Entering the Lap of Luxury

Well, if there was ever any doubt that Utah has real winters, skeptics only need check out this one to resolve their doubts. Today we're having the second snow storm of the week, with two more expected by Sunday. Now if this were an aberration this winter, we wouldn't have much to talk about. But it just so happens that the entire winter has been like this. This past Monday, for example, a storm blew in so quickly that there was sunshine one minute and fifteen minutes later tree branches were strewn on the ground on top of two inches of new snow. Of course Lisa happened to be on the way to the University to pick Emerson up from preschool at the time.

Which brings us to the next big piece of news (no, no new babies to report -- phew!). Last week we were able to replace our valiant, noble steed -- the 1997 Dodge Caravan which had served our family well until the last few months -- with a smokin' new ride. Now we realize that a 2003 Toyota Sienna minivan may not be what all of you lie awake at night fantasizing about (and at other points in our lives perhaps we wouldn't either), but Lisa truly dreamed of having this luxurious minivan. And now it's a reality! Please join us in welcoming "Dark Blue Rocket" (Emerson's official name for it) to the family. Lisa happened to be driving Dark Blue Rocket during the aforementioned snow storm and it performed like a champ!

And our final piece of what constitutes news in the depths of winter when children battle a seemingly never-ending series of colds and we consequently seldom leave the confines of our house: Tad grew a beard. No, not some pathetic attempt at a beard, an actual weeks-long successful man beard. In fact, it was a little too successful. Tad found himself stroking the beard constantly and loving it so much that he feared it might become his own "precious." He foresaw a life of church service that involved only scout master callings and he trembled with fear. So Tad's manly facial fur bit the dust earlier this month.