Snow dogs and mercenaries

Since Claire got a new sled from Santa, we all went outside yesterday to play in the snow and sled down the little hill in our yard. I for one do not enjoy being outside in the winter with my family because I am completely freaked out by the big, heavy coats and stocking caps they wear. Whenever I see people dressed in any sort of "uniform" I have flashbacks to my brief time in New Orleans. I was an orphaned puppy after Hurricane Katrina, and that's when Dubya and The Dick (Cheney) hired Blackwater mercenaries to provide "security" after Katrina. Looking back on it, that was a great idea and, let's face it, there were a lot of great ideas during the Cheney administration (c'mon... you know he made all the decisions). I mean, the government hiring private police forces and private armies that don't answer to anyone and have the freedom to operate as they please. What could possibly go wrong? Anyway, those were some scary dudes all decked out in big camo jackets and strapped with machine guns and dark mirrored sunglasses... sometimes hovering overhead in helicopters looking for stray dogs (or people) to shoot at. Needless to say, I still nearly wet myself whenever I see anyone dressed in heavy clothing or dangling their feet out the side of a helicopter. That said, I spent my time outside yesterday hovering by the front door scanning the sky for choppers while Stew tried to calm down Claire, who was not very happy to find out the snow was so deep that she couldn't even walk in it. And how does Stew calm Claire in this situation you might wonder? By handing her off to Momma while he constructs a snow dog (a Jack Russell Terrier snow dog to be precise). I think you can sort of see the snow dog in these pictures, but you might have to move your face closer to the computer monitor. But don't worry, the snow dog doesn't bite.
And here's Claire showing off her Christmas bounty. Santa brought her a "tree house" (the nylon cottage), a sled (not pictured), some kid binoculars and a high chair for her little baby doll. The rest of her haul came from grandparents, aunts/uncles and good friends. And the vintage Michael Jordan Washington Wizards basketball jersey came from Stew... all part of his master plan to turn her into a basketball phenom.