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Last week was the EPIC (my kids' favorite word) winter storm of 2011.  4 days of cancelled school.  Thick sheets of ice and then 6 inches of snow piled on top by Friday.  Temperatures below freezing for days on end and rolling blackouts across the state.  Even our hot tub pipes froze (the freeze protection built-in wasn't fast enough).  Quite a week!  And then on top of that, we had one more snow day this week (yesterday) and a delayed start this morning.  Our kids are getting their fair share of off-days and it's actually been kind of nice because we get lots of projects done.  Here's a look at just a few of our winter activities:

Tuesday, February 1st – watercolor snowflakes out of coffee filters, games and cub scout requirements

Wednesday, February 2nd – we clean, clean, clean the whole house – mean mommy!  By afternoon I am desperate to get out of the house so me and the big boys piled on clothes and walked to Kroger for hot chocolate and peanut butter (we were out!) and Redbox movies.  Junior Monopoly with Derek to close out the evening.

Thursday, February 3rd – Derek takes us all to lunch at On-the-Border and we're one of only a handful of people there for the lunch crowd.  We also get worms for Lizzie the Lizard who is starting to moan from her cage because she's hungry.  I venture out on my own to take the boys to piano lessons and am surprised by how much I enjoy the feeling of skidding on ice in the truck. 🙂

Friday, February 4th – we wake up to another wonderland of winter.  We go on a hike through the snow-covered street and the boys play almost all day in the snow.  I carry samuel piggy-back back from the neighbor's and FALL on the ice (poor kid – poor mommy).  Derek takes the kids to the church to play basketball.

Wednesday, February 9th - we make all of the kids' Valentine's (including cute rocket ships for Caleb) and Caleb does his Valentine's box.  bedrooms clean.  uil spelling practice tests done and piano theory practice tests accomplished.

Lots of fun time and fun memories.  Indoor winter activities are good for families I've decided – it's bonding time.  Thank goodness for winter!

 
We played games.

 
We read books (Jacob started the Harry Potter series).

 
Lots and lots of books! (J & C with Calvin and Hobbes)

 
We slipped and we slided (Samuel on a chair mat headed down the driveway).

 
We slept lazily (ahem, Maggie).

And we played…
 
Poor Samuel has no rubber boots (I can't find any in the local stores!) so we duck-taped ziplock bags to his poor feet – and I might add, it worked pretty good (we're soooo Texan).

It's now 4:59 am. I'm sitting in the car in 38 degree temps at a local Methodist church.

Wha??

There are 2 slots left in a preschool class that I really want Samuel to be in next year. I had heard crazy rumors from my neighbors of people getting here at 4:30 am to wait in line. Now I'm one of them.

Funny thing is… I'm the ONLY one. Sitting in this empty parking lot by my lonesome. Drove in and felt 2 things (ok maybe 3): 1- smug (I might have hollered). 2- relieved, I think I got Sam a spot! 3- completely stupid! I'm one of THEM – a crazy mother who fell for it!

Good thing I brought something to eat and read. 🙂

ETA: I got my spot!!  I was number #1.  And people started showing up in the 5 o'clock hour…including 3 cute neighbors.  Lots of chatting and laughing.  And I made new friends too.  Happy to have a solid spot for Samuel on the days, T/Th (and price!) that I wanted.  Mission accomplished.  Now I need a nap. 🙂

Our snow day project – coffee filters with colorful marker designs, sprayed with water, left to dry, then folded and cut with snowflake designs. Voilà! Fun for all!

How cool is this?!

My brother Michael and his wife Olivia are having a precious baby boy in April – Reid Michael Robinson is his name.  Look at this sweet face!
 
 
And my other brother Mark and his wife Anne are ALSO having a baby boy (they told us last night) at the end of June.  His name is TBD.  But look at this adorable face!

 

Seriously, could this be any funner (I ignore the fact that funner is not a real word)?  We're going to have a Robinson/Smith basketball team!  I can't wait to snuggle my new nephews and spoil them just like a good Aunt Mer should.

The Texas Half was around White Rock Lake – starting and ending at Winfrey Point.  The weather was IDEAL with a low in the 40s and a high in the 70s.  Dana and Shirlene and I all accomplished our personal goals for the run.  And we had the sweetest cheering section looking for us along the way – miles 5, 9 and the finish.  We have the best husbands!  And having the kids run with us made my heart melt.  In fact at the very end when I turned a corner and had about .10 of a mile to the finish (all uphill) I was dying…and my sweet Jacob was there ready to run with me and encourage me, it was exactly what I needed.  Then Caleb, Megan and Lexi joined us too.  So fun.

 
Shirlene, Dana and I before the race - 8 am start time

 

 

My official time was 2:27.03.  Definitely not fast, but an average of 11.30 minutes per mile, which for me is good since in training I averaged 12 mins/mile.  It allowed me to walk every once in a while for a minute or two.

