Finally, a snowman

Lizzie was a big fan of Spring, Summer, and Fall because she got to play outside fairly frequently.  Winter has required a bit more of an interior lifestyle for the little lady, which has not always been quite as fun.  However, she has been very fascinated with the images of snowmen that she sees.  She especially likes the carrots they have for noses.  She has asked to build a snowman fairly often, but we just hadn't  gotten it done.

Being in Michigan you would think the opportunity to build a snowman would come about fairly frequently.  On the one hand, we have plenty of snow, which is a key ingredient in snowman building.  On the other, it can get freaking cold here, often too cold for a responsible parent to take a two-year-old out in for the length of time requisite for proper snowman construction.  Between being too cold, the snow not being good packing snow, Lizzie being sick when we actually have the right snow and a reasonable temperature, and (let's be honest) her parents not wanting to go out into the Michigan winter, the stars have always been just out of alignment for Lizzie to get her much desired snowman fix. 

Until today.

When I woke up I saw that it had snowed in the night.  I actually only thought it was a light dusting, but when I went out to the car I saw that it was a couple inches.  We had previously had a good six inches of non-snowman quality snow that has lingered about, but the fresh stuff seemed promising.  I stopped in the driveway and made a snowball that actually held together.  I rolled it around and lo, it actually grew in size.  A very exciting development.  I had to get to school, but I ran to a window where Emily was and knocked so she could see the snowball.   Then I was off to school.  At school I saw Emily's facebook status: "Word is it's snowman snow out there.  Here's hoping.  Lizzie's been begging to take a carrot out and work some magic."

When I got home I saw that magic had indeed been worked:

Well done, Emily and Lizzie.

Supergirl and the piano

I really like this picture.  That is all.

That mega-snowstorm

You may recall a week and a half ago the country was put on warning for Snowmageddon, Fourth Horseman of the Snowpacolypse. We got a lot of snow, but not a life-altering amount.  In the front yard we shoveled a fairly tall pile clearing the walk.  In the back yard, clearing a path to the garage, we made a pile that was deep enough for me to jump into, but really there probably wasn't a need for Michigan State to cancel classes.

 Incidentally, it was harder than I anticipated to get out of that pile.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

I think Lizzie must have been sick when I took this picture, because normally she's not much for the cuddling/catching a nap next to Mom or Dad.  Emily's hand is covered by the pillows, but really they are in about the exact same position.

Happy Hulk

Amongst the many superhero toys Lizzie has at her disposal are a few versions of the Hulk.  Hulk is probably the superhero toy she plays with the most (but don't worry, she readily identifies Superman, Spider-Man, Batman, Wolverine, the Thing, etc. when asked).  She has also found several pictures of the Hulk amongst my comics.  Sometimes she worries that the Hulk is sad or mad all the time (which, let's face it, is a valid concern.  It's not like she's wrong).

So, I took Lizzie to the artist alley at the Michigan State University Comics Forum and we asked Guy Davis, an Eisner Award winning comic book artist, to sketch a happy Hulk.  Guy Davis is the regular artist on a series called B.P.R.D. (The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense) which features lots of monsters, so he seemed like a natural choice to draw the Hulk. He gave Hulk a bit of a Peanuts' design for Lizzie.  Here is the result:

Lizzie is also fond of The Thing from The Fantastic Four.   Marvel comic book artist Ryan Stegman was there and he drew Lizzie a sketch of the Thing with a smile, so she knows he's happy too: