Fun times

We love Holidays and try to decorate and celebrate them as best we can.  Even though it is also Nathan's Birthday, we love Valentines and the chance to show Love!

 

The kids had Valentines Parties at school, and I always love going and celebrating with them.  They got more candy than I ever remember getting for Valentines- it was like a second Halloween! Lots of happy kids!

My attempt at Valentines' hair.

 Carter and Kaylie really enjoyed playing basketball for the first time this year- it was fun to watch them improve.  They are good athletes.

 Roller-blading in the basement has been a favorite past time for the kids since we've been in this new house.  We finally got Nate's gym equipment and the storage room arranged well enough that they have quite a decent circle to roll around!

 I can't believe I turned 36 this year.  I don't really feel that old.  I remember thinking that once I got closer to 40 than 30 that I'd be truly considered middle aged- but lets face it, I've been there for a while!  Most of the time my body is fine but every once in a while I feel the effects of aging and I'm not looking forward to it.  I've been trying really hard to get in good shape and to eat well so that I have all the confidence I can get going into the future.

Apparently sleeping on the floor in mom and dads' room is way more fun that in your own bedroom.

I took the girls on a mommy-daughter date this weekend to see the new Cinderella movie.  It was fantastic, and our local theater even had Queen Elsa dressed up to greet the girls.  So fun!

Feb-March 2015 Crazy Weather

We have had such crazy weather this winter.  It started out as the most mild winter with no snow and tolerable cold, then in a matter of days, went to full blown blizzard.  We had 10 snow days with no school and even Nate's work was cancelled as the entire area was under a level 3 snow advisory where no one was allowed to drive on the streets unless they had legal permission!  Apparently if you were caught driving during those times you could get arrested!  Funny.  I was glad that I had bought these sleds for the kids this year as it gave them a way to blow off some energy and have some serious fun.

The snow gave us some rather spectacular sunsets and beautiful landscapes that I don't think the pictures quite do it justice, but they can at least give you an idea of the beauty surrounding us.  I have to admit that I rather loved the idea of being stuck at home with my family with absolutely no where we had to go!  I even liked the day we had to go without power from the snow (until I realized that our gas fire place that was supposed to work during power outages, didn't work!).

The kids often enjoy doing home crossfit workouts with me- another way we use their massive stockpiles of energy!

 This snow all fell in less than 24 hours- at least 18 inches worth.  Our driveway has been a nightmare and even Nates' truck got stuck a few times just trying to get up.  Now that the snow has all melted, we are being bombarded by rainstorms and flooding.  The driveway went from being slippery and icy to muddy and really wet.  It is the worst part of living where we do, but I will take that.

The first day we have had decent weather in months!!  Grace and I got to enjoy some one-on-one time at the park while the kids were at school this week.  The rain and snow had finally stopped and had even dried up enough for us to play.

You would think that summer is here with the girls in their swim suits coloring with side walk chalk, but it was only 60 degrees out.  Most of my kids seem to have inherited Nate's love of colder temperatures, so I'm sure they will be playing outside during these spring-like conditions way more than they will when it gets hot this summer! We are so ready to say goodbye to this dreary winter and to welcome the spring!

Bounce house fun

Part of our festivities with Matt and Leslie included going to Huntington, WV for some bounce house fun.  The kids and adults had a great time alike, and I had a fun time trying to capture some of it on my camera!  I especially loved watching our little nephew, Kellan, go over and over down the biggest slide there with a seemingly insatiable need for more!  Simply adorable!  After the bounce house we went to "Fat Patty's" which is a super yummy hamburger joint.  We ate a lot this holiday season but enjoyed it very much and tried to bounce it off :)

 

 

 

Christmas Day

I spent many hours this year making Christmas bags, which ended up being SO WORTH IT!!!  I have never fully enjoyed wrapping and have found it tedious and a lot of effort for little reward, so this bag idea was very inspired!  We can reuse them every year and I won't have to stress out on Christmas Eve anymore :)  I also made some stockings and a huge Santa bag, so Santa doesn't have to wrap either (thoughtful, I know).  The kids all loved their pajama pants I made for Christmas Eve, and kept me up most of that night until we were "FINALLY" able to get everyone awake and ready to open presents.  I have this little problem with buying too many things and it got really bad this year when the kids also bought a lot of presents with their own hard-earned money.  I will try to tone it down from now on, but for this Christmas, my kids were spoiled and had a great time!

 Nate has been needing a new blanket for a long time, and when I took him to the fabric store to help me choose his fabric (he is super picky because it has to be soft and cold) he surprised me with this crazy bright green athletic fabric!!  I think he liked the blanket- it reminds him of his gym clothes:)

 

Leanne had some "Domination Nation" tee-shirts made for our family and they inspire us to flex our muscles (even those of us that don't have any!).