A String of Purls: Pigtails, snow, and love......

I love Emma's daycare - I love walking in after a long day and seeing my beautiful little girl with pigtails - God knows I need lessons when it comes to doing this gal's hair.

I am also thankful for work - because they decided to close last Wednesday. I got up and went into the bathroom to shower as normal, and already had a text saying WPU was closed for the day (even though there was no snow yet). I was relieved and really just glad to be able to go downstairs and enjoy my coffee on the couch before Emma got up. I won't go on and on about how "it could have been me" stuck on the roads for hours trying to home and pick up Emma if I had gone to work that day...so thank you, bossman, for sparing me that traumatic event. I did take the storm warning seriously though, because it really looked like there was a chance for something white or frozen to come our way. Of course, we went to Walmart for all last minute supplies (and Valentine's goodies for Emma's classmates). "Mal-mart" is now a new word for Emma...and she yelled it the whole way there.......

The snow started falling while Emma was napping, and boy, did it come down fast and hard. After only an hour, it was really bad. We live on a hilly curve, and I knew there would be some entertainment for sure behind our house. I was secretly wishing I had a babysitter just so I could pop a bottle open, drag a lawn chair out, and just watch.... There were cars EVERYWHERE...in the middle of the road, in the ditches, trying to go up the hill, trying to go down the hill....it was really bad. I went out there a few times while she was napping to see if people needed anything, as they were just getting out and walking. I watched 3 cars come down the hill and hit the others that had been stuck...it is such an awful sounds to hear. I also gave up my Snuggie to an old lady with a walker who was walking home. Don't ask me why she was out by herself...and Brent was disappointed that we no longer owned such an iconic fashion piece...but I slept better that night knowing she at least had a thin layer of fleece goodness around her as she trekked home. Here are some snapshots from the afternoon....

A neighbor sent this to me - this is a shot that a stranger posted on facebook looking up our hill...

Brent took this on his way home...if you look close, you can see the 15 cars abandoned up the hill.

Despite the chaos, Emma loves a sled ride.

For Valentine's day, my mom came over and we made cookies, then headed out for some shopping. I decided not to go to Southpoint, as I knew it would be crazy there with people trying to escape cabin fever. We decided to head back to Chapel Hill to Puddle Baby boutique and University mall. I found Emma 4 pairs of shoes (yes....I bought my 20 month old 4 pairs of shoes...you got a problem with that?!) Granted, they were all 50% off or more....and that doesn't happen often...and she does need them. I even erred on the larger side. We got a candy orange slice at Southern Season (and I treated myself to a milkshake) and had a blast.

I made these goodies for Emma's classmates at school...partly because I am going for mom of the year, and partly because I didn't do Valentines last year and felt so dumb when Emma had gotten some treats from the other kids (mom fail)...I filled them with foam stickers, bubbles, and either bracelets for the girls or toy cars for the boys. I figured that was better than candy...since I didn't know each kid's dietary restrictions. Emma and I made foam Valentines with stickers from a kit we got at Target...which she loved doing, and I wrote each child's name on them. The picture isn't great, and they aren't Martha Stewart worthy, but I was pretty proud of myself for pulling off anything remotely close to Pinterest.

We are contemplating ripping up our downstairs carpet and doing hardwood...so we went shopping for rugs and flooring. Emma loved Capel Rugs...as I knew she would. She is a professional small rug rearranger if anyone needs one.....
An, if you need rugs, Capel has great deals. We bought 2 rugs for the living room and are currently fighting it out to see which one wins (personally, I don't think Brent stands a chance on this one....)

She is getting so big lately. Last night, when we got home, she climbed up to the dining table and sat there while I (we) ate a bowl of cereal (my snack of choice). It's amazing how they really do change overnight - all of a sudden you notice them doing things you hadn't before. And, again, please notice her pigtails - stop. the. cuteness. right. now.