snowzilla.

I was absolutely ecstatic when I received a snowblower this past Christmas, like geeking out happy. I am a lover of all things practical and a snowblower falls squarely into that category. See?

First snowstorm of the winter and wouldn't you know, thirty inches of snow. Look at all of this!

That ten inch snowblower had more than its work cut out for it! With a perfectly honed system of knocking snow down with a shovel and blowing it away, we cleared our driveway in about three hours. Not too shabby since we're not used to getting nearly that much snow here!

It took a bit for Nate to warm up to being outside and, heaven forbid, for snow to get inside a sleeve, hood, glove, etc. and there were a few "moments" ...

But on to the fun stuff! Snowman making, sledding, and general outside fun!

Winter finally came, all at once! :)

nathan-isms, vol. 11.

He's never at a loss for words, that's for sure!

When seeing the bag of candy for trick-or-treaters...
N: For me?! Mom, I love it!!

When playing with some other kids at the library...
N: Let's meet here every week. Can we be library best friends?
Other Kids: Yeah!

During story time before bed, one of the books made me tear up ...
N: [in the sweetest little voice] Don't worry Mom, I can wipe away your tears.
Me: Aww! You're so sweet!
N: [muttering under his breath] Yeah ... I feel like the parent now.

Because we love watching 'Inside Out'...
N: I'm Sadness. Pull me!

My kiddo is up on all of the lingo ... 
Me: You are using excellent manners today!
N: Thanks. I'm kind of nailing it.

After calming down a tearful tantrum ... 
Me: Do you feel better?
N: No, I'm still frustrated ... and ...
Me: And what?
N: Plotting my revenge.

After telling Nate about the Christmas parade and a play date this weekend ... 
N: I'm going to have a new core memory and it's going to be a Joy one!

Preschool "art" ... 
N: It's a finger pointing to an airplane! [demonstrates pointer finger]

When Nathan pulls one over on his grandparents ... 
N: I always get a bowl of ice cream with my Honey Nut Cheerios for breakfast!

The backhanded compliment ... 
N: Mom, are you old?
Me: Umm...not too old. I'm 31.
N: Well, your face is still smooth and [with a scrutinizing look] you still have all your teeth. It's not that bad yet.

The unintentional non-sequitur...
Me: I'm kind of ashamed to admit that I have a Justin Bieber song stuck in my head.
N: I know a song about beavers! [continues to sing about beavers for ten minutes]