Snow Days ...

... they're not all they're cracked up to be.

Coming from So. California, where there is no such thing as a "snow day," it's always interesting to experience one here in Kentucky. And the last 24 hours have been especially interesting.

We received a few inches of snow early Tuesday morning so I (Seth) got to stay home from work. By the end of the day, it was no longer snow that was falling but freezing rain ... on top of the few inches of snow. A recipe for disaster.

Sure enough, the power went out last night around 9pm, which means that the furnace didn't work either. For the rest of the evening we had the delightful experience of lighting candles, bundling up, and listening to transformers blow and tree limbs snap all over the neighborhood. (The freezing rain had covered the trees in a coat of ice and the weight of the ice was snapping large branches off.) With several trees located next to our house and an occasional flash of light from a transformer exploding, it was about as relaxing as sleeping in a WWII foxhole.

Around 4:30am, the kids woke up because they were cold. (They had crawled out from under the blankets we had heaped over them.) So I covered up Benj again and took Talia back to sleep in our bed. Five minutes later, one of the large branches over our house crashed on top of the roof and scared us all half to death. After I checked to make sure we were all okay, I trudged outside and walked around the house. Fortunately the branch didn’t seem to have caused any damage to the house, but another tree was leaning threateningly towards the end of the house where the bedrooms are. So I got the blow-up mattress out of the shed and we all camped out in the living room.

Needless to say we couldn’t stay there another night and with thousands and thousands of people without power (a newspaper article today stated that over 500,000 homes and businesses in the region are out), we figured it will probably be days before it is back up. It was so cold in the house this morning that at one point I could see Kiersten's breath while we were sitting at the kitchen table! We don’t even have a fireplace to heat the house the old fashioned way. So in the end we decided to go down to Nashville to stay with my sister.

It only took me 4 hours to get my car out of our driveway (a long driveway that slopes up to the street). The car was covered with about 5 or 6 inches of snow and ice. It was basically a large ice cube. Once the car was thawed out, I then had to deal with the driveway. After several failed attempts of simply driving on top of the snow, I eventually had to shovel the whole driveway. But once we got on the road it was pretty smooth sailing, even though it was an eerie drive with downed branches and even whole trees on either side of the freeway.

We're all now safe and warm in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. But who knows when we will be able to get back home?

Maybe the school will give me an extension on the dissertation deadline. Now that would be a nice "snow day."

(We'll post pictures sometime in the near future.)

All kinds of prayers and requests

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests." (Eph. 6:18a)

Tonight, as he was going to bed, Benjamin prayed:

"Dear Jesus, please help Daddy be happy and please help Mama be safe. T'ank you Ta-ya go to sleep and no talking. T'ank you Benjamin--Daddy say 'be q'iet' and I be q'iet. And t'ank you for Baby have jammies and clothes. Amen."

Just had to share the preciousness. :)

Lately...

I've been rather silent over the past few weeks. That is because our family is currently in "survival mode" as we are all working together to help Seth achieve graduation in May. If you keep up with this blog you will know that Seth is in the final stage of completing the requirements for his PhD--writing his dissertation. Currently, the deadline for his defense draft is just over 2 weeks away and he is working ceaselessly to meet this expectation. We are all anxious (even the kids, though they can't articulate it) for him to be able to put school behind him. As you think of us, please pray with us that God will enable Seth to get his dissertation wrapped up successfully within the next 2 weeks. See you on the flip side. :)

Norlander Family Reunion (Texas-style)

A few days after Christmas I was able to take the kiddos and join my parents, siblings, and nieces/nephews in Bryan, Texas. (Unfortunately, Seth had to stay home to work on his dissertation, but he got a lot done while we were gone.) The kids especially enjoyed getting acquainted with their cousins Nathaniel and Cleo, whom they had not yet met. Memorable family activities included: playing multi-generational kickball, shooting off fireworks on New Year's Eve (Benjamin LOVED this--talked about it for days...), seeing a huge "Christmas in the Park" lights display, and all 10 of us out-of-towners departing on the same flight for Dallas.

Benj, Talia, and cousin Cleo watching VeggieTales
Cousin Audrey Mae reads to Benj

Talia loves having Cleo's undivided attention
Auntie Coryn gives Talia her first haircut

Benj & Cleo play with their masterpiece train track (notice in the background it goes all the way underneath the table)
Cleo, Talia, Mima, and Benj take a walk in the park
Benj, Cleo, and Talia at the Bryan Children's Museum

Christmas in January

We were privileged to have Seth's parents with us for Christmas this year. We had a wonderful, relaxing time just being together.

Talia's Christmas
Talia was able to understand so much more this year. It was sweet to observe her singing Christmas carols (her favorites were: "Way a Manger" [Away in a Manger], and "A'gels H-Hi" [Angels We Have Heard on High]), telling the Christmas story, and getting excited over her gifts. Talia's vocabulary increased greatly over the Christmas season to include such jewels as: "snow ma'am" (snow man), "kismas tee" (Christmas tree), "cookies!," "Sa'ta" (Santa), and "pehsents" (presents). As mother and daughter we embarked on a new adventure this Christmas season--baking together. She helped me with several batches of Christmas cookies, at various times, and loved every minute of it.

Here are some of Talia's fun Christmas moments:

Talia carefully cuts out a gingerbread girl (the apron used to be mine when I was little)

More necklaces! Santa really knows what little girls want in their stockings :)

Benjamin gave Talia her very own pink princess cell phone

Talia displays her maternal instincts :) She's going to be thrilled to have a real baby to love in a few months!

She loved what we thought was going to be the "boring" Christmas gift--a crib mattress so she can move up into the full-size crib instead of the mini crib she's been sleeping in for the last 2 years. She is thrilled with her "new bed."

Benjamin's Christmas
Benjamin thoroughly enjoyed the Christmas season this year. He loved listening to Christmas music. His favorite CD's were: "VeggieTales Ch'istmas," "Angels Her' on High" (a kids Christmas album my mom sent--named by Benj for it's first song), and "Baby Einstein Ch'istmas one" (a very pleasant collection of well-orchestrated Christmas carols). He also rekindled his fascination with Christmas lights and was constantly reminding me to keep every string throughout the house plugged in. Candy canes were a new discovery for Benjamin this year. Being one of the only Christmas "treats" he could have, he requested them with great frequency (and received them with less frequency). He also helped me make some rice krispie treats with special Christmas sprinkles.

And some sweet Benjamin pics:

Benjamin singing with Mamacita at bedtime on Christmas Eve

The first gift Benjamin opened (because it had candy cane wrapping paper) was this "computer." We had a hard time dragging him away to open the rest of his gifts, which is partially why it took us 2 hours to open everything on Christmas morning. :)

Benjamin and Daddy race Lego animals on a Lego car. What fun!

Benjamin helps Mamacita and Papo open their gift from the kids--a photo collage featuring themselves with Benj & Tali.

Benj is enthralled with a poem from The Complete Tales and Poems of Winnie the Pooh, a gift from "Big Papa" and "GG" (my mom's parents)