Weather, Bells, and Dates

Today I'm thankful for...

1. The Weather Channel app on my phone. It makes it super easy to look up the weather for the day or the week. There are a lot of things in my life that revolve around the weather, like what I'm going to make for dinner (warm soup on a cold day or lighter fare on a cooler day?); my daily activities with the kiddos (nice enough for an afternoon at the park or stay inside and go to the library instead?); what I'm going to wear- even my mood is often influenced by the weather. The best thing about the app is that I can look up the weather in Nome, Alaska whenever I start to feel glum about the gray, bitter cold outside my door. Seeing -19 degrees F as the current temperature and -32 degrees F as the "feels like" temperature always makes me feel better about the weather I'm facing. I don't know how people live in places that cold, where the sun rises at 11:32 am and sets at 4:46 pm. Not only am I grateful for the app, but also for living in Philadelphia and not Nome, Alaska (even though that's where Balto lives, as Lillian always reminds me).

2. Scooter Bells. Lillian's Razor scooter has a bell that makes a high-pitched, ear-rattling DING (thank you, Uncle Alan). She likes to ding it when she zooms by. Grandpa just bought Sydney a princess bell for her Radio Flyer scooter. Hers makes more of a "ching, ching" noise- not so offensive to the ear drums. After Grandpa installed the bell, Sydney got on her scooter and started down the hallway with her hand on the bell and she said, "Now ME have bell too!!"

3. Daddy-Daughter dates. Bobby took Lillian ice skating today- just the two of them. It was Lillian's first time and she was thrilled! She said, "Daddy tied on my little skates! We both fell down on our butts! But Daddy got up first and then helped me up." After their ice-capades, Daddy and daughter hit Starbucks for some hot cocoa and warm caramel apple cider. I'm grateful for these bonding experiences between Bobby and Lillian. I hope she will always want to go on "dates" with her daddy, even when she gets older.