home, sweet, home

Home, at last (more on that in a moment), after a great week with family in Colorado. The weather was great and the skiing fantastic (including a day with amazing fresh powder...and yes, we opened the lifts that day...) and we left injury free! The accommodations were superb and it was awesome to hang with the family. We ran into a couple unfortunate bumps including lost luggage (minor hiccup--delivered to our doorstep at 4am), Jonah and I with the stomach flu (a little bit larger hiccup. I'll spare you the details, but we were very thankful for a condo with a washer and dryer), and a nightmarish flight home (7ish hours in chicago...2 spent in the plane on the tarmac....did I mention that we live about 3.5 hours from o'hare? thank goodness for a well and amazingly happy child... and a play area...). Unfortunately, a combination of above events limited my picture taking a great deal (the majority of my pictures came from o'hare. 7 hours, remember?). And, anyway, it was a ski vacation--lots of staticly matted hair, oddly sun/windburned faces, and long underwear. Who really wants to see pictures?

And the views? Photos don't do them justice.

first plane ride (unfortunately, sick.)

view from our condo: not too shabby.

this would be the face he makes when you say "smile"

leaving. on a jet plane.

Tomorrow we pack up and head to Colorado for a week to ski with my family! It will be Jonah's first plane ride--so that in itself should be memorable. Packing, to go skiing (think hats, boots, gloves, coats, etc...), for three of us, on a plane, has kicked my OCD (thanks dad) into high gear. I've been listing, and laundering, and planning for a good week now. And the results?

That's right. All of us: one check bag, two carry-ons, backpack, stroller. (did I mention this was a week?!) And that small black suitcase? Ben and I are both completely packed in there (sans ski clothing). Impressed yet? (If not, you're probably not going to be). But, I feel accomplished. United won't be making money on us with their extra baggage charges and such....

I'm throwing in this picture just because it's funny.

See you next week!

love lovin'

I realize that Valentine's day is most certainly a commecialized holiday. But is there a better excuse {during the mid-February slump} to have an early breakfast at Panera, turn on Rachmaninoff {and some new over the rhine, of course}, make homemade ice cream, get late night take-out Italian, and sit by the fire with the ones you love? Probably not.

thanks for the new clothes grandpa and grandma. we really do like it, we just

weren't in the mood to wear the jacket at this particular moment...

cute picture with a valentine: fail. (non.stop.movement).

"hey, I got my new shoes on..."

ever hear of squeak me shoes?

here they are in action:

celebrating:

Baby Jones.

Saturday was spent in Wheaton seeing wonderful friends and celebrating the upcoming birthday of a new babe. The boys survived a whole day without me (but I think were glad to have me back). Can't wait to meet this new little one.

every good baby shower begins with determining the position of the baby.

so glad to finally meet this little munchkin!

littlest guest.

tu roomie

(we missed you kendal!)

the hostess

snow-torious B.I.G.

Or so the news anchor said last night--punny, no? But we are successfully hunkered down (though Ben is convinced the word blizzard might be a bit overkill for the current weather situation). I slept in while my early boys enjoyed the "snowmentum" of the storm (again, punny.) Because, why would you sleep in when you had the day off? (last sentence thickly laced with sarcasm...my husband and I are very different in the morning vs. night debate. I think I come by it rightly, though, call my grandma sometime at 1am--I bet she'll still be up...)

Regardless, we're home and cozy and treating ourselves to a little of this:

And this:

And this:

And this:

And the mailman (whose vehicle is currently being pulled out of a snow drift by another truck--kid.you.not.) just dropped off a new Anthropologie and West Elm catalog (and isn't looking at them on paper just better?). Brilliant.