Walking Tall Through Snowmageddon What a start to 2010, as the kids enjoyed tons of snow at home and Teddy started walking after his first birthday! Yes, the double snows of February - both of them big snowstorms for Washington, D.C., not only gave the kids an unexpected 12 day vacation, but also made our neighborhood into a veritable Winter Wonderland. As you can see, the kids thoroughly enjoyed themselves, as did their parents, as every day was play day, with huge snowpiles in the front, an army of snowmen, and kids who even decided it was okay to wear their snowpants and warm winter jackets outside. On the left, the three kids are on a snow mound that is higher than Dad's truck! The kids had ample time for fun down the street at the sledding hill as well. You can see that the Tedster is all fired up for a quick zip down our local Olympic Bobsled run. Of course, Henry was the daredevil of the bunch, and seems to be ready to start training for Olympic Snowboarding, or maybe that Snow Cross event. One thing was always a given - he wanted hot chocolate after every sledding trip! While Henry was climbing on snow mounds so high outside that he was also climbing trees at the same time, there was still a lot of action inside as well, as Elizabeth decided to try her hand at being Martha Stewart during her Snow vacation. Here she is doing her best impersonation of the folks at Guapo's, making a few tortillas for a lunchtime Snow Quesadilla! As for the Tedster, the deep snows of December and January were a little much for him, so other than a little sledding and sitting outside on the snow, he stayed inside and watched everyone having fun without him. (Those with sharp eyes will see Elizabeth standing on a huge snow mountain outside, Henry climbing up and Dad shoveling yet again. Before the second big snow, the kids got to enjoy our usual round of mid-winter birthday celebrations, which now includes Teddy! Yes, with a familiar cake for the kids, The Tedster celebrated his first birthday with family and friends, though he didn't seem sure what to make of that dern duck on the table. Here we have a little "extended family" photo, as Cousins Lily and Kathleen joined in the Teddy Birthday Fun as well, though the Birthday Boy does not seem impressed, nor does his brother. After the cake had been consumed, it was time to open some presents, which gave everyone a little more time to play with Ted. Over on the right, Aunt Pia and Aunt Jacq try to lend a hand with some of the new stuff. Right after Teddy came the birthday of The Fair Emily, who celebrated with a special treat from the always nice Mrs. Fields, who had been saving up this birthday idea for about a year exactly! It was hard to tell who enjoyed that birthday treat more - Mom or the Kids? Oh well. Happy Birthday! Next on the Winter Birthday Pageant was Grandma Dolo! Despite all the snow, everyone managed to get out of their driveways and over the snow covered hills to Uncle Jeff's place, for a welcome few minutes out of our own homes. Here Aunt Pia serves up the birthday cake while Cousin Lily waits for the fun to begin! As always, a good time was had by all, even if Elizabeth was on the floor screaming and crying most of the time. Elizabeth did shake off her lack of sleep long enough to make Valentines for her classmates, even though her school's Valentine's Day party had to be delayed because of the ridiculous amount of snow. The one in the middle was what she made for her classmates; the ones on the outside were made for Big Guy and Grandma Shirl, as the Fair Emily got out her Valentine Handbook to be even more creative. Time to wrap up this Family Dupree Update! As you can tell, Teddy and his brother and sister are having a great time!