Snow Day

When the news says "we could see 8-10 inches of snow by the time this storm passes through the area" I groan and turn the TV off. News annoys me. They blow everything up into a huge deal when most of the time it is just a flurry. Well, this time, they got it right. It snowed from noon yesterday until noon today, without stopping! I have no idea how much snow we actually have on the ground, but it's a bunch! ...enough to keep Brooklyn home from school, my mom trapped in our house, and Andy home from work. It's been a wonderful day! I've caught up on laundry, done the dishes, updated my blog all thanks to my mom entertaining the kids and Andy working on digging us out.


Brooklyn and Xavier were dressed in their snow gear and out the door by 9:30. Andy headed out to try to fix the neighbor's snow blower. I watched from the window. My inner blogger and scrapbooker decided we really needed some photos. I opened the door to the garage and flashed my camera at Andy. He said, "in a minute." He eventually came in to grab the camera and headed back out. Within moments I had Brooklyn standing by my side begging for help with boot removal. I told her she had to go back outside for some photos. I'm such a mean mom! The kids met up with the neighbors and spent a good hour out in the snow. By the time they came in, Brooklyn's hair was frozen. They had a great time!

Snow Baby

Isaac wanted to be outside with the older kids and Daddy so badly. Unfortunately, the snow would have been over his head and I don't have a snow suit for a one year old. So, we brought the snow to him! My mom scooped some snow from the backyard into a bowl and sat it in front of him. It took a couple of tries to convince him to touch the fluffy, white, stuff but after we gave him a spoon, he was happy! He scooped and dumped for a little while, then got bored. My mom made him a snowball and his eyes lit up! He threw it, chased it, then squished it so hard it exploded! So much fun!

First Sleepover x 2

Brooklyn's friend Jamison invited Brooklyn to spend the night last Friday night. She was so excited! This would be her first sleepover! Unfortunately, Xavier was crushed. His best buddy, Jack happens to be Jamison's brother. He didn't understand why Brooklyn could have a sleepover and he couldn't. We tried to explain that he was only 4 and that his friend wasn't quite ready, but nothing would console him. Ten minutes later, the phone rang, inviting Xavier to stay too! The kiddos could barely contain their excitement as they packed their suitcases for the overnight stay. By the time we got to their house, it was 8:30! I have a problem with overstaying my welcome and talking too much(surprise!) and didn't leave until 11:00! Xavier was fast asleep on Jack's floor and Brooklyn was still awake in Jamison's bed. The next morning, the house was oddly quiet. Isaac and I had a nice, calm morning together while Andy was at Bible study. At 7:30, I got an email from the Gear house stating "they're up and waiting for pancakes." The boys were up at 6:30 and the girls were up at 7:00! Crazy kids! They finally came home around 1:00 and they were still complaining that they wanted to stay and play some more!

Gone!

I've been begging Brooklyn to get her hair trimmed for about a month. Every time I'd suggest it, she'd get pouty and sullen claiming she wanted to grow it LLLLLOOOONNNNNNNGGGG. Unfortunately, she has hair just slightly less fine than mine and it gets extremely tangled, full of static, and stringy. After school one day, one of the first grade teachers made a comment about how long Brooklyn's hair was getting. Within an hour, she wanted to get it cut?! I called the salon and they were able to get her in. I expected a trim, but Brooklyn wanted to cut it off! The stylist took off about 6 or 7 inches. I'm regretting not saving a little bit for her scrapbook. I can hardly get it into a ponytail! She looks adorable and she's so happy with all the attention. I'm not sure how I feel at this point. It's cute, but she looks so much older!

The Birthday Boy

Isaac turned one on January 13th. He had his one year well check on Thursday. Finally, some good news! His muscle tone is right where it should be! Yahoo! He was 21 pounds, 4 ounces and 30 inches long. That puts him in the 50th percentile for length and the 25th for weight. After some discussions about his diet, the doctor recommended leaving him on Alimentum for the next year, or as long as he will tolerate it. Since he can't have dairy, soy, or nuts the only option left is rice milk. It doesn't have enough fat in it to allow for proper brain development. So, we could go to a formula designed for children over one or stay on Alimentum. Weighing the nutritional and cost differences, we are sticking with what we've been doing. I'm HOPING we will find some other things he can eat and wishing he will grow out of some of these allergies in the next year. Otherwise, he is a beautiful boy. He has eyelashes that go on forever and such a sweet disposition. If not for allergies and refusing to nap, I'd have nothing to complain about! Then what would I do?

