oh the weather outside is

I'm sure you're all eager to know what happened to my computer.  Or maybe not. 

As it turned out Matt had a friend heading to Fargo who dropped it off for me, and two days later I got a phone call saying that everything that did not belong in the DVD drive had been removed and the drive had been replaced (still under warranty) and the computer is ready for pick up.  Woohoo.  And since my in-laws are driving down tomorrow they'll pick it up for me and in the end the whole thing was relatively painless. 

Except that I'm still sad about how angry I got.  It was a sweet experience to re-live yesterday though, as I could meet one of my daughters in her anger - with the same brother! - so I'm thankful for humbling experiences that remind me to meet my children as a co-journey-er, that God is working on both of our hearts, that neither of us consistently see the fruit of the Spirit, that both of us make poor choices. 

And my John Paul.  [Whom I sometimes call "the destroyer".]  Oh dear.  This child can take apart anything.  He is a passionate combination of smart and curious and eager and determined.  One day I hope I'll see all those traits channeled in the right direction.  In the meantime, I'm grateful that the Lord chose me to walk alongside this little boy.  And I'm more committed than ever to keeping a very watchful eye on him :) 

As far as how things are going here, well, I would like to say that it is

 cold.  

There's nothing quite like this cheery message from Accuweather

I wear my jacket and hat and gloves to take out the garbage :)  And we stay plenty warm inside. 

Julianna used her new velcro to make herself an apron.

And don't let the weather worry you too much.  These folks, they know how to make it work.  There are gobs of fun options to get out and work on using up some little people energy. 

The local gym center is quickly becoming a favorite.  My boys are getting more comfortable with each trip and this time they were so fun to watch. 

It's a blurry view :)

Bonus that I ran into not 1, not 2, but THREE people that I knew while I was there.  That's small town living for you!  I mean, I'm not even from here!  In my entire life I've probably spent less than 12 months here.  And I run into friends all the time :) 

[True confession: This used to kind of annoy me.  Actually, really annoy me.  That was back when I was "Matt's new wife" and I wasn't running into friends, I was running into people who knew me but I had no idea who they were!  This little town grows on me every time I'm here.  Today I was smiling big to have some fun, familiar adult conversation while my boys ran free.]

We ended the day with our newest Friday tradition - a trip to the local parks & rec fitness center with a fun pool, water features, super tall water slides and a lazy river.  Follow it up with pizza at Grandma and Grandpa's and it's a Friday night to enjoy. 

And then there are the milder days - even this afternoon was so nice and the snow flakes were huge, slow and beautiful to watch.  Julianna hopped in the van after school with stories of "the best recess ever" because these temps make snow play loads of fun.