The Week In Review

It's been a quiet week here in Lake Wobegon (not my hometown).

No digging out of snowdrifts or falling through ice; no surprise organ concerts or snow days.

Instead we had a full week of routine. Splendid. Our homeschool adventure is starting to jam again after a slow and difficult return from the holidays.

Perhaps some of the most exciting news was that Wombles went from this smile:

To this one:

Tuesday night, he pulled out a front tooth; the next morning he came into our room with his tooth fairy money, special colored water (a feather from her wing falls into the glass and you can her color, don't you know), and asking us to please pull out his other very loose front tooth. I couldn't, but J popped it right out. Triumph!! (also the way Wombles talks now just does me in. I love it.)

Thursday night I drove for the third week in a row to Philadelphia, where I am taking a CCEF course. Usually when I get home (it's late), J and I sit by the fire and catch up for the first time that day. This week he had to Skype into a meeting that was happening back on the West coast--but he nevertheless had a fire going for me, and a glass of wine awaiting. 

What a warm welcome!

Friday included wrapping up school for the week and heading--as we do on Fridays--to the Princeton Library. It is a marvelous place of windows and airiness and a third floor that is entirely for kids. We are getting spoiled, but I am glad that the littles are getting to enjoy a great library the way that Pixie did when we lived in South Bend and Wheaton. We also get the treat of going during the school day, and so having the whole floor nearly to ourselves. How we will miss it when we go home!

"Our" window seat, at the end of the 700's 

Saturday brought Valentine's Day, of course. For years J has taken Pixie to lunch on V-Day. This year they even found a local Thai restaurant, which is always Pixie's pick back home. Last year he added breakfast with Nutmeg to the day's agenda. It makes for a busy day for our resident Prince Charming...

Breakfast Date

Lunch Date

In the afternoon, we went in the afternoon to Pixie's last swim meet of the year. I am so proud of Pixie for sticking with it this whole season. 

Usually I might get a dinner date out of the holiday, but this year we packed up and headed north to J's sister's house in order to celebrate her birthday with her on Sunday!

Given that there was a triple threat of winter weather (snow, high winds and deep cold) we had a few concerns about driving North but ultimately decided that Saturday would be better than going Sunday morning. And going we were. No way we were going to miss it! (Unless we drove off into a snow bank on the way…but I tried to not dwell on that idea too much).

On the drive, we tuned into A Prairie Home Companion. We have won Pixie, at least, over to our ways on that one. But Lo! and behold…no Garrison Keillor hosting. When we recovered from the shock, we enjoyed it very much over the course of two states and three stations. 

Otherwise, the drive was a little dicey. The salt on the road crusted on the windshield, and the wiper fluid system froze so that we couldn't clean the windshield off very well. at all.

One of our stops with J wiping down the windshield. 

Interstate 87 north of Albany. We were following snow plows.

They had a lot of snow to plow.

When we finally turned off of the interstate onto a country highway, there was enough snow on the road that I was reminded of our honeymoon.(we went to New Hampshire in December and drove on roads very much like this. In a two-seater convertible ice skate, into Quebec to get some great French food. Only, I think those roads maybe weren't always paved.) 

We made it to our destination; it took six hours instead of four but there was a warm welcome awaiting us there. 

Sunday was Joy's fabulous birthday party; but that will deserve a post of its own!