Christmas in January

Xavier's preschool Christmas party was cancelled due to bad weather. It was rescheduled for the day they returned to school in January. It felt a little strange to be celebrating after all the decorations were put away, but the party went very smoothly. We started with cookie painting. The 12 were then divided into 3 groups that rotated through 3 centers.
1. Game-pass the gift
2. Baby Jesus craft
3. Story about Jesus' Birthday
I read the story, which was almost impossible because we were sitting next to the game. All the kids were completely focused on what was in the package being passed around the circle. At one point in the story, I asked the group what they wanted to be when they grew up. The blue group...Liz: teacher, Matthew: Mommy, Xavier: Daddy, Evan: truck driver. Matthew then turns to Xavier and says "I'm gonna marry you!" Note to self, avoid Matthew at all costs! Ha!

It's Cold Outside!

Brooklyn and Xavier have been waiting, not so patiently, for the snow with enough accumulation to go sledding. Instead, we got ice...lots and lots of ice. Being the resourceful kids that they are, they adapted. They bundled up and headed outside into the subzero weather. They found the biggest pieces of ice and hurled them as hard as they could at our playhouse in the backyard. As long as there's no damage, have at it! They played until they were half frozen then headed inside to thaw, still dreaming of sledding. Someday...



Isaac wanted to be outside so badly. Maybe next year?

Books, Balls, and Birthdays

Isaac will be one tomorrow! We held his family birthday party on Saturday, in the middle of the ice storm. I guess it is inevitable when your birthday is in January. I created a books and balls theme for the event. Books for education, and balls because he LOVES them! It is going to be really hard to have a birthday that follows so closely after Christmas. I'm having a hard time coming up with gifts for him!

He's such a cutie!

This photo says it all. He got sick that day of the party so his nose and eyes were running. He fell out of a wagon this week and got a bruise on his cheek. AND we tried wheat this week. As you can tell by the rash on his face, it didn't go well. Oh, well!

This was Isaac's cake. It was made with a cake mix from the Raisin Rack made of rice flour, oil, water, and egg substitute. I couldn't find any icing that would work. He's allergic to too many things. I tried the cake. It was AWFUL! But, he thought it was awesome!

This was the cake the rest of us ate. Yum!

Go Bucks!

The Buckeyes may have lost another bowl game, but we still enjoy cheering them on! I think my kids are most excited about wearing tatoos on their faces. Brooklyn was mad that I wouldn't let her stay up to watch the game, but I didn't want to deal with the tired, grumpy face in the morning. My kids don't have the ablilty to sleep in. They are required to stay in their beds until the clock reads 7:00am. I have no idea what time they actually wake up. I'm looking forward to when Isaac knows his numbers so I can enforce this rule with him too. I think I'll be waiting a while!

A Visit With the Fam

We had my dad's side of the family over for a post New Year's celebration. We always have such a good time with them! Hannah and Brooklyn get along very well off in girlie land. They spent most of their time playing dolls and their DS's. Christopher, Grant, and Trevor were so kind to play Playmobil, Legos, and DS with Xavier. He felt like one of the big kids! I thoroughly enjoyed the adult conversation and not having to referee.

Even Isaac was able to get in on the action!

That's drywall dust(another story...) on Andy's shirt, NOT baby barf. Thanks to my cousin Rod for helping Andy carry our huge garden tub to the garage!

I had to include this rare good photo of my parents. We are not the most photogenic of families! One of us almost always blinks, looks like we've been out all night, picks our noses, etc.

The lineup of kiddos. It's amazing that this is just two families!

Happy 2009!

We had the Marshals over for our annual fondue New Year's Eve party. We spent some time introducing them to Rockband(seriously, we need a life!) We sent the kids to bed at 9:30, then spent the next few hours enjoying that precious adults-only conversation. We realized the new year had arrived, unnoticed during a break in our discussion. They gathered their kids, headed for the car, and we were in bed by 1:00a.m. We are pathetic, but we like it! Thanks for coming over, Marshals, we love spending time with you!

Alliance or Bust!

We traveled to see the Kings on Monday and Tuesday of last week. The kids were fairly patient in the car(thanks to the DS's and a movie) but Brooklyn has decided they need to move back to Marysville and live next door. She's seriously trying to figure out how to get our neighbors to move! We had a wonderful time and met their new puppy, Greta. It was a giant flashback to Ellie as a pup. I certainly remember those razor sharp puppy teeth! Ellie was very understanding of Greta's energy considering she is a crotchety old dog of almost nine! I wish the Kings luck with all of the Weim-isms.
1. Way too smart for their own good
2. Don't like to be alone-get used to sharing your bed!
3. Taste for Tupperware(not gladware or ziploc, but the expensive stuff!), Christmas cookies, remotes, carpet, toys, etc.
4. The ablilty to reach amazingly high places
5. Forgetting how big they really are
6. Lots and lots of energy
7. The sweetest, most wonderful dogs on the planet!


