Fun

Brent took Finley & Ace outside yesterday...we tried to get AJ to go out, but he chose to stay in with Mommy!  He really is a "mama's boy"!

We read books and played...until he heard the kids laughing outside!  

Then he grabbed his jacket and wanted to go out too!

I sent AJ out just as Ace was standing in the front door begging for hot chocolate!  :)

Brent throwing Finley into a snow bank!

Whee!

AJ looked so little walking up and down our dead-end road!

Will it Work?

I won a Chia Pet Garden Gnome as a white elephant gift at a holiday party...growing up, I always wanted one, but was never good at saving my money or convincing my parents to get me one.  :)

The kids helped me measure the seeds and water...and helped me stir the mixture throughout the hour we had to let it sit and thicken.  It turned in an almost gel-like consistency that was easy to spread...

But many of the seeds were in the tray within an hour...so hard to say if they will sprout or where they will sprout!  There are plenty of seeds left so we can probably try it again if this attempt fails.  I was surprised at how little the Gnome is - no bigger than the size of my hand.  We have to fill him up with water every morning.  The packaging also said we can trim the sprouts and that they should live approximately 5 weeks.  Stayed tuned!  :)

Should We Be Worried?

I guess it's bound to happen with an older sister...my younger brother will confirm this too...girls love to dress up and the more the merrier!  :)

Our little popstar AJ!

Realizing he wants the skirt off...but how?!?

Pouting!  

(I took it off as soon as I snapped this picture)

Cheese!

This just makes me laugh...squeezed into the doll rocking chair in Finley's room...

Totally hamming it up for the camera!  

AJ is FULL of personality these days!  He is so sweet!  He can be a stinker and definitely likes to make people laugh, but overall, he is such a nice boy!  :)

Buds

This is blurry - taken with Brent's phone - but how sweet?!?  

All three kiddos on Finley's bed looking at books.  :)

Tubing

After church on Sunday, we met our friends for lunch and then took the kiddos tubing.  I don't think they had any idea what was in store for them.  They grumbled about having to get bundled up and how long the walk was...but we couldn't get them off the hill!

Mommy & Ace heading to the hill.

I have to admit, my tummy felt a little "jittery" after seeing how big the runs really were...and how fast the tubes went!  I had a much smaller hill pictured in my head!  :)

I was amazed at how brave Finley was!  

She loved going fast - giggled and screamed the entire way down the hill each time!

Mommy & Finley coming down the hill...backwards!  I struggled to 1) hold my hinder up so it wouldn't drag on the snow, 2) hold on to the child in my lap, and 3) not let my boots catch the snow to change the direction of the tube!  I can multitask with the best of 'em...but Sunday was a challenge!

Finley & Mommy ready to go down the "bullet"!  The fastest run...and both kids favorite!

Ace pouting, not wanting to go home!

Ice Fishing

Finley and Ace got to experience ice fishing a couple weekends ago.  I think all in all it was a good experience for them.  No fish were caught, but that might be okay.  I don't know what they would think about seeing a fish flopping around on the ice???  And knowing that Daddy wouldn't take it off the hook for them...Ha!

These two have a lot of fun together!

Patiently watching...they helped clear out the hole too.  

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day took on a whole new meaning for us this year.  Finley was BEYOND excited to have a Valentine party at school...even though she had no idea what it meant!  :)  She said, "Mom, what is a Valentine party?"  Hmmm...it's been at least 25 years since I attended a V-Day party!  I thought I was safe in telling her that it was just a really fun day full of special projects/crafts, games, and treats! 

It took us a couple days, but we got her Valentine's completed.  She thought it was SO hard to write her name on 14 cards for her classmates!  Ha!  She chose some cute ones this year that were full of sparkles and said "God is Love" on the inside.  I was surprised by her treat selection - a DumDum sucker!  

She came home from school and daycare with many cute projects.  All three kids made Brent and I a flower made out of cutouts of their hands.  So sweet!  Our daycare provider has such great ideas and is always full of patience!

Brent came home from work that evening with a carnation for me and one for Finley.  It was the biggest smile I've ever seen on her face!  She walked a bit taller, grinned ear to ear, and carried it around for at least 10 minutes just staring at it!  She truly is Daddy's girl!

This is a special picture for our sweet friends in Ripon, WI.  We love you all and miss you!

Here Finley is sending her love to our family and friends both near and far!

Two Little Monkeys

 Two little monkeys jumping on the bed...

These two had so much fun jumping on Mommy & Daddy's bed!

AJ does very well to keep up with his older sister and brother!

Love his smile!

Cuties!

*Ace was still in the tub!*  :)

Tubby Tub!

It seems to be so hit or miss with AJ & baths lately.  Usually, it's a huge miss!  But if Finley and Ace are game to have a bath with him, he will gladly climb in and splash with the best of 'em!  

Happy boy "walking" the robot along the tub!

SO excited!  :)

Oh Boy!

AJ has enjoyed sitting at the table like a big boy for the past few weeks...

Ace, don't look so enthused!  

I guess this is what happens when I don't clear the table right away!

He's as bad as our dogs!  :)

Why?

Why do the loudest toys entertain kids the longest...and why do they love to push buttons so much (pun intended - HA)?  We have had this barn on our fridge since Finley was little.  And she was really the only one that ever played with it correctly.  Both boys love to take the animal magnets and just throw them on the floor (which makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end!).    The batteries are slowly dying and the music now gets "stuck".  I'm tempted to just throw it all in the garbage...would that be wrong?  Would the kids even notice?  

I guess the deciding factor may be whether or not I need a screwdriver to replace the batteries...

or if we have the correct size battery in our drawer.

I have a feeling I would end up digging it out of the garbage though because it is funny to walk into the kitchen and see AJ having a dance party all by himself or to hear both boys get frustrated because they can't get the puzzle pieces in the spot just right.  

Honestly, I have bigger things to worry about and do around the house...so it will probably just stay on the fridge as is and I'll continue to pick up the magnets on a daily basis and mumble "sweet nothings" under my breath!  Ha!

Now that I've wasted a few minutes of my time and yours... :)

Fresh Bread

Brent was craving some fresh bread the other day...and bread is pretty safe for weak tummies, right?  :) So we made some...the dough wasn't from scratch, but this is as close to homemade as we'll get in this house!  

Even the kids thought the crust was good!  :)

Our Little Monkey Man

With a smile like that...

...he can pull off wearing PINK pajamas!

Love the nose wrinkle