I Hate Snow

I lost count of how many times I cleared the driveway last week. However, watching the children play in the snow makes it slightly more tolerable.

Trains, Trains, and More Trains

The boys sure got their fill of trains during the holidays. On the Friday before Christmas, we went to Lilac Park to look at the lights and visit Santa. They also had a little train ride that we took a ride on. On the way to the car, a commuter train passed by. The next day, we saw the model trains at the arboretum. That same night, we met Jimmy and Josie at the All Aboard Diner. On Monday, Ben & Bradley went to the library and played with the wooden train set there. Grandma and Grandpa had never been to a train restaurant, so they took the boys to Two Toots on Christmas Eve. Ben would spot the real trains outside the restaurant and call out "choo choo". Then, to top it all off, they received a train set from Gram Gram Betty.

All Grown Up

Despite being married, having children, working, paying taxes, and owning 26% of a house, we have never really felt like grown-ups until today. Why? We have finally replaced our last piece of "heirloom" furniture. Now all the furniture used by the adults on a daily basis has been bought and paid for, rather than handed-down.

Festivus Miracles

The spirit of Festivus is with us even though we did not put up the pole this year. I have two miracles to report. First, on Saturday, the family logged a total of 10 hours of naps! Ben took a 4 hour nap in the afternoon. During that period every other family member got a 2 hour nap. That has to be a family record. The second miracle concerns Bradley's diet. All his dinners include either chicken or cheese, except for the occassional fish stick or pancake. He never eats red meat. The big shocker came last night when he asked for a hot dog and then declined to have ketchup with it. Plus, he voluntarily accepted a spoonful of corn. Truly a miracle. Whoops...wait a minute...the hot dog does not qualify as red meat, it was made of turkey. It is still a miracle that he passed up ketchup.

Better Than Shoes

The only thing Ben likes more than shoes is boots. He loves to stomp around.

The Duel

Two remotes, one TV. Who will be the victor?

Ah, the Memories

There were so many good times during our Thanksgiving trip. Two of my favorite parts of the trip have so far gone unmentioned: paying $1.57 for gas in Indy and the turkey fight I saw on Thanksgiving morning.

The Trip - Still More Fun

Friday was Grandma's birthday. Bradley was sure happy to help blow out the candles.

The Trip - The Big Day

For Thanksgiving, we traveled deep into the countryside to my cousins house. Bradley likes to visit there because they have a horse. Last year, he would only pet the horse. This year, he stunned us by not only riding the horse, but also feeding it out of his hand. Ben also went for a ride. It is strange that they are both afraid of a dog, which is not much bigger than them, but have no fear of an animal that is 30 times their size.

The Trip - The Lights

Thanksgiving Eve also featured a trip to see the lights at the Overly Country Christmas. You can take a brief driving tour of the lights. Plus, there is a model railroad, children's train, santa visit, carriage rides, snacks, a live manger (animals, not baby), and a bonfire. We had also stopped at Oglebay on the way to Pittsburgh, but Overly is much better.

The Trip - Children's Museum

All the boys headed to the Pittsburgh Children's Museum on Thanksgiving Eve. There weren't many people there. We had the whole water section to ourselves. Ben liked playing with the ball ramp and made it his duty to put away the Light Bright pieces and cleaned up the the toys in the infant section.

The Trip - Part 1

We got to see a lot of family during the holiday. Our first stop was Cincinnati to celebrate Grandma's birthday.