At home with the Wrights

I heard the alarm clock at 6:30am through two closed doors and a hallway. Shortly after it was turned off, small footsteps shuffled quietly through the hallway as "meows" grew louder and more insistent. The shuffling stopped, and the loud meowing turned into contented purrs as Aisling greeted Note with the customary morning petting. "Merry Christmas, my sweet kitty!" she whispered excitedly. She talked quietly and lovingly with Note for a few minutes, then poured the cat some breakfast. The back door opened and closed. Through my window I heard the clucking of our hens in the backyard (being let out of the coop), and Aisling greeting them with soft words of love as well as their morning chicken feed. A few minutes later, the back door opened and closed again, and small feet were quickly walking/skipping to our bedroom door. Armed with Note as an accomplice, Aisling burst through our bedroom door with a battle cry of "ATTACK!" and jumped onto our bed while...

Aisling created this beautiful gingerbread house this year, and I thought I should post pictures of it before it gets completely demolished (notice that the candy buttons are beginning to fall off...) She incorporated her love of nature (see the dragonfly roof design) with her all-around creativity. Wow!

A--Attached or Single: Very attached. B--Best friend: Only one? C--Cake or Pie: I really like both, but I mostly crave cake. D--Day of Choice: Wednesday by default. Monday and Friday have a "rushed and crazy" feeling connected with them (being the beginning and ending of the school and business week.) Tuesday and Thursday are the recovery from or beginning of the busy Monday and Friday. Saturday is spent hurriedly preparing for Sunday, and Sunday is not nearly as restful as it should be in Primary. E--Essential Item(s): A good computer, high-speed internet access, and a printer all working together in beautiful, high-tech harmony. F--Favorite Color: Blue (turquoise) G--Greatest Accomplishment: Staying married through the first five years and working through the problems instead of running away from them. H--Hometown: Hmmm...I grew up and spent most of my adult life in Utah, but now live in Louisiana. I consider anywhere my husband and daughter are as my hometown. I--Indulgen...

Evidence: 1. His walk. Like all other big cats, he saunters with an air of confidence and superiority. 2. His love of trees. Have you seen our huge live oak in our backyard? Note's climbed it 4-5 times (as many times as he's been allowed outside) without getting stuck. Also see the above pictures. Since we've put the Christmas tree up, he feels most comfortable IN the tree. And he defends his tree. (No breakable ornaments allowed this year.) 3. His roar ( or "meowish-yowl"--What did you expect? He's only a baby.) We hear this often when he's cornered, or he knows he's done something wrong. 4. His stealth and sudden power. Imagine walking down the hallway when, all of a sudden, a blur of black fur launches himself at you from out of nowhere! Aisling and I scream. Trevor laughs. With Note's front legs locked around your calf, you'd scream too.

It snowed last night! Surprise! Yes, you read me correctly. This morning a nice layer of snow blanketed cars, lawns, and rooftops. Being the non-morning person that I am, I heard Aisling exclaim about it first, and then Trevor confirm it. Where was I, you ask? Snuggled in my warm bed, of course. Although snow is a big novelty in the South (It snows about every ten years here, I'm told), we received plenty of it while living in Utah for the last 20+ years. Brrrrrrr! Later this morning, after the snow began to melt: View from our front porch looking at the neighbor's house across the street. Backyard pictures: Although the snow had melted in our backyard, look at the field behind the fence. Also, see our cute chicken coop (aka EGGPLANT)

The top 10 things (good and bad) that have happened in our family since our last post: 10. All four hens now lay eggs! Because of the limited daylight hours (aka Winter), our hens give us an average of 2 eggs a day. During the Spring and Summer, we will expect 3-4 eggs a day. Also, the eggs will increase in size as the hens continue to mature (over the next year.) We love our chickens! 9. Lafayette turned cold! 40-50 F doesn't seem bad when there is little to no humidity, but the cold quickly penetrates to your bones when the humidity is above 50%. Add a brisk wind, and it's freezing! We now wear long-sleeved shirts and socks around the house. (Next week should be warmer.) 8. The end of year Primary scramble began (i.e. Christmas activities, teacher in-service/appreciation meetings, teacher packets/materials put together for next year, room decorations, budget requests, date requests for the ward and stake calendar, etc.) Give your Primary president a hug of appreciation when y...