Temporary relief from The Winter Blues

What have we been doing since Christmas? Well, the weather got considerably warmer in the two days after Christmas, so we raked a few leaves and made a pile for the kids to jump in before we burned them (the leaves, not the kids). Merrilee was disappointed that this fall was so rainy and she never got to play in the leaves, so Saturday was the day. The kids had a blast, my camera got a workout, and my garden got a bit neater without all the leaves in it. Once Daddy got the fire going we grabbed a bag of Campfire marshmallows and enjoyed a few.

Sunday Jay headed back to SC, but it was warm enough for the kids and I to hit the beach for a little while. We had a picnic and hung out there and then played on the playground until the clouds started coming in. Three days of lovely fall temps were just enough to put the wind back in our sails.

Unfortunately, all of us have come down with one form or another of cold virus. The kids have been coughing for over a week, Jay and I have had stuffy heads, and I even had a stomach virus on top of that. I hope all of this is over and we're better before we head out next Wednesday. The kids seem to be doing better and didn't wake us up with coughing this morning, but we're all still a bit sniffly.

The weather is no longer autumnal. We had some snow and sleet this morning, and the driveway was slushy. But after half and hour of teasing snow, it turned to rain and was just dreary. And now the sun is out. Just weird. And cold. I hope we do get at least one good snow this winter, but hope it doesn't interfere with our travel plans or Katie Mei's medical needs.

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend. Stay cozy.

Love,

Petrie