Yesterday’s post was supposed to be about New Year’s, a recap and so forth. How great the year was. How much we loved being snowbound, how we spent a quiet New Years Eve with friends, celebrating East coast style and heading home to bed by 9:30.

A post about Resolutions, the one I made about either actually reading the books on my bedside table by New Year’s Eve or moving them off the table. (Done! I moved them off the table *sigh*)

A post about my family, and how gosh darn much I adore them. How every day with my husband is a gift, how every moment with my children teaches me something, about life or my own limits and about how freaking happy I really am.

Maybe a post about home made pizza. (Yumdumdelicious! Piizzza)

You know a year recap-py like post.

But the snow, it distracted me.

This morning I shoveled the stairs, and the walkway and the driveway and then I shoveled out the firewood.

Really it was time to. Even though I like the idea of being snowbound, and even though the snow is turning slushy and melting away. There is still a lot of compacted ice on the porch steps (scary) and in the driveway (bad news) and getting the car in and out of the driveway, is um, tricky. Scott has done it twice, I haven’t even tried. Plus the firewood, works better if it is in the woodstove, and not under the gutters that fell off the house and then were covered in snow. If you know what I mean.

This, the first Monday of 2009, started off well for the Stitch family, the boys geared up in abominable snowman outfits and we headed outside, the snow to mud ratio is about 2:12312441 so they were pretty dirty by the time I was done shoveling and messing around with firewood.

Baths all around.

Hope your first day back was as easy going as ours, and that there was less shoveling involved!

Jenica (our favorite new photographer) is having a contest. I’m sorry to say you don’t win anything but if you vote for our family picture (6) then we may win another picture of ourselves (we like to look at us. Pop over if you want, and check out her freaking awesome photo skilzz. Don’t worry, I’ll still like you if you vote for someone else.

My name is brit, I am a runner, who hasn’t run in a three weeks. The snow. I know, not a good excuse. Especially as Wii have wii. I could be wii running. Or something.

It’s snowing as I type this.

I know.

I totally love it.

Of course I especially love that I’m home, safe at the Burrow watching the snow cover the road, and the cars. Again.

Tomorrow I’ll wii.

Stream of consciousness post much?

This first weekend of 2009 has been snow covered, much like the last few weeks of our lives. Snow muffles the sound of the cars driving by of the boot running in circles and it has blanketed us in quiet these last few weeks.

Monday we start 2009 in earnest, back to work, back to schedules, back to basics..oh wait no.

Back to work anyway, back to non Christmas projects it is.

Or maybe, we’ll just play in the snow.

While I’m still smitten with the snow. Last night’s snowfall, is somewhat inconvenient as I have to go to the dentist today.

I think they might start to become suspicious if I keep canceling due to Snow.

You believe me though right?

edited to add:: you can vote for our pictures here (through Saturday) you get NOTHING if we win (picture 6) but we get another picture of us! We like to look at us. Thanks.

We had these pictures taken in October for Christmas cards and as gifts. Most of our gifts have arrived at their destinations now so no surprises lost if I post these.

They were taken by my new best friend (except for you of course!) Jenica. I’m totally in love with her, and am so happy Christmas is over so that I can hang our new family pictures up. It’s hard to keep a secret when you’re in-laws live next store. You can see the rest of our shoot here. I loved every one of the pictures. And now I love her. (don’t tell her, it might be too scary)

Happy New Year from the Stitch Family! Thanks for being a part of my life.

you can hardly tell he threw up all over me on the way to the shoot, can you?

I found my camera. In the garbage. Yeah. It fell off the sewing machine into the garbage sometime yesterday and I of course emptied the garbage and anyway, long kinda gross story later. Ouila! pictures.

and this is why I moved this out of his room, and why I moved the dresser out several weeks ago. Crazy Pants.

Moo and I left the road today, he for the first time in over three weeks, and I for the second in three days. Once you get out of our driveway the roads are clear.

Once you get off our road it dry sailing except for the occasional half melted snowman or pile of plowed snow.

