ICE!

The day after Christmas, my parents, sister Kristi, Jon, Jack and I headed over to this cool (freezing actually) ice exhibit in Grapevine, called Ice!. Using ice, these artists carved out sculptures, for visitors to walk by and admire. This year the theme was Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas so there were all these colored-ice sculptures of the Grinch, and the Who's, and scenes from the book. It was hard to believe that it was really ice; it looked so life-like! It was also FREEZING cold in there, and they gave everyone a huge parka to avoid hypothermia. The hard part was taking the pictures. I had to take off my glove to get good shots, which resulted in frozen fingers by the end of our visit.

The entrance Imagine a "Ch" instead of that woman standing there!
Jon, me, Jack, and my dad (or Pappaw)
I love how Jack looks tortured here. The smallest parka they had was made for a 5 year old, judging the size on him. Atleast he was warm.

Furry green creatures are soooo irresistible! The Grinch's sleigh and "reindeer"

I wish this picture would have turned out better! Jack is posing underneath a life-size candy cane with his daddy.

This was AWESOME. It's an ice slide. They let you slide down it, except the line was ridiculously long and it was ridiculously cold so we opted not to wait. Next time.

Aunt Kristi and Jack. I'm super impressed by the colors of the ice here.

So on your way out you got to walk thru a tunnel of ice, which I like to imagine is how eskimos feel when walking into their igloos. It was really pretty.

All the Who's celebrating Christmas together.

At the end of the exhibit, they had a Christmas room, displaying candles and angels. Very pretty.

Me eating some Who-cake.

Ice nativity. After seeing all the colored ice, the white nativity scene was simple and beautiful.

This picture is outside the exhibit. It's a train with white Christmas trees surrounding it. The whole area was decked out in Christmas trees, sparkling lights, and Grinch decor. Fun, fun.

After walking thru the exhibit, which they kept at a frigid -2F, we were ready for some warmer air. But I would definitely go back. I'm excited to find out what next year's theme will be, and hopefully take my turn on the ice slide.

Jack's Loop of Glory

Lately Jack has gotten into the habit of running while putting his hands up in the air, as if he were finishing 1st in a race. It's hilarious and endlessly entertaining. He loves the attention it creates. In the video, we have just gotten back from dinner and Jack started running a few dozen loops around the kitchen while throwing his arms in the air and laughing. Then a couple of weeks later, he did the same thing when my grandparents, aunt, and sister were over. He was so ecstatic that everyone was watching him, laughing, and moving our arms with him. What can I say? He has us well-trained. In fact, in the middle of his loop, in the living room, he stopped and looked at each of us individually to make sure we were throwing our arms in the air too. Once satisfied that we were all participating, he would continue running his loop.

He loves this new game so much that yesterday, while home alone, he pulled me into the living room, pushed me onto the couch, and made me watch as he ran more loops of glory.

Magic Cards

There's a scene in the movie Confessions of a Shopaholic where as a little girl, the main character watches some older girls use a credit card to buy shoes. A wide-grin spreads across the little girl's face as she remarks how it's a "magic card!" People can buy anything they want with one swipe of this magical card. A whole new world opens up to this little girl.

Well, I think my son has already been exposed to this world. Yesterday while at the dry cleaners, I sat him on the counter while waiting for my order. Jack opened my wallet, grabbed my credit card and handed it to the lady. She laughed, commented on how smart he was, and then swiped it! She didn't even ask me if that's what I wanted to use. She then gave it back to Jack who knowingly put it back in my wallet. He was so proud of himself. His first time to use the magic card! He was such a lucky boy that today he got to use the magic card again at Walmart. You can totally tell that he feels as if he "is in the loop". I love that he is so observant and clever! Except, now I'm going to have to be much more careful with my magic.