Cold and snowy - but we have power!

It's been quite a week here in Kansas (and most of the Midwest). We had a terrible ice storm on Monday/Tuesday that left thousands of Saline County residents w/o power. We were lucky - ours was only off for about 24 hours and just intermittently after that. I think just about everyone has power back now, almost 7 days later. There are still some waiting for new power poles to be installed.

Our Christmas cards are (finally) in the mail, but I imagine that some of you won't get them until after Christmas -- it is only a week away, after all! Can you believe it? Where has this year gone?

Tonight I heard the funniest thing from Mali - we were saying our prayers and she said, "No, mom, no boys. Boys ucky." I said, "You don't want boys?" (A mom's relief --she's only three! But I figured she meant she didn't want to pray for boys.) So she says, "No, I don't want boys. I want a rock." Good choice baby, rocks are easier to feed. :-) She is constantly hilarious (sometimes without even trying)!

My Grampa is visiting 'til sometime after Christmas. The kids don't get to see him much, but they warmed up to him pretty quickly Sunday night. Daniel was pretty excited that he has "two Grandpas!" (He actually has three, but he can't count that high yet.) Daniel likes two of anything right now -- we joke that we should have named him Noah. :-)

Maja is happy that her kitty "Alice" has moved in the house since the ice storm. She LOVES her Alice and follows her all over the house, trying to hold her and brush her hair. This was supposed to be a temporary indoor relocation for Alice, but I have a feeling she has won herself a spot in the house. :-)

Have a very Merry Christmas!