Snowed in!

Just when you think life is so hectic you couldn't possibly find time to slow down, Mother Nature has a way of forcing the issue. Here's a glimpse out our front door this morning:

The weather service has dubbed the blizzard "Big Bertha." Jeff is calling it "Snowmagedon." I'm trying to be a bit more poetic in my analogies. To me, it's like a scene inside a snow globe, with snow swirling all around.

And so on this Christmas Eve, which will be the first I've spent at home in the 15 years since I moved to Duluth, I'm looking around and counting my blessings. There are plenty of places we could/should be heading this morning, but nowhere that we have to be. Sitting at the breakfast table inside my cozy and warm home, surrounded by my husband and two chatty children, I actually got a bit choked up. (Not by breakfast. Jeff's eggs and sausage were awesome as always.) My life is so good!

AJ interrupted these thoughts to announce, "Hey, today is Jesus' birthday."

Holy cow! He has been listening. Important lessons are sinking in!

Of course, then Sydney created her own distraction with her telltale grunts that indicate she needs to go to the bathroom, but is trying desperately to hold it in. Hey - I didn't say life was perfect, but if that's the biggest struggle we face today, I'll take it.

So back to this crazy weather (alternately dubbed, "Sno-nami," by my better half) ... here's a look out the back door. That's Maggie attempting to make her way to the house. Poor thing had already reached the step, but I wanted to take a picture, so I threw her toy back into the yard and let her retriever tendencies take over.

Spike, meanwhile, remains the smarter of the pets. She happily nestled herself under the tree.

Wait - I have a happy update to share. After being pulled from the computer multiple times in the last half hour by Sydney's grunts, we have just had success!

Merry Christmas to all!