the blizzard of 2011

the snow began to fall on the 1st of february. and it kept falling. all through the night as the wind blew. here is the result after 24 hours:

following in her sister's footsteps

liberated by the freedoms afforded to her at the lakehouse, isabel creates her first museum.

isabel's post-nap metamorphosis

isabel and jason have perfected the art of napping at the lakehouse.

the positive effect of a nap on a child, shown in rapid succession.

still groggy.

oh, i napped.

I NAPPED!!!

and i still have a big sister, whew.

as promised, the snowfort

construction began on this fort during the week of christmas. completion, end of january.

amalea collected lots of polar bear food in the form of icicles.

just her size!

missing: tooth

jason to amalea: "amalea, you have a tooth missing."

(repeat almost daily.)

amicalola falls in georgia

we hiked up to the highest cascading waterfall this side of the mississippi. all without our coats on :)

so steep!

and so sweet.

only the bravest should continue.

we are getting closer.

finally, we made it.

skot, christi, and tallulah our southern tour guides.

the georgia aquarium

we spent the after christmas days through the new year with skot, christi, and tallulah in georgia.

the world's largest aquarium, with the world's largest fish: the whale shark!

gasp, a whale shark!

grouper with the family. a real nice "group" photo i must say.

is amalea in the tank with that brute?

and is amalea holding a sea cucumber?

yes, it was a merry christmas!

we spent christmas at the lakehouse...let the race begin!

amalea proved difficult to photograph due to her sheer speed this year.

amalea's top likes: sing-a-ma-jigs

and techy toys.

isabel's movements were full of grace as you can see.

isabel's top likes: a bow from amalea,

an ugly doll,

and a fashion fairytale barbie.

(fashion fairytale = isabel.)

the 2 girls under the tree.