Jack Frost

We have had some heavy fog the past week or so - this morning was no exception. We have also had FREEZING temperatures - this morning was no exception! I stopped and took these pictures as I was driving home from the dentist (threw that tid-bit of info in for sympathy).




I don't think I've ever seen frost so thick - it looks like snow!





It truly is breath-taking. I just wish it wasn't cold enough to be this beautiful!

Camera Dump

I guess it's a good thing when a couple of quiet weeks can pass by. Nothing much has been happening around here. The kids are finally back at school. 3 snow days made us all cranky! Things seem to be getting back to normal now - routines are great and we're happy to be slipping back into ours!

Here's what I found on the camera from the last week:

Joseph got a bike for Christmas and it has been the BEST GIFT EVER! He rides around and around and around the kitchen island/table. He constantly instructs us to "Wook out!" The little bucket on the back flips down to dump stuff out...he will leave that flipped down and ride around sometimes. When he first did that we asked him what he was doing and he said it was his plow! Smart kid! lol (Oh, and the attire is all his own doing!)



Meredi - Where EVER does she get her love for guns?



Megan helps Meredi ride the plow.



After the plow picture, the kids caught me with the camera and posed...





I bought Blues Clues videos for Jason and Maddie YEARS ago. Back when Nick Jr still had FACE (sorry, some of you will know what that means, some won't...don't feel bad!)...anyway, when Joseph put this tape in the older kids were thrilled to see that it was Steve and not Joe! (I kind of was too, I don't like Joe so much!)



Patty cake!

Happy Birthday Malorie! 6 Years Old

Wow - just like that, six years have come and gone and it hardly seems that I've even blinked yet!

Today we celebrated Malorie's birthday! She has painfully been counting down the days since...well, probably since school started! And finally, today is the day! She started her day with her daddy making her pancakes for breakfast!



I guess even before pancakes, we started the day with a surprise, early morning visit from Grandpa! He was on his way to the gun-show in Spokane so stopped on his way to drop off gifts from Grandma and Grandpa - and $20 from her Great-Grandmother.



Peek-a-Boo Barbie's!! Grandma Janet always knows the PERFECT gifts!!



Following gifts we went outside to shovel snow (What day would be complete without at least an hour of that?). Malorie and Melanie Polly-Pocket'ed and Peek-a-Boo'ed the rest of the day away. Then the day wound down with an hour long phone call with her cousin Maddi - I have no idea what two six year olds can talk about for 60 minutes, but I think they could have kept going if we hadn't made them hang up for dinner! Now we're lighting the candles on her popcorn cake!! What a wonderful day!





Happy Birthday Malorie! We sure do love you!

(And look, not a single..."Six years ago, right now..." in the whole entry!)

New Year's Eve 2008

We had another wonderful Mexican Buffet at our home this year! Almost all of Brandon's local extended family attended. We had 41 people for dinner - and it was great!

Everyone grabbed a seat for the blessing and then started making tacos...tacos...and more tacos!






After dinner, the younger kids all gravitated to Uncle Courtney...he's "that" uncle in our family. He's the winder-upper and the kids all love him to death!



The tweens and teens boys all headed downstairs for trampoline football. Guess I'm getting old - jumping on the trampoline is the LAST thing I would have considered doing after eating tacos! Blech!



Those of us who opted to keep our tacos to ourselves broke out board games to pass the night away!





We had a great time - and so much more happened than just these few pictures can share! We can't wait to do it again next year!