Dear Jacob, Caleb and Samuel:

Many years ago (in high school) your mom was an athlete.  As in – she played a sport for every season.  She wasn't the star of any one thing, but she was decent enough to play and contribute.  Then in college, she was less of an athlete and very much a hard-working student.  But when she could find the time she would go on long runs through the rural parts of central texas and enjoy the wildflowers and beauties around her. 

Then she became a mother.  Athlete was far from her mind.  And young motherhood was enough to keep her busy on its own.  Up and down, here and there, it was enough of a workout at the time.  She always set physical activity goals, but never seemed to make them a priority enough to meet them, which often left her disappointed in herself.

In 2007, 2008 and 2009 she wrote down a goal, "Run a half marathon".  But quickly dismissed it as another goal on paper that wouldn't become a reality.  She even cheered from afar as your dad ran one.  But late last year she got to see the New York marathon and cheer for a friend who ran it and it brought back those feelings of "athlete" in her that had many years ago been buried. 

In September, friends from her ward had decided to train for a half marathon in January…she was excited to think that she could join them.  But slowly each of them backed out for a variety of reasons, and she questioned her own abilities to continue training on her own.  But after the NY marathon, she was able to convince her running friends Dana and Shirlene to register and give it a try (it didn't take much persuading as her friends were already great runners and goal-oriented anyway).  Having others working at the same goal (and encouraging each other) gave her enough "umph" to stick with it herself. 

Sometime mid-December she came home from a training run of 6 miles and said to your dad "I can't do this – it's just too hard – I'll never get to 13 miles".  And once again she felt dejected.  But she remembered all the times she had failed at athletic goals, and resolved that THIS time would be different no matter how hard.  And she pleaded with God to help her – to "consecrate her performance" (and her efforts) for good.  See 2 Nephi 32:9

And He did – as He always does when we ask sincerely for help with righteous endeavors.  He helped her.  And He'll help you as you set worthy goals and work hard to reach them.  He expects us to "confess His hand in all things" (D&C 59:21) and your mom does "acknowledge Him" (Proverbs 3:6) in this and all others things in her life.

On Saturday she ran her half marathon.  She wasn't the fastest.  It wasn't easy.  She didn't even run the whole thing.  But she did move her body for 2 and 1/2 hours.  She did finish with a smile.  And she is now able to say "I did it".

You will sometimes have setbacks and disappointments when you set goals.  But I hope you will remember this story and recognize that "hard work does pay off" and that "you can do hard things".  Your mom is someone who likes winning and believes that sometimes it is important to "win the game" (you probably have some of those competitive genes in your blood) BUT she has learned that sometimes it is enough JUST to PLAY the game.

 

I looked at the forecast tonight and saw one thing – TENDER mercy.  Me and Shirlene and Dana have been working hard to prepare for our half marathon coming up on Saturday and extreme cold/snow/rain/etc. are NOT condusive to a successful half…at all. 

 

Let's examine for a moment the beauty of Saturday with it's 71 degree high and (even better) 43 degree low (we start the race at 8 am).  Now let's move to the other end of the 7-day and notice the wintry mix and the BLANK BLUE SQUARE.  I've never seen that – some may think that's a typo or glitch in the system.  I think it probably means "so cold, we can't talk about it!" OR maybe "colder than our TX thermometers measure!". 

But regardless, I am thankful.  It didn't have to go "our" way – but I'm grateful it did. 

Hello – my name is Meredith and I have an addiction to Period Dramas.  (No – not public displays of affection!).  I need to be in Period Dramas Anonymous.

I am addic-ted.

PBS Masterpiece Classics and those like it.

Emma.  Persusasion.  Cranford.  Return to Cranford.  Larkrise to Candleford.  Downton Abbey. 

Seriously – I could watch them everyday (and I almost do between 9-10:30 pm).  And I keep anticipating that my doorbell will ring and my "callers" will be ready to sit in my parlor for tea (between 12 and 3, but only every 3rd day because more than that would be blasphemous).  And I half expect Derek to show up to dinner in a tuxedo.  And I keep hoping the post will come bringing hand-written letters with extravagantly cursive writing. 

I have a serious problem.

Derek thinks I am starting to sound British.  

When my dad was in the hospital over Thanksgiving he requested his Bose speakers so he could listen to his Ipod in his hospital room.  I may or may not have hinted a few times that I thought they were really cool and that I would enjoy having a set of my own (I'm shameless, truly).  So he and Christy indulged us and bought us this little beauty for Christmas.  It now sits in my kitchen and we listen to my Iphone music all the time.  I love having the music on, but what I love even more is that now the kitchen has become a dance floor.  The kids love to dance to my upbeat "running" music.  Watching my kids dance – now that's a gift that is priceless!

 

This guy is calling it quits after 25 years:

Kind of fun to say we've seen him in person – and in his last season!