Its a little bit sad.

Unless you ride with a four year old co pilot who doesn’t stop talking ever.

Moo: I love you, You’re my friend. Do I wear snowpants in the snow? Yes. But not in the summer because I am too WARM! then. That man has firewood in his truck. She is on the phone going to work. Are we going to see Santa?

Today was sort of a putz around day. Continuing to re organize the upstairs, with lots of help.

Not so much.

Scott canned some more beef stew and I realized quite suddenly that tomorrow is the end of 2008. I have a few items on my to Do list that I’d like to cross off before the new year starts.

The Christmas tree is down, but now out.

There is always tomorrow.

I’ve managed to lose the camera. Sometime today. And with it all the pictures I’ve taken since Christmas day.

It is somewhere upstairs. I think.

Typically this time of the holiday, Scott and I tend to become swirling, organizing, tossing, taking down the decorations, tree, stockings blurs. Typically, this re organizing, cleaning, putting up Christmas, to start the new year off fresh, lends itself to chaos.

For instance today. I lost the camera. Ahem. I also re organized the boys room, moving their bookshelf into my room, disassembling the shelf in my room (because otherwise it doesn’t fit down the stairs) and put things back together. Mostly.

Power tools. Grr.

And somehow I managed to get the rooms back in some semblance of order, with only one casualty (the camera) so far.

Scott built me a bench for the front hallway, canned some of his heartburn inducing ham (Zippy Hog), played some Fallout 3, hauled some firewood, made the trip to the grocery store (my car still hasn’t left the driveway-the snow plow keeps burying it farther under dirty snow) and put up with my re organizing the boys room. Because. It just didn’t work for me.

So the tree is still up, but the upstairs is straightened, I can almost use my sewing machine again, just a few more piles to go through and re distribute. The boys are all snuggled in their beds able to move through their room now even though the train table has taken up permanent residence.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow is officially take down the tree day.

And find the camera day.

Christmas has always been a magical time to visit my in law’s home, even before they were the grandparents of my children, or even before they were my in law’s.

My mother in law’s Noble Fir (always) twinkles with dancing lights and vintage Christmas ornaments, sprinkled amongst them are homemade ornaments Scott made when he was a little boy. She hangs glass snowflakes from the window, light candles fearlessly set among boughs of pine, and persistently sets up her manger scene, even though her son is sure to desecrate it when she is not looking (because he is twelve).

Every holiday her presents are wrapped up in the most sparkly paper with the brightest ribbons and bows and each gift is more than an item, it is presented with a special note ‘welcome to our family’ ‘thought this would be great in your hair’ ‘wait, who are you?’, that lets you know she wasn’t shopping at midnight on the 24th, throwing 8 boxes of yahtzee in the cart in hopes that covered the people on her shopping list, but that she was thinking of you when she picked out that jacket, necklace, toy castle (Scott’s gift circa 2003 -BK (before kids)).

In the ten years I have been invited into her magical holiday home, I’ve already come to expect, great food, beautiful decorations, and fun family gatherings. This year we are shaking things up a bit, moving Christmas morning next door (The Burrow) so as to accommodate Santa, and frankly Santa’s helpers who often overwhelm us with their generosity. We are lazy elves so if we open presents at our home, it saves Scott and I numerous trips back and forth ferrying, children, presents, and holiday wishes.

Christmas Eve will not change, I won’t give up those visits over the river and through the woods to Grandmother’s house to see her sparkling tree, and guess what’s in those pretty packages, and partake of the cranberry champagne and cinnamon pear/caramelized walnut salad. And Grandma makes those Christmas Eve’s about family, about our family, the new ones and the old ones. They are all remembered in that festive living room, by the fire, sipping bubbly drinks and gazing at the tinsel whilst holding a rambunctious two year old between your knees, because you know he’ll be, not the first in his line, but certainly the latest to take that tree to the ground, lights, ornaments and all.

