Happy Groundhog Day!!

The kids enjoyed their GHD gifts (new coloring books), making a groundhog and a burrow for him to pop out of, becoming groundhogs themselves on a field trip yesterday, and seeing a real groundhog skull! What sharp teeth they have!

By the way, Phil did not see his shadow, which means spring is on its way. Callan was very happy about this, but Kinsley was not.  She started pouting and said she wants more winter. We told her that actually God, not Phil, is ultimately in control of the weather.  I'm not sure she actually believed us though.

groundhog day...starting the day off right

 

We started out our Groundhog Day today with Daddy reading us a special book.

 Then Mommy used a special cookie cutter to make groundhog shaped peanut butter sandwiches for breakfast (Callan's request).

And of course Phil made a special appearance at breakfast, too. 

More fun to come!  The day's not over yet...

today's snapshot: happy groundhog day!

 

(our 2011 Groundhog Day card)

This groundhog day has us predicting more than just whether or not Phil will see his shadow.  

HAPPY 2011 GROUNDHOG DAY!

Love, Gene, Renee, Callan, Kinsley and Baby Numero Tres

eCard

Want to share a little Groundhog Day spirit with someone? Get in on the fun by sending a free Groundhog Day eCard here.

HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY!

Today is Gene's favorite holiday...Groundhog Day! Every year since we got married, we have made a big deal about February 2nd. We send out our annual Groundhog Day cards to family and friends, buy small gifts for each other, and reminisce about the year we drove all the way to Punxsutawney, PA to see Phil make his prediction in person (see pic above).

It's a lot of fun to have a random "holiday" to celebrate as a family and make memories. It's just another reason why I love my hubby so much!

Go HERE and HERE to read about our adventure to see Phil back on Groundhog Day 2007.

Video clips from Punxy, PA

Enjoy these "very unprofessional" video clips that we took atop Gobbler's Knob in Punxy, Pa. We were too far away from the stage to get a real good close up...but I think you'll get the idea. (If you watch the clips with your front door open wide, allowing the outside bitter cold air to wash over your body, you'll be able to better appreciate our full experience.)

Phil's First Appearance

The "Inner Circle" Reading of the Scroll

Phil's Official Weather Announcement

Punxsutawney, PA...all we thought it would be (and more)!

In case you haven't heard the shocking news yet, Punxsutawney Phil did NOT see his shadow this year, which is a rarity. This news of an early spring had all the country folks in "Punxsy," PA fired up Friday morning, February 2 (Groundhog Day).

"Can you believe that he didn't see his shadow this morning? When was the last time that this happened?" This was the conversation that I overheard from the booth behind us at the Punxsy Family Diner.

Yes, that's right. For those of you who didn't know, my crazy-Groundhog-Day-lovin' hubby planned a trip to Punxsutawney, PA with our good friends, the Somervilles, this weekend to see the prediction of the world's most famous weather caster, Phil. The WHOLE trip was one big adventure. We left Gaithersburg, MD Thursday night at 8pm and arrived in Punxsutawney, PA around midnight. Mike and Gene dropped Jessica and me off at the Community Center to "sleep" for a few hours while Mike and Gene roamed the town (they just had to stay up all night). So, Jess and I entered the Community Center, and for $5 we slapped our sleeping bags down on the hard laminate flooring next to a row of lockers (it was like an abandoned middle school building) beside a snoring father and his son. I felt like I was in some sort of twilight zone movie. It was like one big sleepover with a bunch of crazy country hicks. At one point I just stood there laughing at the sight before me. It was a "U-shaped" hallway with people lined up on both sides, head-to-toe in their sleeping bags....and a family at the end of the hallway in their tent (they must be regulars). In the room next to the hallway was an auditorium that is now used as the town's theater. A few hundred people were gathered there at midnight to see a showing of...what else....but Bill Murray's "Groundhog Day."

So, Jess and I managed to get a few minutes of sleep in while we waited for our husbands to come back from the cold to get us. At about 4:00am the four of us walked down to the corner of the street from the Community Center to catch the bus, which took us 1.5 miles up to Gobbler's Knob where Phil would eventually make his appearance at 7:24am. Jess and I tried to prepare ourselves for the cold weather, but even 4 shirts, three pairs of pants, two pairs of socks, three hats, a scarf, and gloves didn't prepare us for the 14 degrees that awaited us atop the hill.

You're probably wondering what one would do for 3 1/2 hours while you await the arrival of a furry rodent?! Well, check back tomorrow as the story continues with Gene's account of "Atop Gobbler's Knob".......

Groundhog Week

Well, it's that time of year! The time of year where my husband goes absolutely crazy. Crazy over a groundhog that is. Gene's favorite holiday is "Groundhog Day" which is coming up this Friday, February 2nd. For those of you who don't know every detail about this holiday (which I would guess would be all of you), Gene will be posting some Groundhog facts this week to entertain you (or maybe it's just to entertain himself).

Anyway, as the Groundhog Fanatic's wife, I figured that I'm obligated to play along in the festivities. So, to "romance" my husband, this week at the Huston Household I've declared it "Groundhog Week of Gourmet Meals (according to Gene)." All this means is that I'm planning on cooking his favorite meals this week. He's SUPER excited about this. Yesterday he bugged me all day to tell him what the first meal would be last night. He was excited to hear that we would be having pancakes (I greatly dislike breakfast meals, so I hardly ever cook breakfast...so this was a great treat for Gene who would eat pancakes daily if I cooked them).

So, Gene's waiting in anticipation to receive his "note" today after school which will tell him what tonight's "Groundhog Week of Gourmet Meals" entails. We hope you'll stay tuned tomorrow to hear some groundhog tidbits from the Groundhog expert himself....