snow day!

We woke up to snow today!! School was cancelled and we took the opportunity to play with some friends. :) Reece & Janie came over to play in the morning. We all stayed in our pj's!!

Levi and Reece pulled out their guitars and did a concert for us

Janie said they were too loud!! Ha ha
Then we headed outside in the S N O W!!

Addi, Hillary, Levi, Reece & Isabella (Janie was taking a nap!)

Levi running and jumping into his sled!

Bella, Hillary & Levi

Levi & Momma

Natalie giving Levi a sled ride! You go girl!

Levi giving Hillary whiplash! I mean, a sled ride!

Adorable Bella

I love the snow and watching the kids have a blast!! But, I must say, I'm a little bit ready for warmer weather. ;) {Remember two or three posts ago when I put up pics of this summer's vacation home? That's what I'm longing for right about now!...}

big frank

Levi has been wanting a pet for about six months now. I'm just not a pet Mom right now! I have my hands full with the kids and have no desire to take care of a pet, too. Don't get me wrong...I love dogs, just don't want one.

Several weeks ago, Levi began asking Eric if we could get a snake. WHAT THE ???? A snake? Um, no. He keeps begging and promises to keep it in a box in his room and not let it out. Um, still no.

After church yesterday, Eric and I talked about it and finally decided it was okay for him to get a snake. Levi named him Big Frank and here is the box Levi & his Daddy made for him...

Levi got Big Frank from the gum ball machine at El Nopal. Each week Papa gives the kids two quarters and this is what he wanted to buy. ;)

He has been talking to Big Frank all day. Checking on him, making sure he hasn't gotten out, and remembering to feed him his "pretend Big Frank" food. I love his imagination!!

Oh, and just for laughs, here's a pic of our little guy in his pj's, playing his DS, of course with his safety glasses on!!???? Oh my.

cute little kids

Here are the kids before church this morning. Look at Mags' adorable outfit!!! I didn't think she'd be able to wear it before Spring, but we tried it this morning and volia!

and ruffles on the rear! Love it!!

When Eric walked out and saw her, he just stared at me, shook his head and said "What is that?" Oh boy...he's in for lots of surprises!!!

Keep reading! I've done a few updates this morning. :)

when your brother buys your son an air horn

We went to Griffin's birthday party last night. They got goodie bags and among the many cute things inside was an air horn. All I can say is, Travis...GAME ON!!

villa de suenos

That just sounds cool to say, huh??!

Our vacation is booked for this summer. When Mom sent me the website for the house, I thought "surely ye jest!" But, nope...this is where we'll be spending a week this summer!
St. Simons Beach in Georgia...I love you already.

One of the cool things is that there is a hibachi grill!! Since we eat most of our meals at the house, Eric and I are going to brush up on our Kansai skills and try a Japanese meal. (Don't hold your breath!) ;)

back to the groove

This week was back to the grind. Eric was off the whole month of December. As much as I love together time with my hubby, I wasn't crying when he went back to work. ;) The kids and I got back into our weekly routine which was nice! They play while I unload and load the dishwasher, pick up their toys 8,000 times, do laundry, and take & pick Levi up from school. Some days are mundane, but I really love being home with them.

You might be bored to death, but here's a photo shoot of my bebe's. ;)

Levi loves to tickle Maggie

And little stinker butt got two teeth this week!!! Her bottom front teeth. She won't let me snap a picture of her mouth. Grrrr!!

Hide and seek: Mags follows Levi E.V.E.R.Y.W.H.E.R.E.

And Maggie is into everything. Cabinets, drawers, toilet paper, and especially her diaper bag. Exhibit A.

And she just acts like "What?? Meee???"

I could give her a thousand babies to play with and she always finds Levi's guns!

On Friday, Maggie started to pull up on the furniture. She's trying to get her brother's DS.

And this cracks me up! She stands up but gets so mad because she doesn't know what to do next!

I'm lovin' this stage with my kiddos!! :)

Christmas 2010

Yes, while people are posting wonderful posts about New Years, I'm still catching up with Christmas!!! :)

Christmas Eve started out with good friends and good food!! We met up with the Bush's and Lee's at McDonalds. It's tradition now. :) Eric and I ran into Steve & Jami there last year, so yes, that makes it tradition!! Ha! We had a great time catching up with each other and the kids loved goofing around.

The gang
And don't forget these two munchkins!! Yes, Maggie loves feet. ;)

We had a pretty low key day. Just played around the house a lot and spent the evening at my parents for a great roast beef dinner. Then it was time to head home because SANTA was coming!!!!! Eric and Levi were sure to spread the reindeer food on the front lawn so that Santa knew to stop at our house.

Then we all headed to bed. I had an image in my mind of us all getting a good night's sleep and waking up early to see what Santa brought. Um, when will I learn to not plan ahead?? Maggie got sick. She was up pretty much most of the night crying. Poor girlie!! She started with a cold and couldn't breathe, which meant she couldn't suck on her paci, which meant Momma didn't sleep either!! BOO.

But morning arrived and yes, Santa came!! Levi was SO excited. He gets three gifts each year (cuz that's what Jesus got!)...two from Mommy & Daddy and one from Santa. Only, Santa doesn't really bring the gift into our house. Frank does. (Ohmygosh...are we weird or what??!!) Frank is our Elf on the Shelf who reports back to Santa. Since Levi is terrified of the thought of a big man with a white beard dressed in red coming into our house, Santa comes to the front yard and Frank runs out to get the gift. OUI. My kids will need therapy! ;) SO, Frank & Santa brought Levi a new guitar. He also got a new scooter and a remote control helicopter.

Here's a pic of Maggie opening her gift from her brother: sippy cups!!

After our Christmas at home, we headed to my parents house where it is down right present-madness! Dad fixes his annual ROCKIN' breakfast (bacon, sausage, eggs, pancakes, fried potatoes, biscuits & gravy and chocolate milk!!) and the kids sit and stare at the adults. Why? Because we won't let them open gifts until we are all.done.eating. Great Papa was the last to finish and all the kids were lined up around him. SO FUNNY!!

Before the madness...
Levi, Maggie, Griffin, Bailey, Emmy, Casey

Our Christmas was so full this year! Not just because we got gifts, but because it was full of family, friends and lots of laughter and memories. Little Miss Maggie got a lot worse before she began to get better, so my holidays were a little off this year. I just now feel like I'm getting back to normal. There were about 6 or 7 nights of little to no sleep and I just didn't function that well!! But, I am still SOOO blessed. :)