Paging Mr. Sun

Umm ya so remember how last week I was so excited about the signs of spring? Well then it went and snowed. Again. In March.

And while I am a huge fan of snow at some point it just gets old. Bring on the sunshine!!

Alan's Birthday in Photos: Part 1

As part of Alan's 29th birthday celebration, Ly+Alan hopped in the car and drove to one of their favorite Virginian hangouts - Shenandoah National Park. Ly was excited because it just snowed and she loves the snow. Alan was excited because he did not have to study. So really it was a win-win situation.

With Christmas music softly playing (it is November, after all), hot chocolate, and of course Ly's cross stitch, the drive up was relaxing.

Once they actually reached the park, the snow was gorgeous. There is just something peaceful about freshly fallen snow.

Happy 29th Birthday Alan! Here's to the best year yet!

Snow!!

It has finally snowed in Richmond!!

Ly is over the moon because she has been waiting for a snowstorm for almost 2 years.

But this morning it started snowing and it hasn't stopped since. By this evening there was enough snow for Ly to convince Alan to take a break from studying long enough to go play in the snow. And boy is Alan glad he did. They had a great time. Alan especially enjoyed throwing Ly into the snow while Ly enjoyed "helping" Alan build a snowman. This was only Ly's second time building a snowman (the first being with her Dad at the Jefferson Memorial in DC) and she loves the stick arms.

Here's hoping the snow continues to fall and they cancel Alan's classes tomorrow. Then he'd have an entire day at home! :)

Spontaneous Snow Fight with Dad

For your viewing pleasure:



We especially like the part when Lyanna adds snow to her snowball to make sure it is bigger than her dad's

Snow Day!

Due to the blizzard of 2009 (as the news people are calling it) the schools and all federal buildings were closed yesterday...yay for snow days! Poor Alan had to go in to work for a little bit to feed his cells (apparently those little buggers don't care if it is a snow day or not) but after he got back the fun began. Ly desperately wanted to go play in the snow again but was overruled by Alan and her dad. Instead they took a much needed trip to Costco, went to the movies, and went on a search for some geese.

Apparently everyone else decided to use their snow day to visit Costco because it was a madhouse. About an hour or so later, Ly+Alan left Costco with their wallets significantly lighter and their arms full of groceries and holiday goodies.

Next stop was the movies. For weeks Ly has been talking about seeing the Princess and the Frog. So she convinced her dad if he gave up his desire to go see Avatar then he wouldn't need to give up his man card while watching the princess movie. Being the awesome dad that he is, Ly's dad agreed (the man has seen twilight after all) The Princess and the Frog was sooo good! Ly loved every second of it and would go see it again...it isn't wall-e worthy, but still one she'd like to own for her collection. Ly's dad, on the other hand, thought differently as he fell asleep during the movie. Oh well you can't win them all. After the movies Ly+Alan took Ly's dad to their favorite Mexican place for some happy hour extravaganzas. Ly's dad enjoyed his beer while Ly enjoyed her nachos.

They also found some geese and Ly was so excited because Alan had told her that the geese left because of the snow storm. They didn't have anything to eat here in the 2 feet of snow Alan reasoned and convinced her (with the help of her dad) that the geese flew to Pennsylvania. Ly proved them both wrong, however, when she sighted a huge family of geese outside the movie theater. The geese were skating on the frozen pond and enjoying some quality family time - because that's what everyone does this time of year, obviously.

Snowy Sunday in DC

After our awesome Saturday full of snow, Ly + Alan (and Ly's dad) decided to venture out of the house and visit downtown DC. A ton of fun was had by all, however for Ly one of the best parts was preparing to leave the house. First they needed to dig out their car out of the snow...and Ly enjoyed it so much she even helped the neighbors dig their cars out too. Ly's dad loved the snow too (obviously).

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow

This morning Alan + Ly awoke to the sound of Alan's cell phone announcing "blizzard conditions" for the DC area. Very excited, Ly rushed to wake her dad and announced her brilliant plan of going to play in the snow at her school. Thus, Alan got their snow clothes from the garage and before you can say jingle bells Ly, Alan, and Ly's dad were decked out in snow gear (complete with snow boots) and ready for a morning of fun. There was so much snow on the ground that it went up to Ly's knees! Ly loved the opportunity to play with her dad (and Alan too) in the snow -- they made snow angels, threw snowballs (one hit her dad in the face and bounced off his head), slid down slides, buried one another, and even tunneled through the snow.







Upon returning from the escapades in the snow, everyone agreed to spend the rest of the day inside - the roads were not cleared very well and businesses had started to close by noon. Once everyone was toasty warm and wearing pjs, we made chocolate covered pretzels, watched some movies, and played lots of cards.





**Some of the pictures are taken by cell phone so please excuse the poor quality**

Wintery Weather Warnings

Last night, Ly + Alan picked up Ly's dad from the airport for his three week extravaganza to visit the Lee family and help with Ly's upcoming surgery. Ly has been busily planning for his trip and created an itinerary that included items such as visiting Philly, seeing Shenandoah National Park, seeing the pandas, and lots of holiday activities. Those plans, however, might need to be changed given the fact that this evening it started to snow...and if one is to believe the weatherman then we are expecting a record breaking 24 inches of continuous snowfall by Sunday morning.

Ly's dad is unable to contain his excitement about the snow - it's the first time he's seen it since he was a kid in Pennsylvania. In fact, he is so excited that he has text messaged everyone (including Ly) photographs of the snow and mentioned the following things on more than one occasion:

1. I told you I would need some snow boots
2. Look, it's still snowing
3. When I was a kid on the farm.....

Here's hoping the weatherman is right -- Ly's dad (and Ly) would be very excited.

Christmas Tree Quest 2008

With the dawn of December, the Lee's annual Christmas Tree Quest 2008 began. At first there were a few inquiries into whether or not such a quest was plausible given the fact that in the middle of the month, Ly and Alan would leave the chilly east coast for a wonderfully delightful (and warm) Christmas on the west coast. After much thought (and with a lot of protesting from a certain Christmas-loving member of the family), Ly and Alan embarked on their journey anyway.

One blistery cold afternoon, the two bundled up and began their search. Luckily it did not take long before they settled on a lovely 7 foot tall Douglas Fir. With much excitement, they brought it home, decorated it with Christmas carols playing in the background, and the smell of homemade chocolate chip cookies filling the house. As they sat back to admire their work with the fire blazing, Alan noticed that it was snowing outside - the first snowfall of the year. What a perfect end to a perfect day.