First Church Performance

Saturday night into Sunday we got another 5-6 inches of snow... it made for a very quiet, laid back, (read: no one at church) Sunday...

BUT... The kiddos from Jr. Church were apparently on tap to play their "bells" ~ *might* have been nice to know ahead of time... but hey... a camo skirt...

some brown leggings...

and bright pink boots are OK right? :)

she did SUCH a great job, especially considering that for the past 3 weeks she's told me she rings an ORANGE bell and today it was yellow???? :)

SO PROUD OF HER!! :)

SNOW!!!!

The day after Christmas we got DUMPED on with a major snow storm!! Last winter we got barely ANY snow so this was a FUN TIME! Especially for a couple of gals that got sleds from "Santa" for Christmas! Liz invited us over to play on her "hill" and enjoy their 18ish inches of snow so I packed up the gals, called Sky, picked her up and headed off for some fun!

Sweet Liz stayed in by the cozy fire with the "ittybittys" :) and I trekked out with the "big" girls! Poor things could barely walk in the white fluffy and I kept hearing behind me... "HELP! HELP! I'M STUCK!" :)

The "hill" wasn't quite what Sky had in mind but that girl knows how to have a good time no matter where she is or what she's doing so she just made the hill "bigger" :) Good thing Liz hadn't shoveled yet! :)

and puh-LEEZE... where did you THINK Minnie would be? Sun/Rain/Snow/Summer doesn't matter. Just wants to swing... I think that will be the next backyard project!

I did convince them to help me make a snowman  snowbaby

posing for a picture what a bit more of a challenge :)

Fun times in the snow! Thanks for the invite Liz and the freedom to be able to go out and enjoy it with my girl!

Oatmeal

This AM we "broke down" (read: Mama changed her expectations) and started Miss B on oatmeal. (Side note: what is with all this arsenic in rice crap going around?)

Girlfriend is STILL not sleeping through the night and I've noticed over the past few days she has needed more "supplement" (aka frozen BM) than normal...besides... all her friends were doing it and I'll bend to peer pressure (waving to Olivia who also started oatmeal this week!!! :)



First bite...



 not so bad....

 or maybe it was :) don't they ALL make this face!? :) I LOVE it! :)

 another bite...

 eh... take it or leave it...

but still wicked cute with oatmeal all over her face :) We tried again at dinner time and it was a MUCH bigger hit... not that she got anymore in her MOUTH but she knew what was coming and was EXCITED for it... maybe she WAS ready after all.... :)

Just for kicks and giggles.... Minnie was the same age and I guess my Mama mind-set hasn't changed with the 2nd baby...and first foods. :)

Wordless Wednesday: CHRISTmas

My Loves

anyone think they look like me?? anyone?? Bueller? Bueller??

:)

It's OK I love it :)

Dear Minnie,

(I debated putting this up here but it is my reality and this IS my blog)

I'm writing this to you so that you can someday look back on it to KNOW that I did TRY to make these holiday times FUN for you. You ARE only three and to be honest, I'm killin' myself trying to make sure you are experiencing all the fun stuff there is to do and see this time of year... I just want you to know :)

Tamarah and I let you and Lil' loose with frosting, little tiny cheese knives and colored SUGAR. I mean... we didn't even barely squawk when you spilled tiny pieces of red sugar EVERYWHERE.

and when you licked the frosting off the "knife" and went in for more... I just smiled. I think. We'll have to check with Tamarah on that. Then I might have moved the frosting up where you couldn't reach it. Hyper I can do... you yiffing not.so.much.

We're letting you skip naps here and there to play extra with cousins and mom and dad are driving in separate vehicles just so YOU don't have to leave fun parties early.

And yet STILL you are up at 6AM and when we ARE home and able to have a rest Mon-Friday you BATTLE ME EVERY SINGLE STINKIN' DAY. It's more exhausting than the entire holiday season.

We took to you see a light show and I packed you hot cocoa. You even said in the car... "is it Thursday?" I said "No, Tuesday" and you responded with "BUT HOW COME WE ARE HAVING HOT COCOA ON A TUESDAY!?!?" spoiled I tell yah... spoiled...

coloring with TiTi @ FND

You really are a very LOVED little girl but sweet Minnie... please let's work on gratefulness. Let's smile at each other and hug and take the time to snuggle and watch a movie. Let's REST when we are able so that the fun can just keep happening...let's turn the corner on the "terrible THREES" long before everyone else that's going through them....

And Mommy will TRY to chill out a bit... but please keep in your little three year old mind... I'm up an awful lot in the middle of the night with your precious little sister and then you are up again bright and early with a "where are we going TODAY Mom?"....

and a few of the "little sisters"...

Bullet Points: Because this is all I have...

• The microwave is broken and while we are not a household that uses it ALL.THE.TIME. it is annoying not to be able to nuke some frozen mac'n cheese for the kid who'd eat it everyday, all day, three meals a day, if I let her. It's less than 2 years old and they want to charge $60 MORE than we PAID for the unit to FIX it. Don't buy Samsung.
• The washer and dryer were BOTH broken
• on the "up" (??) side... Husband was off on Monday so we dropped off all our dirty laundry at the CountyRents and went Christmas shopping with only 50% of our children. We came back to their house to eat supper they made and pick up all our wash/dried/folded laundry. Hip Hip Hooray!
• They are fixed now and although it was $$ we really didn't WANT to HAVE to spend in December it was WAY cheaper than having to buy two new units.
• Minnie has found every.single.button. of mine and likes to push them all day.
• Miss B has been a bit out of sorts. Not sure if she's getting teeth or just trying to grow.
• NONE. I'll say it again...NONE of the Christmas wrapping is done. How DO you do that with a 4 month old and a 3 year old that wants to "help" with her own sissors?
• I have consumed MORE than my "fair share" of Christmas cookies.

and some members of my home just like a good "browned butter glaze"...

•  There are still cookies in a pretty little tin needing to be dropped off to Auntie Joyce and Uncle Ralph. Now they are 4 days old. Probably should just eat them myself.
• Miss B still likes to get up at night. She poops. She eats. She poops again. She also enjoys starting her day during the 5AM hour. Oh how I loathe the 5AM hour.
• The shopping is still not done.
• Oh how I love Hallmark Christmas movies and ABC Family Christmas movies.
• Is anyone else stuck on what to do for dinner this time of year? Is SERVING Christmas cookies out of the question? Just curious.
• It's all I have...

Cheeks...

how can you resist?