LDP LINDSAY

 Jay posed for a headshot as part of the Leadership Development Program (LDP) and I couldn't resist sharing it with you. Quite the young professional, eh?

SNOW DAY HAIR PLAY

Somebody asked me recently if I knew how to braid (pretty sure it was at the jewelry show I went to, in reference to braiding a necklace) and I said no. That's not true. I do know how to braid, I just haven't done it in many years. To see whether I could still do it from memory, and to see whether Cora has enough hair yet, we gave it a try over the snow days. On Tuesday we attempted an "Elsa" braid and on Wednesday we tried for "Anna" braids. Cora loved it so much! (Which meant that I had to give her Anna braids to wear to school this morning. Which meant we were a little late to school because I'm not very fast yet, especially with her baby fine wisps...)

(Yes, that is an "I'm so cute and I know it" shoulder hunch in the photo on the left. And no, I have no idea why she's making a grumpy face in the photo on the right. The camera comes out and she makes 3-5 random faces every single time lately...)

STEAMPUNK BUSTER

James grabbed my hand and said "Mommy, come on, you have to see this!"

DO YOU WANT TO BUILD A SNOWMAN?

We got less than an inch of snow this morning, so naturally, school was cancelled. Not work, of course. That would be too convenient. Since we heard the roads were an icy mess and there were accidents everywhere, we elected to both stay home with the kids and work from home. This worked surprisingly well for once! We played outside for an hour as soon as the kids woke up, as the snow was coming down at its heaviest, then again right after lunch for a break. In between, the kids mostly watched TV. Yup. Oh well, proposals are due SOON and Jay and I needed to work on ours.

Buster thought it was too cold to be outside...

...and so did Cora. Here she is saying "I'm COOOLD!"

Getting her gloves got her through about an hour of snow shoveling

 For some reason they thought they needed to "shovel the snow from my whole deck!"

Tasting snow (from a safe, clean spot on the frozen Sago Palm leaves)

Warming up with hot chocolate (the marshmallows were fished out and consumed immediately, even before I could grab the camera)

Drinking by the fireplace to thaw completely

Back outside after lunch to build a tiny snowman with our dusting

She said "I'm Cora and I give warm hugs!"

She abandoned the frozen outdoors for a warm bath shortly after this photo...

 It never got above 27 degrees at our house today. Wind chill had the "feels like" temperature closer to 5-10 degrees. It's not suppose to get above 38 tomorrow, so who knows what the day will bring or how the roads will be in the morning... The only bummer about today was that Cora's dance class was cancelled. Oh, and we had an awesome offer from Aunt Sandy to babysit while we attended a beer pairing dinner, but I was too scared of the roads to go out. Hopefully sometime soon! We sure appreciated the offer!!

GEORGIA DAYS

Falling asleep mid-game on the drive out to Georgia

Passing time in the car while we ran many errands on Friday

Holding baby Eli (now almost 3-months-old)

Getting groceries for Cheryl and Doug's lake house, where we stayed with Uncle Gerald

Running off some energy at ChickFilA after milkshakes while we waited for Gramma to get her hair cut and colored by Whitney

Helping Uncle Gerald move pine cones out of the driveway

Celebrating Gramma's birthday on Sunday with Mexican food and a giant cookie

Watching morning cartoons in bed at the lake house

Spinning daddy on the tire swing at Chehaw's playground

Taking a turn with the deep tissue massager on the ride home...

Reunited with Buster before the vet closed (where we boarded him)

SAYING GOODBYE TO GG

We arrived home tonight from a 5-day trip to Georgia, where we traveled to celebrate GG's life. GG had been extremely ill (bronchitis and c-diff) and in the hospital for almost a month. She had good hours and bad, but she never lost her wit or her strength to fight. She was 98-years-old and one of the strongest, most independent, and highly intelligent women I have been blessed to know in my life. She took care of herself and her house and everyone else around her up until 2 years ago when she broke her hip and had to move to a rehabilitation facility, then nursing home. When I met her 13 years ago I had no idea how well I would get to know her or how long I would have her in my life, and I am beyond grateful for the time I had with her, and for the time my kids had with her. They loved GG as much as we did, and we will all continue to love her as we miss her, think about her, and reflect on her life. The kids attended her viewing and service, and during that time (and throughout the rest of the long weekend) they provided a wonderful distraction to many family members (and also some comic relief during the saddest and tensest of moments... pictures James loudly questioning me "Why is that man YELLING?!" in reference to the Baptist preacher who led the ceremony, and "Why are these chairs hairy?" in reference to the fabric covered folding chairs at the gravesite). It was so good to see many family members this weekend as well (especially after having missed out on a Waddell family Christmas this year), and I'll upload some photos from our weekend in a separate post.

Below is GG's obituary, written by Aunt Cheryl, and in the middle here are some of my favorite photos of us with her over the past few years.

Martha Cora Priest Waddell

DAWSON - Martha Cora Priest Waddell passed away Wednesday afternoon, January 22, 2014 in Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital. Visitation will be Saturday, January 25th at 10:00 am followed by the funeral at 11:00 at Harvey Funeral Home in Dawson. Rev. Melvin Slappey will be officiating.

Born September 22, 1915, she was the daughter of Emmett and Frances Priest and the widow of Marvin Eugene Waddell, Sr. She was preceded in death by a son, Marvin Eugene Waddell, Jr. and a son-in- law, Bill Kirkpatrick. The last two years of her life she lived at Lee County Health and Rehabilitation Center where she had a wide circle of friends.

Survivors include daughter, Sara Waddell Kirkpatrick, Grayson, GA; son, Douglas (Cheryl) Waddell, Albany, GA; daughter, Jean Waddell Lindsay, Atlantic Beach, FL; son, Gerald Waddell, Warwick, GA; daughter-in- law, Beverly Waddell, Dawson, GA; and nine grandchildren, Jill (Marvin) Willis, Grayson, GA; Jonathan (Lisa) Kirkpatrick, Berlin, Germany; Stephen (Heather) Waddell, Albany, GA; Jason (Amy) Waddell, Pensacola, FL; Jamie Lindsay, Brooklyn, NY; Jay (Denise) Lindsay, Vicksburg, MS; Karen (Chad) Pritchett, Americus, GA; Kyle Waddell, Gainesville, GA; and Whitney (Ben) Rish, Sasser, GA. She is also survived by twelve great-grandchildren, Julia and Marvin Willis, Skylar and Carter Kirkpatrick, MacKenzie and Wyatt Waddell, Finnley Waddell, James and Cora Lindsay, Tanner and Kate Pritchett, and Eli Rish.

She was a dedicated homemaker who put God and family first. She made award-winning quilts and pear preserves, and was known for her dry wit. She enjoyed bingo, reading, and word searches. She was loved by all who knew her; she will be greatly missed. Those wishing to sign the online registry may do so at www.harveyfuneralhome.com.