Two-Hour Delay

Fourteen inches of snow fell yesterday, so Lucy's school decided to delay opening for two hours. I told her the good news when she came to climb in bed with us at 7:00am. All four of us spent most of the next hour playing and talking and snuggling in bed until Austin had to leave. Then we got up, I took a long and lovely hot shower and so did Lucy, I made the kids a great breakfast, we sat around watching Arthur and Sid the Science Kid, read a few stories, then bundled up and went outside to play in the snow (and clean off the car) in time for school.

I think there should be a two-hour delay every day.

Montreal Thaw

Montreal was officially very cold last weekend but for some reason it didn't feel that way. Maybe it's because those Canadians all move underground for the winter -- the network of tunnels and subterranean shopping malls through the city is incredible! Or maybe it's just because they don't acknowledge the cold. Our hotel had an OUTDOOR swimming pool, open in the 30-below temps. So naturally we had to try it. My ears got a little frostbitten but it was fun. While Austin was in his law meetings, the kids and I went to the Insectarium and the Botanical Gardens. Nothing like stepping out of the biting cold into a tropical paradise!

The kids had a wonderful time -- Gavin's favorite part was splashing through the puddles created by the waterfalls.

On another note . . . Lucy's class drew pictures of their parents and this is what Lucy came up with. I guess I'm just glad she knows her parents love each other!

Deep Freeze

Yes, that thermometer does read 32 degrees below zero. It's so cold there's steam coming off the parts of the river that haven't frozen up yet. It looks like the river is on fire, which is probably not too far off the mark -- the water is about 60 degrees warmer than the surrounding air! The Hyundai reluctantly started and I got Lucy off to school, but the Corolla is dead. I'm on my way to help Austin try to jump it. Once we get the car going we're going to Montreal for the weekend -- where it's EVEN COLDER. . .

And the #1 team is . . .

OK, so maybe I am a bit of a homer, but after last night's game the championship seemed pretty clear to me.

ESPN's Rick Reilly decided even before the game. http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3815656

I should be clear here, though, that the opinions expressed are solely those of the writer (Emily) and may not reflect those of her husband or family. But I think I have Rose and James on my side -- and they should know, since they witnessed Utah's drubbing of Alabama firsthand.