Rainy Day Play

It was pouring rain the other day but Brad had no problem taking the boys outside to play in it.  Since there were two of us to help with the boots and coats it made it easier to have this little adventure.   As always, it was so nice to get the boys outside. 

The tried to float "boats" down the little stream in front of our driveway.

Ollie was so excited watching the boats go by. 

Scooter Tricks

Colt & Brody have improved a lot on their scooter and bike.  I was able to get a little video of Colt putting both feet on his scooter.  He was so proud of himself and I am proud of him too. 

     

Meeting Elijah

Last Thursday (when our power went out and the roads were icy) my sister and her family flew out to Seattle to surprise us.  We were unable to go to my parents that day, but fortunately we spent some time with them on Friday and Saturday.   It was also the first time I met my adorable nephew, Elijah Blu.  He looks like George then looks like Wesley.  

The boys also had a race using these bouncy balls.

And of course the crazy kids hopped into the hot tub with their crazy Papa Bob.  They had a blast!

Ollie was quick to get out. 

When the lights go out

We hunkered down when our power went out and tried our best to make it into a fun adventure.

We had dinner on a blanket by the fireplace.  Our fireplace definitely warmed the room up but since it was near our big sliding glass door it was not very efficient.

The boys tested out their camping sleeping bags they got for Christmas.  They worked very well since we didn't hear a peep from them all night. 

Colt is somewhere in this sleeping bag.  He really liked getting hunkered down.

We had Ollie snuggled up with his blankets and his Michigan hat.

We did make it through the night but it was VERY hard to get out of bed in the morning.  Our house was so cold.  I was the biggest wimp through it all.  I just wanted to sit by the fireplace with a warm blanket all day.   The boys were ready to play.

Happy Birthday George!

We had the chance to celebrate George's 7th birthday (his actual birthday is today, January 25th...Happy Birthday George!)  

He opened a few presents.  All LEGOS.  Brody was quick to tell George that he could get him some LEGOS for his birthday in March.

George wanted to go to Red Robin for his birthday.  The boys did a great job at the restaurant and had a fun time celebrating.

Colt was very happy about his chocolate milkshake.

George and his birthday sundae.

I was able to get this very short video of them singing the Red Robin Birthday song.

George is such a great cousin to my boys.  He is kind, thoughtful and a problem solver when anythin gets a little sticky between the cousins.

Happy Birthday George!  Thanks for letting us celebrate with you.

Lights & Heat

Last Thursday morning around 7:45 we lost our power.  I had a feeling this outage would last longer than a few hours.  We had tentative plans to go to my parents but the roads and conditions were too icy to go any further than our driveway (at least in the minivan).  The boys didn't seem phased by the lack of electricity and played as they usually do.  They did keep asking why things didn't work and we had to constantly tell them it was because we had no power.  

Our power came back on Friday around 3:30.  We were at my parents house and came back home around 7:00. As we were putting the boys to bed the power went out again.  It was 7:45.    The power came back on close to midnight.

I was gone with the boys Saturday afternoon and Brad stayed home to finally do some work.  I received a text message from him around 4:30 that the power went out again. 

This time we were one of 25 homes in our neighborhood (2 streets) that lost their power for the 3rd time.  Since we were not high on the priority list we were informed that our power might be out until Wednesday.  Our friends, the Welkes, invited us to stay with them.  So we spent two nights and two days with them.  They were great hosts.

We are happy to report that we are back home with the lights and heat on.  (Our only problem is our computer continues to give us some trouble, which is why I have no pictures)

Like a Diamond in the Sky

We love this stage of Ollie learning to talk and sing.  It makes us smile listening to him over the monitor as he jabbers away or sings part of a song.  The latest song he has been singing is "like a diamond in the sky".  I have started to help him by singing other parts of the song and he seems to know it.  I was able to get a little bit on video.  (of course he gets a little distracted half way through)

**Please ignore the mommy voice. 

The Quad in the Snow

As the mom of three boys there are certain activities that are not fully endorsed by me.  I know this is why it is important for the mom and dad to balance each other out.   Brad was able to get the quad working and brought it out to our cul-de-sac to let the kids ride on it.  (Although I was completely nervous about it, it was probably the safest time riding a quad. If the kids went to fast the wheels would get stuck and it wouldn't go anywhere)

Brody's turn.

Colt loved it!  (I think it was his first time by himself).  Although we quickly learned that his hands are still too small and weak to actually push the lever to go.

Even Ollie had a few rides.

It looks like Ollie is very cold in this picture....He is.  I took him in shortly after I took it.  Thankfully he warmed up very quickly.

A few videos of the boys

The BIG Storm

Brad and I were worried we weren't going to get snow. We had very little even though the surrounding hills had a few inches.  We were so thankful when we woke up to see that SNOWSTORM 2012 really did happen. 

The snow did turn into a freezing rain and it ended up being very wet when we came in to warm up.  The boys didn't seem to mind and had a great time playing in it.

Ollie and our neighbor Kira. 

Colt didn't want his picture taken.

Brody sledding with our neighbor Emmi.

I love how fearless the boys are when it comes to sledding.  I am just thankful the "hills" aren't very big. 

Ollie's favorite thing to do in the snow.  Eat it!

Soaking up the snow

The day after it snowed I got the boys outside to go sledding and play some more.  There wasn't much left and it most of it melted away by the afternoon.  It was really disappointing (probably more so to me than them)  But they did keep saying they wanted more snow.  I knew it was in the forecast but I also know very well to not believe any snow reports until it is actually here.

Here are a few pictures from our morning.

Ollie catching snowflakes on his tongue.

Brody chilling on his sled.

Colt was very pleased to be pulling Ollie around.

A few videos of their attempts at sledding.  You can see how little snow we had. 

Whale Park

Last week we had a cold, clear day.  I was anxious to get out of the house.  Our cul-de-sac/house doesn't get the best sun in these winter months which makes for very cold playing.   I decided to take the boys to the park.  We decided to head to Crossroads Park where it seemed to have good sun.  

The boys playing the drums.

I tried to snap a picture of the 3 of them, but they all ran off.

This is called the whale park because it has these big whales that spray water in the summer time.  Fortunately, the water is turned off this time of year.

Brad was able to join us. (I'm not sure what he is doing in this picture)

A picture with me and my 3 boys.

I'm so glad we were able to get out and get some fresh air.  It made a difference for all of us.

Colt's Scootering

Colt desperately wants to be as fast as his brother or as efficient at scootering (I know that's not a word) or biking as Brody.  He works really hard and gets easily frustrated when he can't keep up.  I'm sure his determination will get him caught up very soon.  

He is getting pretty good on the scooter. 

Ollie is in the background saying "see, see, video, video".

Storm Watch 2012

We have had our first snow "storm" of the season.  It was fun to see the boys get so excited about it.  Unfortunately, it hardly snowed before it stopped.  It was a difficult morning getting the boys to church with the dusting of snow on the ground.  

Thankfully the snow came back and gave us a few inches to play in. 

The boys are getting much better at sledding.  Brody has no fear going by himself and Colt & Ollie will jump right in.

Colt & I built 3 snowmen.  I encouraged Ollie to kiss one of them.

He couldn't stop kissing him (or licking the snow).

According to the Newscasts and STORM WATCH 2012 there could be more snow in the next few days.  I sure hope so, but I know not to get my hopes up.  And I am thankful we did get some.  It's one of the great things about having kids....being able to play again.