Snow Days

During the month of February, we had a few days of snow. It was the perfect way to have snow. It lasted three days and then melted, never to be seen the rest of winter. We do love that about Texas winters. Here are the kids all bundled up and ready to go.

Austin took the kids over to the lake in our neighborhood because there is a big hill to slide down on. We are true Texans in the fact that we don't own any sleds, but improvised with a plastic lid. Andi was spoiled and got to go too. She loved the snow, she would run around and kick the snow all over.

After some time in the snow, nothing hits the spot like hot chocolate! 

The next day Andrew was the first one up and ready to get out the door. It was the fastest I had ever seen him get dressed. He was so excited to get out there and play.

Having fun making snow angels. They kept asking for me to come out and see what they were making. I loved to see their faces of pride mixed with fun.

More February Fun

Nerf guns are used on a daily basis in our house. From birthdays and Christmas, the boys have collected quite the variety of guns and arrows. One day Andrew made two awesome shots that he was very proud of. He came running to me and told me that I had to see what he did. I was impressed by these two the most and had to snap a picture. He was so proud. 

Our two youngest babies are growing up! Little Andi is very obedient and loves to give kisses, sit in our laps, lick our faces, and wrestle with the boys. Our sweet baby Oakley loves her tummy time and smiling at whoever passes by. She is starting to get stranger danger though. I don't mind because I am the one she wants and I think it is adorable, but I do feel bad for adoring visitors who come a bit too close. Oh well, she is happy and healthy, and that is all that matters.

These two sweethearts are digging out dinosaur bones. Andrew was at his very first birthday party and these two were sad they didn't get to go. So, I pulled out these dino digger eggs and let them go

crazy.

Do you guys remember playing with these connect squares? I loved them as a kid. My sister Susan was giving hers away and asked if we wanted them. I was so excited. I showed the boys how to connect them together and told them to have fun. 

We love Aunt Kadi. Thanks for reading to us!

I love naked babies! Especially when they are my own. If it is warm outside, babies shouldn't be allowed to wear clothes, all that cuteness covered up? No Mam! I also love how Andi wanted to be in the picture too. It is weird to think that Andi is 4 months younger then Oakley and Oakley can't even crawl yet. Andi has been running around for months now. 

These two squirts are either mortal enemies or the dynamic duos. Andrew will start to talk to Emeri in a pretend serious voice and if she wants to play she will talk the same way. If she doesn't want to play with him she says, "I don't want to." More times then not she responds in an adorable low voice.

I got these magnet shapes for Isaac about a year and a half ago and they are finally getting put to good use. The kids love to create things and play pretend with them. Andrew has made some awesome rockets, while Emeri has made tiaras, pancakes, and birthday cakes. It is fun to see their little imaginations come out with these magnets.

Sibling bath picture! Looking back at the photo albums of my siblings and I when we were kids, I noticed there were several pictures of us in the bath tub together. I never understood why until I had my own children. Like I said earlier, naked babies are SO CUTE! I am going to take photos of them because soon it will be out of the question, but for now, "say cheese!"

My parents went on a cruise for a week to Belize. Jenna and I got the privilege of watching my brother Samuel while they were gone. We love Uncle Samuel, he is so much fun to have around.

Our kids are getting to the age now where responsibilities are now given and expected. For the most part I think kids this age enjoy the sense of responsibility. The key is to use that natural desire and put it to good use. Get them while the going is good!

Have I ever mentioned how blessed Austin and I are? We have been given four beautiful children who are tender, crazy, kind, funny, and sweet. Yes, they have their moments, some lasting several days, but I wouldn't trade them for anything; down times and all. We love you children. Always remember that.

February Random Activities

The Prosper Library has story time every Thursday that we like to attend. On the third Thursday of the month the group meets somewhere around town for a mini field trip. This last one we went to was at the Prosper Museum. I didn't even know Prosper had a museum. It was located in the City Hall next to the Junior High. Story time was about what Prosper was like 100 years ago. Back then, Prosper and the surrounding areas were cotton fields. Some women dressed up in old fashion clothes and did a little presentation where we learned how the cotton was grown, harvested, and made into clothes. Each child got to take home their own cotton flower. When Andrew and Emeri got home they dug through their cotton and found the seeds. We were told we could plant the seeds and grow our very own cotton.

