SNOW DAY

I'm on a roll here faithful readers!!

The schools were closed, bible study was cancelled, work was late and we had no need to be anywhere. It felt so good. Word has it, this momma stayed in her pj's ALL day.

After sipping coffee and hitting some cartoons, we ventured out!

It's great having a big brother when he's willing to pull you around in the sled!

Eli enjoying the ride in the wooden sled that was mine as a kid!

Our best shoveling helper----even if it is the grass portion of the yard :(

Momma tugging these two marshmallows!

Eli getting launched into the snow pile!

Snow cave complete with a tunnel built by daddy and this cutie!

Daddy pulled the boys up the road and pushed them down to race Scout.......darn dog is fast!

I'm thankful for the occasional snow day to spend together and take time away from "life."

Camera found!

The camera that has been MIA for the last few blog posts was strategically put in "the drawer" that apparently acts as its new home according to my husband. Nice of him to clue me in :)

On the camera were several pics from around Christmas 2012!

Serenade from my lil mariachi band

Christmas Eve in our new house with stockings hanging on the fireplace! Ah so wonderful!

Big smiles from my early risers on Christmas morning!

Addie painting Mommy's fingernails with her new nail polish!

Oh snap, she paints her own nails too! Good thing it's clear with sparkles!

A lil sunny sledding at the cabin in Silver City, SD. Brrrr....it's was 12 degrees!

Kai joined Sk8 Church at the Denver Nuggets game! We rode the Sk8 Bus with the guys! It also happened to be Rocky's birthday celebration (best mascot ever)! Perfect game for a 5 year old.

If you haven't caught a concert at our house (princess country style), come on over....discounts are available.

All the babies lounging with Addie on her bed!  Imaginary play is so fun!

 My brothers and sister-in-law came to visit and help us put in our new flooring in the front entry and kitchen. The kids definitely didn't appreciate the "work weekend" motto, but we managed to fit in some necessary play time and a birthday party while they were here visiting! Thanks again!

Aunt Kelly, Addie and Eli making unique bead jewelry!

Derrick and Uncle Kyle laying the first wood-like vinyl planks by the front door. It looks so great and is a vast improvement to what previously occupied those areas!

We are just enjoying our new house....no packing, not really any unpacking, no searching or planning....just sitting and enjoying.  It feels like this year has brought a whole new routine and schedule for us. That updates the blog with where my camera left off......so stay tuned. 

So I can laugh about it later

This story is written here strictly to remind me to laugh about it....believe me on Saturday when it all went down, I wasn't laughing.

I headed out with the kids for a couple quick errands after lunch Saturday (at normal rest time--1st stupid mistake). We hit the bank to deposit a check.....kids whining because I told them I wasn't going to ask the teller for suckers. Headed to Hobby Lobby. Eli fell asleep like 3 blocks before we got there so I carried him in and laid him in the mini carts. He kept sleeping sitting up :) Nice. We cruised through the store for over 30 mins. We had gotten what we went for and were just looking around. We hit the clearance aisles, browsing the chipped frames and suddenly a waist height vase crashes to the floor and shatters the entire length of the aisle. You thought it was a kid didn't you? Nope. The momma did it on accident :( After offering to pay and helping to clean up hundreds of pieces throughout the whole aisle, we head to check out. Best to get outta there at this point (Eli is still sleeping). We stop at the Valentines section, as everything is on sale and we have a school Valentines box needed next week.  Eli awakens at the excitement. After everyone pulls craft items off the shelves and barters with me (all at once waving things in my face for what they think we NEED), we chose a few stickers and wrapping paper etc. to decorate boxes with. We jump in line and it quickly fills in behind us as there is only ONE checker on a Saturday. I am talking with the checker lady and quickly diverted to yelping behind me....... Addie and Eli have both jumped on the same side of the mini cart pulling it over on top of Eli. Addie is crying hardest (drama queen) and Eli is laying "under the bus." We pay and quickly vacate. Eli has now napped and after the drama is happy as a lark. Addie (who doesn't nap mind you) throws a large tantrum getting strapped into her carseat and we end up waiting 5 mins for her to settle, buckle up and to lecture her. Mom is not happy.

We get home FINALLY and everyone is required a rest....mostly because mom needs a rest. I am throwing in a load of laundry in the basement and Addie is almost asleep when I hear (from the basement) the boys yelling for me (right next to Addie's room upstairs). We are ALL up and grumpy now. Addie then informs me while she was falling asleep in her bed her gum had fallen out of her mouth, into her bed, and she COULDN'T find it. What? We searched. We are STILL missing that gum.

Then I start dinner....something simple and quick. At the table Addie and Eli's spirits have risen. They are goofy. As I dish seconds at the stove, a whole cup of milk hits the floor. It sprays Addie, 4 chairs, and the wall about 3 ft. away. Mom cleans it.  Kids to the bath for an early bed....sounds like a overly needed plan. As they play and I search out clean pj's, a wave a water hits the floor as the slanted tub wall has become a slide for the brothers. Needless to say it was a quick bath and quick to bed after that. When daddy arrived home from work, there wasn't much energy left to even fill him in on our afternoon. Some day this will be a good story to laugh about. For now, just glad it's not Saturday.

Camera is Missing in Action

Sat down today to get something on the books in February for this poor unappreciated blog of mine. I opened a blank post with the great thought, "when not many great words, post a really great picture." Only my camera has gone M.I.A and I honestly can't remember if there's a single new pic on there since Christmas :(
I keep logging funny sayings or cute stories in the back of my head lately, only to be lost because I neglect to write (or type) it down.....another of my sad realities.

Well then, in other news with slightly scrambled words, an update on us:

1. We experienced Kai's 1st parent-teacher conference for preschool in Jan. It wasn't a surprise he is excelling and is a leader in his class. They have been studying space the last couple weeks, which has been a highlight of topics for Kai. Our fridge is plum full of spaceships, rockets, and planets!  We have an astronaut costume on loan for a few days from school and his new favorite planet is Saturn (because of the rings). If you haven't "purchased" tickets to one of Kai's concerts yet, you are in for a real treat! He is really into country music, guitar (a special Christmas gift), and serenading you with his country twang! He even gave his BSF teacher a preview today and she said she instantly fell in love :)

2. Addie has signed up for preschool next fall and asks every time we drop Kai off if I need to sign her up!? The excitement lingers! She is so looking forward to "skew-wool." In our new house she has her own room and constantly asks if she may play alone and quietly in there (sometime avoiding rest time but..so cute). She often comments to her brothers "please keep your boy toys out of my girl room." Although this comment is usually preceded by her throwing their toys into the hallway and the eruption of yelling and arguing has already simmered. :)

3. Eli is flirting with potty training and I am trying to stop a moving steam roller.....I'M just not ready. He tried pull-ups and now we are back to diapers and we will probably jump with 2 feet into undies by the end of the month....I guess let's just get it over with. Although mind you, he is MUCH more enthusiastic about it all than I am. He has been a momma's boy the last few months.....crying when I leave for work or drop him at church or BSF. Although today was the 1st exception in a while, so we may just be leaving that phase afterall.....it WAS nice to be so needed while it lasted.

4. God has been opening doors left and right with opportunities for ministry and work for Derrick and I, which we are grateful for. Most large, involved, and/or costly projects in our new house are completed for now. THAT alone is a very refreshing feeling. It is an adjustment to just sit and enjoy instead of feeling like there's always something more to do (I guess a similar battle to the bible story of Martha and Mary)We look forward to a new season of hosting and utilizing this blessing God has given us.

Well until we have a camera again :)......