Heart Check

Today I took Lila to be registered for preschool. She was so excited! We got to see all the classrooms, playground and gym. She wanted to go in the gym and play with the kids. I think she would have sat down in one of the classroom chairs and stayed if she was allowed.

It actually did me a world of good to go and see what all she will be doing. I am excited for all the fun things she will do, and I'm looking forward to have some undivided attention time with Wyatt. This coming fall will be a big transition but I think, a good one. Even though part of me wants to hold on to my kids forever, a bigger part of me wants to champion them to be the best they can be - and I think she is going to have a blast. :)

Of course, this also made me feel the oldest I've felt in awhile. We are just one step closer to kindergarten! How can that be already?? :)

(The above picture is Lila helping me decorate Valentine's cookies... just in case you were wondering!)

The Great Snow of Texas

When we woke up this morning, it had finally stopped snowing. We had about 7 inches at our house - some areas got up to 12. Definitely one for the record books! As if they knew fun existed outside, both kids woke up early this morning so we were outside playing by 8:15!

First, this is a shot I got of Wyatt yesterday after Ben got home from work. We all went back outside for a little bit. Wyatt was smiling at the dogs' antics... they were really playing with each other in the snow.

This morning we thought we'd take the kids sledding. We might not get another opportunity like this one for a long time. But we don't own a sled. So instead we used Ben's knee board... who says a summer sport equipment can't do double duty? It worked great! We took them down the street to a nearby park.

After Ben took both kids down the (very small) hill, Lila decided she wanted to do it on her own.

Wyatt was watching. He looked like maybe he was up to the challenge too.

So here he goes...

Oops! Maybe not quite ready to do it on his own. Good thing this hill wasn't very steep or very long (it was just right for them!).

Big sister to the rescue!

Of course we couldn't leave the park without playing on the playground.

The slides were super fast with all the snow! Hmm... maybe Wyatt will make it to the 2030 Olympics for the Skeleton. Ok, wait, I don't want that :)

Wyatt's 1st Snow Adventure

We woke up this morning to SNOW! Lila's eyes lit up when she saw it, and she immediately started asking about building a snowman. So after 20 minutes getting everyone bundled up (we don't have snow gear, so we had to use what we had!), we went outside. This was Wyatt's first time playing in the snow.

He got a big grin on his face when he realized the snow was coming from the sky!

My two snow bunnies.

And then he was off! He did pretty well walking through the snow (we have about 2 inches right now and it's still falling).

Lila started working on the snowman's head. I helped roll the two bottom segments.

Wyatt decided it was easier to run on the pavement than through the snow.

Look at the big flakes that were falling! It was so pretty.

It was a lot easier to get a picture of him when he was on the pavement too.

Once we got the snowman's body finished, Lila started working on his arms.

I only had baby carrots, so he got a small nose. And we used vanilla wafers for his eyes, mouth and buttons - but they didn't want to stay in very well. At one point, Lila said "Mom, our snowman lost his cookies!" Hee, hee, I hope not! :)

Here he is our snowman basketball player - that is some full contact basketball! Look at those teeth that got knocked out!

And how do you know when it's time to go in? When your son, who has a flair for the dramatic, makes this face.

But all in all, he really enjoyed his first time in the snow!

Punxsutawney Pudding

Here's a picture of our Groundhog Day dessert. It didn't turn out quite like I hoped. "Phil" looks more like a bear than a groundhog. I wanted him to be popping up out of the middle, but his face kept wanting to tilt forward so I had to prop him up using the edge of the cup. But, this made my 3 year old's day, so it wasn't a wasted effort :)

Groundhog Day

I thought I'd write a short little update. I thought about calling this post "January 2010: the Month of Perpetual Sickness"... but instead I will focus on the positive. Now that it is February, hopefully we will be on our way to good health!!! Wyatt came home from Christmas with a stomach bug. He got better, but then a few days later Lila came down with it. Then a few days after she was better, Wyatt caught a virus that gave him a high fever for a few days followed by a slight rash. Fortunately, Lila didn't get that. But by the next week she started showing cold symptoms and now both kids have runny noses and coughs. (Yes, technically they are sick now, but it started in January so I won't count it against February.) Ben and I have been very blessed - we have avoided getting any of this so far! I pray that will continue.

Today is Groundhog Day. To celebrate and have some fun, we are having a themed dinner tonight. Here's our menu:

Bratwurst (why? because it is ground hog of course!)

Little burrows (curly fries)

Groundhog grub (corn, beans and carrots... seems like what a groundhog might eat??)

Punxsutawney Pudding (chocolate pudding to look like dirt with a little groundhog cookie popping up out of the top... I'll post a picture if they turn out cute)