Brrrrrr!!!!!

January certainly made its' presence known over these past two days. We have had wind chills hovering around -35 and all schools are closed. Even the regular temperature seems to struggle reaching 0. I know I live in Wisconsin but.....Brrrrrrrr!!!

I was letting the dog out late last night....actually early this morning....at about 2:30am and everything outside was so still and silent. Even the wind chimes on my tree were frozen. The only sound to be heard was that noise you hear when the snow crunches as it settles or gets stepped on. Everything was hibernating outside...trees, grass, outside toys, the swing set, bushes, the uncovered barbecue grill, and my old flower pots....resting under mounds of frozen snow....everything was winter. Have you ever noticed that each season has its' own scent. Spring smells like rain and wet pavement.....Summer smells like warm air, fresh cut grass, and barbecue grills.....Fall smells like leaves, burning leaves, and fireplaces.....and Winter smell like cold air, pine trees, frozen metal, and snow blowers. Last night I could smell only cold....maybe all the other smells were frozen too!

As I am writing this post the kids (all home from school due to the cold weather) have transformed the living room into a giant neighborhood of tents. I posted a picture of it at the beginning of this entry but you really can't see the full extent of it. This tent village continues around the corner too. Even Kristin participated...I love how she still embraces her imagination and plays with the so called "little ones". I think she gets enjoyment out of being the foreman and landlord by telling them how to build, where to build, and the restrictions on who is allowed to live together! You know us oldest children....we always have to take the lead. For the most part they all play well together and as a mom I treasure watching them interact in a world of imagination. Now there are five but soon there will only be four....I'm sure even the idea of foreman and landlord won't even entice Kristin to "play" within a year or so. Kids grow up so fast...too fast.

A little update on Matt....He is down to only 3 more radiation treatments if you count today. He gets tired from them and a little nauseous but overall is handling them well. He has been able to continue to work through the treatments and, in fact, is at work now. God is good. Time to go and make some hot chocolate for the kids.