Oh, and the kids are cute too!

Wild...Lights

It was 63 degrees outside the Saturday after Christmas. We thought it would be a great day to go to the Columbus Zoo to check out the Wildlights. Well, everyone else had the same idea. It was CRAZY crowded. It was the 25th(?) anniversary of the lights and they replaced all of them with LEDs to be more green. They were amazing! We had so much fun! We met up with the Bautsch family briefly to check out the light show. We wandered through Asia Quest then tried to see the elephants. We ran into the Hess family and met their beautiful new baby Natalie. It was so nice to catch up with them! After braving the crowds we'd worked up an appetite. We stopped at the Handel's in Powell and devoured some tasty ice cream.

A sample of the lights. I turned off my auto flash and my shutter speed slowed way down. Another example of why I need those photography lessons!

Everybody say, "Eating ice cream outside in December!"


Thanks, Julie for the rare family photo!

The Day After...

My parents hosted my side of the family's Christmas on Friday. Xavier was so excited to receive a bunch of Power Rangers, including the huge Megazord(whatever) and a full Power Ranger outfit, down to the underwear. Brooklyn received her favorite gift; sewing lessons from Grandma. My mom bought her a mini sewing machine and promised to show her all she knows. I didn't inherit the sewing gene so I'm glad someone can show Brooklyn the ropes. My mom sent her home with homework...sewing buttons. That I can do! Brooklyn drove me crazy for the next 12 hours, begging to learn how to sew on those buttons. She did a great job! She worked really hard and only got mildly frustrated. I can't count the number of times she said "ouch!" as she poked herself with the needle!
Isaac received some very practical gifts including formula and diapers, but they were much needed items. He loves his new Mr. Potato Head. Not 30 minutes after we arrived, he hit his eye on a subwoofer and split his eyelid open. He was so tired, and being a new walker, kept falling over. For a little while, I thought we were headed to the Urgent Care. Thankfully, it has healed very quickly.

Christmas Day

It already seems like Christmas was decades ago. We had a fun Christmas day. Isaac only opened one gift, then tried to climb the rest. At least he had fun! Xavier was thrilled with his new DS games and lots and lots of Legos! He is able to put the kits together with minimal help. He amazes me sometimes! Brooklyn loved her Nellie American Girl, but I think she was trumped by the pink Nintendo DS! I can't believe it, my girlie girl is a video game junkie! After a peaceful morning, we headed to Andy's parents' house. We had a tasty meal, then spent the rest of the evening playing games.

This was Andy's favorite gift. Yet, he's not in the picture??? He's not the gamer, but loves Rockband! Xavier is nuts for the drums and Brooklyn fights for the mike. I just don't know how I feel about my six year old singing Weezer, Bon Jovi, and Nirvana.




Aren't the Christmas convicts cute?

The Best Laid Plans

Christmas Eve is always an eventful day for us. We bake our Happy Birthday, Jesus cake, I cook a fairly involved meal, we head to church, and come home in time to munch on some cake and head to bed. Everything started off as usual. Brooklyn and Xavier got to work on the cake. Isaac kept us from getting a good night's rest the night before and I was exhausted. I fell asleep on the couch and Xavier crashed on the floor. By the time I awoke, the cake was in pieces(Andy tried to remove it from the pan too early, too late, I'm not sure...) and it was two hours until we had to be at church. We'd planned on getting Brooklyn some petit fours from the local bakery for Christmas so I rushed out to purchase them. On the way, Andy ordered pizza. I picked up our hot, delicious, meal and headed home. Andy bathed the kids while I set the table. We scarfed down our pizza(and carrots) and zipped off to church. We dressed the kids in their PJs(It was a tradition in Andy's church growing up) so they'd be ready for bed when we got home. We got a few looks, but mostly compliments on our children's attire for the evening. I'm curious to see how many other kids show up in their PJs next year. After church, we headed home. We used Brooklyn's petit fours as a substitute for our sad cake. They looked really funny with a candle stuck in each little cake. Isaac had a candle stuck in a piece of rice cake, poor kid! But, all he wanted to do was touch the flame. Bad idea, kiddo! After a bite of cake, the kids headed off to dream land. Xavier was so excited for the next morning, he could barely stand still!

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