Week ending 2-22-15

Monday night we got a freezing rain and ice storm that was bad enough to close schools for 2 days. Then it got down to the single digits, which necessitated a delayed start for 2 days. 

 Kaitlyn shows off the icicles on the yellow truck.

 Cars were iced over solid. They were worse than they look.

 Ice encased bush.

 None of these pictures do the ice storm justice. It was really beautiful. I loved looking out the window and seeing everything iced over and shimmering.

 It's hard to tell from the picture, but the sidewalks were solid ice, enabling the kids to ice skate on them.

 Beautiful! I love ice storms.

 Tiny icicles all over our house.

 Thomas took these pictures of the icicles the next day.

 And of someone's homemade bow stuck in the ice.

 The side of our house that didn't melt the second day. 

 I guess he was taking a picture of the hose stuck in the ice.

 Today was a pleasantly warm Sunday.

Oops. The peanut butter got left out.

First Two Weeks of February

 Happy Groundhog's Day! Alexis made our traditional Cream of Wheat with groundhogs poking up out of it.

 The next day, February 3, was the anniversary of our stillborn baby, Julianne. This year was special because the calendar was exactly the same as it was 6 years ago when she was born. I can't believe it's been that long. We made stromboli braids and went to the park in Fountain, where she is buried.

 The food was delicious and it was a fun family picnic. I'm glad we have this tradition on Feb. 3 otherwise I doubt we'd ever have family picnics. 

 I love watching the kids walk around on the logs that border the different play areas.

 The family at the cemetery

 We turned around and there was a full moon just coming up behind the pine trees. These pictures are terrible, but it was super beautiful.

 Family picture with the moon.

 The next day, Feb. 4, was Madalyn's birthday. Here she is opening "100 of the Most Beautiful Piano Solos Ever." I'm so glad my children love to play the piano.

 Samuel during the party.

Alexis gave Madalyn that Raisin Bran box filled with the shall, a sombrero she made and a few other cardboard creations that had to do with something from "Emperor's New Groove."

 Madalyn made a chocolate layer cake with KitKats.

 My second teenager!! 

 Alexis roped off areas and made signs that said "Muffie's birthday presents boundaries" and "Maddie's birthday present boundaries." I wanted to get a picture of both of them but here is just Makenna Muffin's presents with Madalyn's boundary on the right after she opened her presents. Madalyn's birthday was Feb. 4 and Makenna's Feb. 7.

 Madalyn and Makenna-- buddies!

13 and 3

 Makenna specified pink cupcakes with gummy bears. She also wanted tacos, which we had for lunch, and pizza, which we had for dinner.

 Valentine's Day treat

 Dinner--pigs in a blanket in a heart shape with tator tots. We had another pan with a lot more and it looked like more like a heart but we ate it before we took a picture.

 That night our trampoline flew upside down and over the fence. I thought it was hilarious to see a trampoline blowing away. When Nathan and I tried to bring it back into our yard, the wind yanked it out of our hands and it flew up vertically into the crepe myrtle tree. Then I really started laughing. Despite it being almost midnight with freezing hands and feet, outside in our pajamas, it struck my funny bone.

 Heart hair-dos Kylie did for church Feb. 15.

January Happenins

We haven't done a whole lot lately, so I haven't been posting pictures weekly. I just looked at the ones we've taken recently and they're actually quite boring, but decided to post anyway since this is sorta like a scrapbook for me and the children.

 We had our homeschooling friends over for a little post-Christmas party. They are awesome and bring out the best in my kids. I love it when we get together. Everyone is happy all day long.

January 7, 2015

 Playing Wakee Six 

 Lydia and Makenna eating suckers

Four kids goofing off and running around in a blanket. What else is there to do on cold January days?

  

 Samuel is the cuddliest baby. He'll even lie on Spencer while he crochets. 

(No he's not asleep, just cuddling.)

 Silly Sam

He loves to walk around with something hanging out of his mouth. It's usually this caterpillar toy, a beanie baby, or plastic food.

 Samuel after we went for a walk. It's been a really cold winter. No snow, but colder than usual.

 Samuel also loves shoes, particularly these dress up ones.

 One day I went to the temple by myself. At 2:30 Kylie came to Nathan asking if he'd put Samuel down for his nap. He said no. They had baby-sat at lunchtime and had a crazy time with extra kids and no mom around. Now that things were calmer they couldn't find him anywhere. He wasn't upstairs, he wasn't downstairs, he wasn't outside. Then they finally found him in my closet where he had pulled my clothes off the shelf and fell asleep with them. Poor little guy missed me!

 

 Kylie made this dress for Lexi's new doll she got for Christmas.

Every morning the big kids do school downstairs and I take the little kids upstairs to do preschool. We sit on the bed and Kaitlyn reads to us while I sew. Samuel plays in the kitchen set food. He has sat there for nearly an hour! He loves it.

One day while Nathan and Kylie were at seminary Alexis brought me breakfast in bed. I made such a big deal about it that she's continued to do so nearly every day since then. I love it!

 One of her favorite pasttimes is making things from cardboard. One of her recent creations is making the little girls art kits, but I haven't taken a picture yet.

 Spencer getting his adenoids out. It was his first surgery and everything went well. They were so fast he never got time to play on the ipad they gave him.

 waking up

 My aunt surprised us by mailing us a box of Sees chocolates! We had just finished school and were getting out snack when the mailman brought it to us. What a great day!

Alexis made up a winter reading program to imitate the summer reading program the library does. It's called "Let us read while it snows, let us read!" (To the tune of the last line of Let it Snow) Here she has made special certificates of achievement for Kaitlyn and Makenna and pinned them to their shirts. They also got stickers as one of the prizes.