So using their home made Valentine's Day pots from Home Depot, they planted their cotton seeds. 

Our neighbor friends are some pretty sweet boys. We have two sets of brothers on the same street as us, one family as Luke and Lain, and the other has Lucas and Logan. Crazy right? Well both their mothers are Kellie so that just makes it that much cooler. Anyways, Lain was out playing with his long board and wanted to show Andrew how to ride it laying down on his belly. It was a sweet interaction and a new and exciting experience for Andrew. We are lucky to have such good neighbors.

Tammy heard from the girls at her shop that the McKinney High school was performing the play Les Miserable. It apparently was the talk of the town because of how well the students got into character and could sing. So, all of us girls headed out to the school to see for ourselves. WOW rumors were TRUE! It was an outstanding performance. After every song we just looked at each other with wide eyes and dropped jaws. The two students who played the roles of the nasty innkeepers were our favorites by far. They nailed their roles and were so much fun to watch. We had an enjoyable time watching the play and were very impressed with the students' vocals.

A treat for the mailman! Lately Andrew has been obsessed with getting the mail from our mail box every single day. During random times of the day Andrew will ask if he can "go get the mail" and before I can answer he is half way to the mail box. He loves it, I don't know why, but he does. So one day, we see the mail man coming and I ask the boys to help me gather some goodies up (there is not much in our house these days) to give to him to say thank you. They went crazy and were so excited to serve. After we collected as much as we could, the boys dropped the baggie into the mailbox and waited. They were pleased when the mailman smiled and said thank you. It was a fun experience to share with them.

Throughout the weeks, I try to look for things that will help the boys practice their hand writing without them know they are actually practicing. lol I know bad mommy. Anyways, I was cleaning up the tea cups and plates when it hit me! YEAH! Menus! So I immediately stopped cleaning and sat my big fat rear on the tiny blue chair up to the tiny tea party table. I then called to the kids and asked if I could meet the chefs of this fine restaurant and if I could get a menu? It was history from there. Both boys ran and got paper and started writing the sounds of the foods they wanted to serve me. Once they had something written down they would grab it from the food box and serve it to me. This fun little game lasted a half an hour with a continued version without me among themselves. NAIL IT! I was so impressed with how much they were writing and role playing that I decided (not because I didn't want to cook or clean) we would go out as a family that night to a sit down restaurant. That was the cherry on top. The boys brought their own menus to show to the waitress and compared them to the ones at the restaurant. IT WAS SUCH A FUN TIME! I am glad that I decided to stop cleaning.

We never get dessert at the restaurants we go to, but since this was such a special occasion we decided to go out with a bang. This giant cookie of goodness was the lucky winner.

Valentine's Day

I love me some lovin! We started off Valentine's Day with some tasty chocolates and heart shaped pancakes with strawberries and sprinkles! Yum Yum. Austin took me out to dinner a few days before Valentine's Day so we just spent the whole day together as a family. I loved that because they are the ones I 'love' the most. After breakfast, the boys wrote Grandma Heath a letter and we let them each pick a rose to surprise her with at her shop. They used their very best hand writing and I was proud of their work. Grandma had a yummy surprise for us too! We ate it that night as a family. Chocolate cake is always welcomed and appreciated in our house. HAHA

There always is and always will be evidence of food eaten on Andrew's face. lol

These are pictures of cards the boys made for me that morning. They had them done before I even got out of bed. One was tapped to my chest of drawers and the other to the wall right before you walk out of our bedroom. I loved both of them very much. It was so sweet.

Here was the letter Austin got me for Valentine's Day. I had to take a picture because I want our kids to know that Daddy did and always does make me laugh. He can be absolutely sincere and yet make a joke at the same time. I don't know how he does it but I LOVE HIM for it!

Plus, taking pictures of the cards means I can cherish them forever and not have to keep ever single card I get.