Brrrrr, it's cold here

Okay, so it was 5 degrees when we got in the van today. Josh checked the weather online, and it said it was zero degrees in Ontario. That is way too cold for us. It's getting a little old, but there is always a brighter side. At least we haven't lost power and our heat works. I tell Josh every morning how grateful we are that he gets up and goes outside to take care of things for us girls. This morning we did venture out too though. I had a meeting in Boise at the ICA office, so the girls stayed with their old babysitter who lives there now. It worked out great. I got a reprieve from staring at the computer screen and the girls got to play with Blayse and Houston (Crystal's little boys). The magazine issue I'm working on goes to print tomorrow, so hopefully only one more late night and it will be done. When I left, Josh was headed out to help a baby calf that was just born. The cow couldn't get up; that happens sometimes after a hard birth. He called a couple times while we driving. The first time he asked which towels he could use to dry off the calf. The second time he called to tell me there was a baby calf in my laundry room. I'm not sure if he thought I'd be mad or something. Of course, I wasn't mad; I just hoped he could get it warm and dry. MJ thought it was so funny. I think she was hoping it would still be there when we came back home. She even said, "Okay, Mom, clear out all the stuff in the laundry room so we can bring in all the baby calves to get warm." Now, that I might have a problem with! 

After I left the office, I went to browse several stores mainly looking for home decor stuff. It was nice to just look around and not feel rushed. The girls would have been really bored too. Well, actually that's probably not totally true. MJ would have talked about how we could do this or that, or use this fabric or that fabric. With her hands flailing (because she talks with them a lot), she 'd say, "Okay, Mom, this is what we could do. We'll paint the walls this color. Then, we'll put some pillows here and some blankets there. Now won't that be perfect?!!" She'll be squealing with delight, and it makes me smile to see how excited she gets about everything in life. Now, Emma on the other hand, would have wanted to run around the store or jump out of the shopping cart. But, that's what 20-month-olds do, or at least mine does.

For those of you who don't know, we are moving up the road to Mark and Carla's house in a few months. They just finished building a new home. We haven't talked about it much mainly because we never quite knew when their house would be done. I looked at fabric and furniture, some bedding, etc. I just love decorating/designing, so I'm excited for the opportunity. I actually thought of majoring in Interior Design in college. Maybe I should have taken more classes. They might have come in handy these days. That's why Mackenzie talks about design stuff a lot. If I watch TV it's usually HGTV. My big challenge now is trying to get organized. I'm trying to figure out the best way to contain the clutter. We are moving into a bigger house, but I don't want to just fill it up. I'd appreciate any great ideas anyone has. :)

When I left the last store it was starting to snow a little. The girls had a fun day, and Mackenzie told me all about it as we started on the freeway home. What usually is an hour trip home took about two hours because the snow got so heavy and we hit rush hour. Plus, we stopped to pick up pizza for dinner. I talked to Stephanie while we were waiting in traffic, so that helped pass the time. Then, I called Katrina to catch up with her. Mackenzie wanted to visit so I handed her the phone. She told her Nana (Josh's mom) all about her day and what she did. I asked her if she was finished yet, and she said, and I quote, "Oh you know me, Mom. I love to talk." Then, she preceded to continue talking. I finally got her off the phone. Um, I wonder where she gets this from?! It was a short night once we got home. After we ate, it was baths, reading books, and our new bedtime ritual--listening to Adventures in Odyssey on the Christian radio station. It's really helped get a good bedtime schedule. The girls know after the program is over, it's time to brush teeth, give hugs/kisses, say prayers, then get tucked into bed. MJ did sneak out to come sit with me awhile. Josh and I were looking for pictures for the bull sale catalog, so she visited with us. After I tucked her in again, she thanked me for the snuggle time. Obviously, she did need some more Mom time since she was away ftoday. It made my heart fill good too. 

I did remember another funny thing she said the other day. She asked me for a piece of gum. Now that she's four, she can chew half a piece. I just kind of looked at her thinking, and I think maybe I asked, "Do you really need gum right now?" She looked at me and said, "Just say, 'I suppose so.' That's what you always say, Mom." Oh my! That girl is getting a little too smart. Okay, I must go now. It's time to finish that magazine...