People talk about the commercialism that has taken over this holiday and I hear them. They talk about taking back Christmas and making it homemade. And I embrace those ideas. I love working with my four year old on our Christmas cards, and watching him draw pictures of how his tree will look. I get a sense of accomplishment from the gifts I’ve made (not pictured here HellO!! spoiler!) and that I have to give to friends and family.

This year as the blanket of snow covers our road, our celebration becomes about our little family and less about everything else. The snow forced us to focus, we weren’t able to run out to the store for this or that, my car like the boys and I hasn’t left the driveway in almost two weeks (not really equipped for snow).

I love the traditions that my family and friends have embraced over the years. But when it comes down to it. Christmas for me? Is that festive living room, with the red rug, and the twinkly tree and my little sugarplums dancing at my feet (not too close to grandma’s tree okay?) holding the hand of the man I love and soaking up the Peace and Joy of the season as it culminates in pumpkin pie.

These pictures really don’t have anything to do with the post, but they are very much the background of our story these days. I’m not sure if my son realizes that Santa (is my best friend Mom- said very solemnly) is not actually coming tomorrow for brunch.

I know that some people are now as impressed by snow as we are here in the generally wet but not frozen Northwest. The last time we had even close to this much snow I was pregnant with Moo and it only lasted a few days, it certainly didn’t close down town like this Winter Storm has. (Close down may be a bit extreme)

We are cocooned in The Burrow, warmed by the fire, breaking out the new Chutes and Ladders game from Aunt Joy, trying to convince Wah that dinosaurs while fun and yes THEY DO SAY ROOOAR, are not in fact welcome on the game board.

Scott has gone to town for eggs, and a few last stocking stuffers, none of which we need desperately by I suspect my husband may suffer from a little bit of cabin fever but a lot of ADVENTURE MALE GENE-must venture forth into uncharted territory!

(also yada yada he lived in Northern Japan for three years he can drive in the snow yada yada yeah…yeah its not him I’m worried about)

The boys are not as anxious to rush outside today and I’m relieved as my sledding muscles are somewhat untoned and very very sore at the moment. It’s hard work being the Mama…and somewhat bruising. Ahem.

I have to admit thought that the snow has made me giddy. I coudn’t ask for a better gift than a White Christmas. This winter wonderland is something I have never seen in my twenty years in the Northwest and my four year old is living and breathing Christmas and Snow and Reindeer and Snowman.

His Christmas? Has been made by this act of nature. And what a gift that is to his Mama.

Merry Christmas

Day Five:..or is it Day Six:?

Snowed in.

Loving it.

So far we have had one power outage lasting 3 hours. And one faucet break. Roughly 11 hours without water. (super)

The boys and I haven’t left the valley since the first snow.

It’s still snowing. Which is just sort of crazy! I’m mean usually there is rain, rain and more rain here. But now it’s snow, snow and more glorious snow!

I haven’t gotten cabin fever yet, although the no water thing was a bummer. If you know what I mean. Ahem.

They are predicting possible power outages tonight. And we have power outages when the wind blows hard to the left, or the right or the rain comes down wet…so Scott is stocking up on the lamps and what not.

I’m blogging. Because you know, PRIORITIES.

So you know if you don’t hear from us, it might be because we have no power.

Or too much eggnog.

Either way …don’t worry.

Happy Holidays and wishing you warm toes!!

All the din don daaaaaaay! Well it dumped and dumped all day here. And we took advantage of it.

Moo was gung ho for the snow, throwing snowballs, making snow angels that involved rather violent falls to the ground and then a lot of thrashing about.

After his initial snow encounter, younger brother preferred the warmth of the home fire to frolicking in the white stuff, though he enjoyed the view from his favorite window

We fed some hungry birds, getting to see Robins and Blue Jays.

We even made some indoor snowman stolen courtesy of Green Jello’s blog post today. Thank you Anne!

These were super fun and easy enough for a four year old.

Is there anything that makes you feel more like a child than snow? Maybe, your children in the snow..