I guess living on the side of the mountain we could expect to wake up to a crapload (and actual measurement, by the way) of snow this morning. We came home from a family date last night to 3 inches of snow at our house. Only then did we realize that our steep driveway might be a problem in the winter. Oops. Once S shoveled a path for our car and luckily we got into the garage without any further incident.

Snow at our new home feels so much more magical. As we looked out over our backyard last night it literally felt like we were the only home for miles. Oddly, I think I'm ready for winter this year. Bean is too. We kept trying to keep her head covered last night but she just wanted to throw her head back and catch snowflakes on her tongue. Magical.

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S has been busily working to two-tone the paint in our home. It has made such a difference. I'll post some pictures when it's all done. We are also getting some custom built furniture installed in our front room in the next few months for our tv and such. I also hung up Bean's name in her room yesterday. So we are slowly getting there.

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Part of our date last night included heading over to B&N so I could register my nook. (We don't have a router. Yet.) So far I am not missing the feeling of turning pages in a book AT ALL. It's almost easier to read. I felt like kind of a dork asking the lady at the information desk at B&N how to access the county library system (seeing as in they are in the business of selling books) but she was really nice and gave me a quick tutorial. I checked out my first e-book in less than half-an-hour including the time it took to download the reader program onto our computer. So my review thus far, in case anyone is interested, is very positive. You should try one for yourself!

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We had our family pictures taken again this year by these guys. They are so talented and I'm really happy with how they turned out.

It started off as an idea to just have Bean's 1 year pictures done with a few shots of her in her Halloween costume. Then S had the idea of wearing his class A uniform and getting a few shots with her. Then I decided I wanted to be in the pictures as well! I was amazed when I compared these pictures to the ones of Bean last spring at Temple Square to see how much she had grown.

2-9

I celebrated my birthday on Monday. It was raining when I woke up which might put some people in a bad mood but I absolutely loved it. S came home from work and took Bean so that I could enjoy a nice relaxing bath (first time I've ever used the tub in our new house...what took me so long?!)

Possibly the best part of my day was when S took Bean out to do some "secret shopping" and I was left home. All alone. I cranked up Pandora and broke out my scrapbooking supplies. It was so great! It's not that I don't love being home with Bean and S but, well, it can be a little distracting at times. Especially since Bean's newest game involves hiding my supplies in places known only to her. (Example: I found my embossing pen in the laundry room. ???)

I had to go see my neurologist and the dentist that day. Yup, I'll probably not schedule Dr.'s appointments on my birthday again. That was sort of depressing. But sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. By the way I had no cavities! Well, at least I didn't before all of the birthday cake I've been putting away this week.

My mom cooked the annual birthday dinner for me again. I absolutely can't wait for it every year. And every year it is just as good as I remembered it the year before. Bean missed out on the party. Being gone all day meant her naptime fell just around dinner time. I actually really missed her. Dinner is not as lively without her around.

And what would birthdays be without PRESENTS?!

My parents took me shopping to pick out a new watch. The last two I've had have died within a couple of years so hopefully this one will last me for just a little bit longer!

Bean got me this (S says she picked it out herself):

And S got me this:

The Nook is a heated topic. It seems either people love or hate the idea of an e-reader. I was very skeptical at first but after a coworker (who brings hers to work every night) told me about hers (...and after I realized you can access the county library with them) the idea became much more intriguing. This particular version (the Nook color) allows you to download children's interactive books and it has Pandora which I am super excited about. It hasn't been released yet so I should get it in a couple of weeks. Also, I'm a little technologically handicap so we'll see how it goes. And to go with this S's parents got me a B&N giftcard which I am trying my hardest to not use to buy books for Bean :)

So while I had a pretty good day, it was a little bittersweet at the same time because you can only go one place from turning 29 and that is turning 30. I might have a countdown going, but I'm trying hard not to dwell on it. Another coworker told me that her sister had a hard time with her 30th birthday so to cope she planned a trip to Europe over her birthday. I think that is a fabulous idea. I am open to Europe. Or Hawaii.