on the Monday before John's birthday, John had to work late and Asher and I were talking about how it was Daddy's birthday the next day. Asher asked, "How old is Daddy going to be?" and I said, "38." And he says, "Wow, I thought he was going to be a hundred!!!" I laughed and said, "No, not even Great-Grammy is 100!" and he said, "Well, I hope he lives to be 100 then!" So sweet. Alright, I have updated my sidebar with the new weekly things. My Scripture this week comes from Proverbs 31:30 and is: Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. I love this complete passage about The Virtuous Wife. I am re-reading a book called Creative Counterpart by Linda Dillow, here is a link to it, and highly recommend it! http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Counterpart-rev-Linda-Dillow/dp/0840730675 The photo of the week is one of my current favorites of Allie and John, I just love their expressions! And my quote for this week is: Since love grows within you, so beauty grows. For love is the beauty of the soul. ~St Augustine OK, gonna go! I hear Allie on the monitor, she is saying, "apple juice, apple juice" in a sing-song voice.