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Cold in the Veins

The doctor asked Gavin if he likes to play in the snow. He said, “Ya, it’s lots of fun. I like sliding on ice. But sometimes I don’t like when the cold gets in my veins and it hurts so bad.”

I haven’t felt like myself this winter. I’m sure it’s a combination of a lot of things, but maybe a good way to describe the combination of weather, stress, and medication changes is “cold in the veins.”

It’s almost March and I have a million pictures languishing on my phone from Christmas and birthdays and other family fun. Since I stink at making photo books or printing pictures or backing up photos in general, but I value the memories, I’m going to throw a picture summary on here. 

Part of my solo “adventure” parking in the crime riddled NYC neighborhood of Jamaica to make a flight out of JFK airport. I wrote about scary experience in my journal. I’m happy to be safe and alive and that our car wasn’t damaged or stolen. 






I arrived home just after midnight on the 23rd after driving through heavy snow that required me pulling off the road for forty minutes to wait out the worst of it. 

Here we have our beautiful children in their grandma-made Christmas PJ’s. Can you tell the kids didn’t want me taking pictures? I insisted, but maybe the results weren’t worth the effort.


The annual “Santa Was Here” picture:

I love Brooklyn’s blanket/wrap/robe:

Emily melting Andrew’s cold veins:






Annual downtown ice sculptures and slide:





Bowling and McDonalds while the rest of the family went to the Philadelphia temple (I’m guessing Rick has a few pictures of his crew, but his pictures hide on his phone like mine hide on my phone). 







The time when we talked Andrew and Ricky into playing a board game. It devolved into inappropriate jokes about reproducing sheep:


Brooklyn helping me shovel:

Sean’s first time at the temple. We all went to Palmyra (minus Emily because she was back at BYU). It was so, so, so, cold. Andrew’s hair is frozen.


Don’t ask why they weren’t wearing coats. Gavin, Brooklyn, and I visited the visitor’s center. They let us wander around thirty minutes past closing because where else would we go? It was too cold to be outside for more than a few minutes. 

Palmyra is a cool place, but I think I’ll like it better in the summer. 





Gavin’s goals:




Sometimes I screenshot the view from our front door camera:








That’s it for Christmas and the beginning of January. I think I’ll make another post for the birthdays and other shenanigans. I hope so. I want to. Maybe when the cold leaves my veins. 







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