Who needs toys . . .

. . . when you have laundry baskets?!

Abby and Katie entertained themselves this way for a good, long time on Sunday, pretending the carpet was water and the laundry basket was a boat. I got to take a ride in the boat too, which might have been pretty comfortable if I were three feet shorter! Abby is constantly in "let's pretend" mode these days, so I'm never quite sure which character I'm supposed to be at any given moment: Strawberry Shortcake? Cinderella? Big Sister? Those are my most common assignments, with Abby as Gingersnap, Princess Jasmine, or The Mother. She sure keeps us on our toes!

Katie's First Steps

Little Katie has begun toddling around, and it's adorable! Here's my first attempt at posting a video on our blog; I hope it goes well . . .

I LOVE her little giggle at the end!

Snow . . . and More Snow!

Apparently, last week's snowstorm was the storm of the decade for Spokane. School was closed for the whole week, church was canceled . . . the town basically shut down. Things are back up and running now, but many of the roads are still ice sheets full of icy potholes! I've gained a new appreciation for the snow removal crews in Salt Lake. Here they don't use any salt on the roads, so I think these potholey ice sheets are here to stay until spring.

Here is a snow bank in our parking lot . . . almost as tall as Luke:Here is another one that towers over Abby.While we've been "snowbound" inside . . . . . . Katie has enjoyed hiding in this little spot between her crib and the rocking chair to read books.

. . . Abby has spent hours and hours drawing, writing, and coloring. (She's getting so good at writing the letters of the alphabet! It's fun to see her excitement about writing.)

. . . there have been moments of war and moments of peace alike.

. . . I've tried to keep up with the laundry, but have often been foiled in my attempts. (I've got a little more help than I can handle!)