Polar Vortexing It

 

 

Greetings from the front door of the Polar Vortex. If last January didn't toughen us up...this one most certainly will. We have had a thick blanket of snow ever since Thanksgiving, and weeks upon weeks upon weeks of sub-zero temperatures with wind-chills dipping as low as the -20's. Even as I write, the snow is falling in big, boasting joyful clumps of white. Hopefully the weather should warm up enough that we can actually go outside and enjoy our knee-thigh deep snow.

 

I have been busy with schooling, chauffeuring, cooking, minimum cleaning, and my own personal reading and writing, so I haven't been keeping current on my blog. Today will be a familial review in pictures.

Here we have the right chambers of my heart; Cole and Lily. My middle schoolers spent the weekend at a Young Life camp 4 hours north of here. Lily talked about how EXCITED she was for about 10 days straight leading up to the trip. As a matter of fact, the card she made me for Valentine's Day said, "Happy Valentines Day Mom...I am so excited about my trip" (I will spare you the full caps she wrote it in)! Having gone to Young Life camps throughout High School myself,  I was happily anticipating this trip for them as well. Although their absence provided a calm and relaxing weekend with my heart's left chambers, I was not excited about the foreshadowing their absence spoke of. I am excited to celebrate their safe return in just about an hour.

 

Below are some pictures of my yard for all of my Southern friends and family:

 

 

 




WHITTY:

  I made her a picture of a Bee for Christmas. According to the laws of physics, Bee's aren't supposed to fly; yet they do. So does she.

CHEESE!!!

  

 

 The above picture was taken on the first Tuesday of February, 2014. It was her last private physical therapy session. I'm not sure if you're the type that believes in Miracles...because let me tell you, she is one. Although this road ahead is still somewhat of a mystery, I was given closure in my soul this month about my daughter...about her life. I count this victory shared with the hundreds of people who have prayed for us, encouraged us, and helped her along the way. It really does take a village...and ours is populated with some of the best people living on this planet. Cheers.

 

LILY:

This is Lily and her BFF Hanna at their Youth Group Christmas Party. I mean COME ON?!? Could they be any cuter? Lil is the best. She is all things awesome. In December she took me out to coffee one morning. In this time of non conflict I begin asking her the deep questions about her heart, her sister, this past year, and such. I tried to thank her as much as mere words would allow for her presence, her faith, her strength to me and to our family during that time. This girl is all muscle and all heart. She is hilarious and strong. I am so excited to see her enjoy all the fun and freedoms ahead of her.

Here she is making a snowMOM and her baby:

RAINBOW LOOM MUSTACHE!

OWEN:





Someone is a lover of basketball!

 Could you just eat this boy up? At the top is a picture of Owen in his snow fort...which is currently

 covered up in snow. I occasionally look with trepidation at this ex-fort hoping that I won't find a family of skunks hiding out. Owen has been working hard in school, and proving to be quite the mathematician. Owen spends his free time reading Geronimo Stilton, swinging on the ropes in the basement, dressing up and putting on shows for the family, playing with his siblings, sledding, wrestling and playing basketball. He still MELTS me with his dimples and eyes. Love him.

 COLE:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 It is just getting harder and harder to get pictures of this here Man Boy. Cole is becoming quite the comedian in his old age. Seriously, in the last 6 months his voice has become a permanent tenor, he has a stache-shadow, and his muscles are becoming "Buff Whealen" as we like to call it. What what???Cole is in drama at our local Co-op. He came home boasting about how all he had to do was be the camera man in the upcoming play...he was an add on and therefore had no lines to memorize. The next week he was humorously dejected when he explained to us that he was assigned as the understudy for EVERYONE...and the play is mainly about women in history. Heeheeheehee. Taking one for the team Colie. Whitty is Cole-obsessed and

 he loves it and indulges her constant demands of his undivided attention. It's a beautiful thing.

 

 

 

Here's My One True Love. I have to tell you; marriage is not easy, it is not glamorous and it is not a fairy tale...but what it is is of more value: enduring, consistent, sacrificial, humbling, refining, real, intimate and a refuge of comfort and strength. He still makes me belly laugh, can quote Jim Gaffigan on a dime, cooks the best omelets, he still shares interesting stories, and he always encourages me to live big. Tim is a humble and generous man, the hardest worker I know, a quality Dad, and I love him more and more every year.

 

And for the record...this picture was taken on the most difficult, cold, complex and never ending walk of my life. I felt like Laura Ingalls in a snow storm. Toughen up or ship it south sister!

 

Anyone shipping south?