So such snow!
This winter felt never ending to me! We had several occasions with snow and by the end of February I wanted nothing more than to see the hot sunshine! Our first winter blast came in the typical form of ice, but it was pretty and the kids were excited. Then we had real snow and lots of it blanket everything. It was beautiful. It was fun. It was exciting. But then, it happened some more, even more than expected. Lots of the thick fluffy snow that is not typical for Dallas covered our lawns. While it really looked so pretty and super bright, I realized just how glad I am to live in a typically warmer climate. Perhaps the other factors at play for me this winter (more on that here in a bit) contributed to my grumpy feelings about the snow and cold weather. But I wasn't the only one ready to move on to Spring. I think more Dallas-ites than not were pretty over it. (also, side note- most of these pics are from my Instagram... I have gotten out of the habit of using our real camera and like the ease of the iPhone for pictures!)
Our first "snow" day was really slippery ice!
Then we had real snow!
Meet Olaf!
I love this little video of Emerson and I having a snowball fight. :)
Emerson also went to her best friend's birthday party at an ice rink. It was her first time as well as Cam's first time on ice skates. Thankfully Daddy was comfortable in his skates to help them both while I stayed in the bleachers with my boot for my broken toe. I had an excuse not to skate, but had that not been the case, our poor kids would still have been much better off with their dad on the ice! :)
On Sunny and Warmer Days...
I may sound a bit dramatic... well, I suppose I am being dramatic when referring to the brutal winter we had this year. To be honest, we did have some really beautiful days sprinkled in between the cold days this winter. And when we did, we made the most of it with fun trips to the park or zoo with friends. Something about the crispness of a "warm" winter day filled with sunshine is so refreshing.
We got the kid's this fun swing set for the backyard as well. It has been so great to have!
I had known and had the thought many times that I would need to find a different preschool than the wonderful Children's Discovery Center in Plano that is part of our church by our old house. It is a 30 minute commute in the mornings with traffic at times and is not a convenient location. After our return from Christmas break I had a conference with Emerson's teachers about her readiness for kinder in the Fall and they shared their observations and what they thought she needed. I prayed and prayed and thought and thought and I knew it was time for us to find a different program for her and and preschool closer to home. I was so excited to learn about the Bent Tree Child Development Center. A full time preschool literally just minutes from the house that had an outstanding curriculum and flexibility with the scheduling. After talking with the center's director, touring the campus, observing the teachers, letting the kids try it out for a day and discussing it with the teachers there, I knew it was the right place to move the kids. While we loved their old school and the teachers there, I knew this preschool would better prepare Emerson academically for kindergarten. And Cameron seemed happy as well being the sweet little kiddo that he is. Telling Emerson and Cameron's teachers our decision to change schools was such a hard thing to do. This also meant Emerson would not be in class with her favorite friend, Ava. With huge tears in my eyes I thanked them for loving our kids and teaching them with their hearts, as I knew they truly loved and cared for them. We all cried and it was a tough good-bye, but still, I knew it was the right decision. It's just not always easy to make those decisions. And then we began our new schedule and routine with our new school. Emerson went from going MWF to Monday-Friday until 1:30. At first she was really sad to miss her old friends, but it wasn't long before she adjusted and enjoyed her new class. She especially came to like Mrs. Ricker, her teacher. What a wonderful lady she is! I so appreciate the extra time Mrs. Ricker spent working with Emerson. And Cameron, bless his heart, seemed ok with the transition until he decided he would rather just be home with me. He was always having a great time when I would pick him up, but dropping off was a different story!
The first day at Bent Tree! Emerson is with Mrs. Ricker and Cam with Ms. Stefanie
On Emerson's last day at her old school I read books to her class... talk about an emotional day!
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