Looking for something to do?

I have a suggestion! Check out freerice.com. My mom and sister told me about this great site. Instead of wasting time endlessly browsing the internet, you can use your computer minutes to fight hunger and improve your vocab at the same time. Snopes says it's legit.

So log on and let me know what you think! I'm addicted already.



P.S. I'm still working on the blog design. Any suggestions or comments?

Under Construction

Please bear with me as I attempt to revamp our blog while navigating the murky waters of HTML code and digital scrapbooking. What can I say? There's still snow on the ground here and I'm looking for ways to stay busy. In the meantime, I'll post my responses to Kendra's tag:

4 "people" who email me regularly:
1. Heather
2. Jordyn
3. My favorite stores to drool over: Target, Pottery Barn, Gap
4. babycenter.com

4 places I would like to visit:
1. New York City
2. Hawaii
3. Australia
4. Kiribati

4 favorite restaurants:
1. Tia Rosa's (oh, how I miss you!)
2. Aladdin's (Just up the street. Come try their falafel!)
3. Outback
4. Anywhere that I don't have to cook or do the dishes.

4 things I am looking forward to in the coming year:
1. Stetson talking
2. Getting to play outside again (flip-flops, here I come!)
3. Summer in Arizona!
4. Fall in Cleveland. I can't wait to go apple picking again.

4 things I am not looking forward to in the coming year:
1. Winter again. I'm already dreading it!
2. Burning myself on the seatbelts in Arizona.
3. Walking the halls until Stetson's 18 months old and can go to nursery.
4. I've been thinking for ten minutes and can't think of anything else. Sorry!

Tag, you're it! Jordyn, Heather, and Missy.

Snowed In

No, we're not buried under 20 inches of snow again. I'm just finally posting pictures from last week's storm. It was quite an experience for us Arizona babies! Everything -- including church -- was canceled for the weekend. So we snuggled up and stayed inside. After the snow stopped falling and Lafe shoveled a pathway, we ventured out to play in the snow. Stetson loved it!

The good news...

Stetson and I spent one wonderful week in Arizona. The sun was so bright we had to squint for the first day we were there. How I love Arizona! We spent every morning lounging in the backyard, soaking up the Vitamin D. Everything was green and growing. Stetson loved playing with his cousins and his grandparents. He learned lots of new tricks while we were there, like waving "goodbye" and opening the back door. He became so used to going places every day that he's a little stir crazy back in Cleveland.

While we were in Arizona, we spent one morning at the Arizona Museum for Youth. They had a great Jim Henson exhibit where the kids could play with puppets. Stetson loved carrying around Elmo. Then we headed over to the Artville section, designed just for kids under 4. Stetson had a great time playing with Luke and Mason. He especially liked the slide. Stetson would slowly inch his way up the ramp, then he'd hang out at the top until I helped him slide down.

Stetson went with me to my girls' night, where I was able to hold adorable baby Gibson until Stetson started to cause a ruckus. The food was delicious! I'm still drooling over Anne's cupcakes. It was especially fun because Alyson was in town from England. Talk about good timing!

All in all, it was a great trip, if only a bit too short. I already miss family and friends, great Mexican food, and warm weather. Can't wait for summer!

...and the bad.

Stetson and I flew back to Cleveland last Tuesday. We had a short layover in Chicago, so we grabbed a bite to eat and boarded the plane. We settled in for the quick hour-long flight -- with an entire row to ourselves -- when the captain informed us that we'd have to wait to take off until the weather cleared up in Cleveland.

An hour and a half later (yes, still on the plane) we were finally told that the flight was canceled. There were no other flights going to Cleveland that night, so Stetson and I were stuck in Chicago overnight with just the diaper bag. Cheap-o Southwest kindly offered to set up cots for us in the terminal. As appealing as that sounded with a one-year-old, I decided to get a hotel. However, several other flights had been canceled before ours, so the seven hotels recommended by the airport (and with 24-hour shuttles) were all full.

By 10:00pm I was tired, frustrated, and still at the airport. Between Lafe, the Wengers and my parents, we were able to find a solution. Thanks to everyone! My parents located a hotel a little farther away with a shuttle. Stetson and I were able to shower, get some sleep, and fly out the next morning. I looked a little rough the next day (wearing a sweatshirt I bought at the airport and no makeup), but the best thing about the airport is that I definitely wasn't the worst looking one!

This little experience has taught me a few things about traveling:
1. Always carry cash. My dad tried to teach me this growing up, but it really rescued me on this trip.
2. Pack way more diapers and wipes than you think you'll need. I had exactly enough -- close call.
3. Make sure your phone is charged. But if it dies and you don't have a charger, you can ask housekeeping at the hotel for ones people have left behind. I was able to find one for my phone and charge it for the next day.
4. Plan for the worst. I ended up in Chicago with no jacket and no toiletries. I should have planned for the chance that I would get stuck in Chicago.
5. Let people help you. Between family and friends helping me find a place to stay and complete strangers helping me get Stetson, the stroller and car seat through security, I received so much help on this trip! What a relief.

I'm glad to be back in Cleveland with Lafe. Stetson and I arrived just a few days before a huge storm blew in. Those pictures on the next post!