Snow Day

We woke up this morning to the biggest snow of the season. Schools were canceled and we ended up shoveling and playing for a few hours before we got the driveway entirely cleared. Here are some pictures:

Tori at the end of the driveway just as we started

Joey showing how deep the snow was.

Deep enought that Tori couldn't really walk in it.

The boys were busy finding the large clumps of snow.

And of course, if the boys are doing it, Tori is right behind saying "look! snowball!"

Two hours later, most of the snow cleared, and the boys riding their sleds down the driveway before we threw down the salt.

At one point, Tori walked right off the front step into some deep snow. It had drifted so high that it was even with the top step and she quickly sunk down to her waist. She immediately started calling "help! I'm stuck!"

All three kids next to one of our many piles.

The finished product.

Charles unplugged

Heard only 15 minutes ago at the dinner table (on a night when I got home from work around 7:15 p.m.):

Charles: "Dad, when I grow up my job is going to be just like yours."

Me: "What?"

Charles: "My job when I grow up is going to last as long as yours."

Me: "What do you mean?"

Charles: "My job is going to take as long as yours."

Me: "Why, Charles?"

Charles: "Because I'm going to be a chef and I'll have to serve dinner."

This latest career choice is news to me. I guess it could be worse, like when he said he wanted to grow up to be a school bus driver.

Happy 2009

Here are some pictures from our New Year's Eve. We had a pretty relaxed night with the kids and the Castletons--some old friends from San Antonio--who came over from Illinois.

The girls helped themselves to the spread.


The kids wanted to stay up until midnight. Charles made it to about 10:30 p.m., when he succumbed while reading about sturgeon and gar.



Joey crashed about 15 minutes later, when we heard Tori say "Joey's asleep!" She, of course, was wide awake and playing.

And posing for the camera.

About 10 minutes after that, she turned to us and said, "I want to go to bed." The most surprising news of the night was that Liz actually made it to midnight, for the first time in something like 6 or 7 years.

We wish everyone the best in 2009.

Bonus Picture:

Here's an inner-city grocery store I found during a quick trip to Richmond, VA on 12/30-12/31.