OK, We Get It. It's Winter.

Well, Mother Nature made sure to let us know this weekend that winter has arrived in Michigan. Last week's chill was not enough, apparently. So now we sit with several inches of snow to drive the point home.

We spent most of the week running errands. We had parent-teacher conferences for the kids, so they got some time off of school, and Mike's fall semester ended with a holiday party and graduation. Eliza's teacher described her as "strong and independent," and Landon's teacher noted that he really enjoys doing yoga. Both are making good progress academically.

Defer Elementary's mascot, George the Dragon, has a new mural in the second floor hallway. 

Both kids had the day off from school for conferences, so they had a pajama day.

Showing off his latest LEGO rocket ship

One way to persuade your little girl to wear her PJ's: Tell her she's wearing a princess gown! 

Just a regular morning with the princess using her dad as a throne. As one of Mike's friends asked, "Why did you grow shoulders if not for climbing and sitting?" Indeed. 

Mike's work colleague Daphne gifted him this ornate snowflake. 

Mike's colleague, Bill, and their doctoral graduate, Chris

Mike's there in the front row with the U of U Red bands on his robes and taking a relaxed posture. 

Hallie and Diamond looked after Laurel and Patrick's children off and on over the weekend. To give everyone a little break, they took the kids to the local high school where the senior class was running a fundraiser comprised of holiday activities and games.

When the snow hit in earnest on Saturday, the branch leadership opted to postpone the Christmas party at church and have a "linger longer" after church on Sunday. Both Diamond and Mike spoke at church on Sunday for her homecoming, and Hallie prayed, so it was a real family affair! The after-church linger longer went well. Except for the meat, it was kind of a loaves and fishes experience. We had plenty of turkey and ham, and in the end we had enough sides for everyone, so it all worked out.