Yep, That's Texas

Living in Texas, it's not too hard to believe that we would have a day in January where we could go outside without wearing a coat. And what a nice day it was! Lila asked if we could get out the bubbles. I blew some bubbles for them to pop, but pretty soon she was asking to blow them herself.

I had to admit, I was a little surprised when she could actually do it. Just one more way my little girl is getting bigger!

She was having a fun time!

I love the little "O" face she makes when she blows.

Looks like a summer fun kind of activity, doesn't it?

So is it possible we can we get THIS one week later? It is if you live in Texas! (Notice the little girl in the window.)

Here's the view of our street. We got a pretty good coverage of ice on Monday night which stuck around due to freezing temps... then Thursday night we got about 6 inches of snow on top of that! It cancelled school for FOUR DAYS, a record down here! But with snow, that meant we could finally go outside and play!

As we were getting all bundled up, Lila found this little winter hat in the closet and thought Piper should wear it. Don't worry, she snoozed quite peacefully inside the warm house while we played outside. Our outdoor adventures didn't last too long because the snow was too powdery (no snow man) and it was COLD out there!

But snow on ice makes for good sledding. We didn't want to go anywhere to find a hill (too cold), so Ben just pulled Lila around the yard.

Wyatt looks happy here, but about five minutes before this picture was taken, he was crying in the garage and ready to quit. He'd gotten snow in his mittens. That's why he's sporting the pink mittens... new and dry (who cares if they're pink?) = willing to play some more!

Anyone want to play?!

Remember my snow-loving dog? Well, she still loves the snow.

Not only would she try to catch the snowballs (which didn't want to stick together too well), but then she would search around on the ground, trying to find where it landed.

Maggie didn't seem like she was having as much fun. She just didn't have the same exuberance as Kelsey.

Wyatt's main focus was brushing all the snow off the glider.

"Are you having fun, Lila?"

"Yeah."

"Daddy, can you hold me me?"

No, I didn't make a mistake - that's exactly how he says it. He was ready to go in. I think it took us just as long to get bundled up as it did to actually play outside!

Of course, when we came inside we had to have some hot cocoa! They both wanted to use a straw (which is great because it means less mess). I cut a straw in half to make a shorter straw for each of them since the mugs were little. 

The next day it got above freezing. After being cooped up inside for a week, I think everyone went somewhere that day! I was glad to see the sun again and get back into the 50s. All of our snow has melted with just a little bit of ice left on our back patio. But just in case we start missing it... the forecast for tomorrow is snow again! 

Yep, that's Texas.

Sweet Moments

Life with three kids right now makes me feel like a juggler... just when I get one child's needs met, here comes another. I haven't even tried to get the housecleaning ball in the air yet. Some days it can be very frustrating (like yesterday). I confess I am not the happiest person by dinner time on those days! (Dinner time seems to be the meltdown point for all of us... we're tired, we're hungry, etc.) Anyway, in those moments I don't run for my camera. I don't think "yes, my child is screaming, the house is a mess and I haven't showered... I must get a picture of this!" I recently read a post on someone else's blog about how she uses her camera to focus on what she wants to see (not the mess happening behind her subject). Well, when I write this blog, it is an outlet for me to remind myself of how good I have it. A chance to focus on the sweet moments and wonderful children the Lord has given us. And yes, a little glimpse into our lives right now. I don't want to look back thirty years from now and be reminded of my grungy, bad attitude days. I hope my kids don't remember them either! :) So here is a sampling of some of the sweet moments we've had in the past month.

I had my camera out to take a picture of Piper's hand with our wedding rings. It doesn't take long before I have two little helpers when I'm trying to take a picture. By this time, Piper was starting to get tired of laying on the floor. So here we have Wyatt giving Piper a "kiss" (he presents his cheek to be kissed) and Lila taking their picture on her camera.

One day I found Lila and Wyatt reading a Sesame Street book with Elmo and Cookie Monster. It was the cutest thing, especially since Lila was "reading" to Wyatt and they were snuggled together on the couch. I tried to sneak up on them and take their picture.

But of course, once Lila saw my camera she had other ideas.

Wyatt, not to be outdone, said he could do that too!

This picture still amazes me. I have seen my niece and nephew fall asleep while eating... but our children have NEVER come anywhere close to doing something like that. So you can imagine my total surprise when I looked over at Wyatt one night at dinner to find him completely asleep. Seriously, one minute he was taking a bite and the next, passed out! And still holding his spoon! We let him sleep there while we finished dinner, then put him to bed early :)

Every afternoon we have 'room time' -- where they have to play in their room for a couple of hours and not come out. Sometimes they start out in their own rooms, but they usually end up in one room together. What they play is often directed by Lila. Can you guess what she decided they were going to play here?

Yes, that's right. Time to dress up! Wyatt was dressed as a bunny ballerina who likes to cook (apparently).

Lila went the standard princess route with dress, boa, gloves and fairy wings!

During room time, I try to get something done that is hard to do with little people - cleaning, a project or updating the ole blog. That is of course, if I'm not needed by Miss Piper. One day this week I was trying to get a post up before she woke up from her nap ready to eat. I wasn't fast enough... so Mr. Owl gave me a few more minutes to finish!

Then suddenly, this little happy girl appeared! (It was a rare day - Wyatt was actually taking a nap.) Room time was over; my time was up!

With the cold weather we've been having, Piper hasn't been getting a bath very regularly (unless it's prompted by a blowout... you know, the kind where you take them straight to the tub.) So when she does get a bath, I get my camera!

5 weeks old.

Sound asleep... now that's a sweet moment!

January Visitors

As I mentioned before, Grandma and Grandpa Brandt came for a visit in January. They were here a week, and then my Mom stayed two more weeks to help us out.

Grandma holding Piper.

Grandpa taking a little snooze along with Piper (I tried to sneak up on him, but he still heard me coming.)

Grandma got to read LOTS of books while she was here. Lila likes to read different books, but Wyatt is at the age where he wants to read the same one over and over. His current favorite is a Mickey Mouse book he received at Christmas.

One night, Ben took Lila to AWANA, so Wyatt got Grandpa and Grandma all to himself. He really enjoys doing puzzles. He also really likes dumping all the pieces on the floor! But, if he is in the mood to put it together, he sticks with it and does a great job.

On our anniversary, we left the kids at home and went out to dinner (we took Piper along with us). At home, Grandpa made breakfast for dinner, and the kids enjoyed helping him make the eggs!

We were also excited to have my good college friend, Amanda, visit us for a weekend. She stayed with Janina, but we went down and hung out with them one afternoon.

The kids were coloring, and Wyatt kept asking "Panda" to color with him (it was too cute.) By the time she left, he had figured out her name was "Manda" :)

One night we decided to make pizza for supper - and Lila and Wyatt got to help! Here Lila is helping Grandma make the dough (yes, that's right... it was ALL from scratch! Yum!) She also helped make the sauce.

Wyatt helped me grease the pans and then he helped put on the toppings. Here he is saying "No, Mommy, don't take my picture!" Too late!

Snow Days

A few weeks ago it snowed in Texas. Right now, we have ice on the ground. Not nearly so exciting or fun as snow! In fact, after playing outside for awhile, I'm not sure who had more fun: Lila or Kelsey, our dog.

See, Kelsey likes to catch snowballs. She will jump up and try to catch them mid-air. It is fun to watch.

Wyatt thought it looked like a fun thing to do, so Ben helped him make a snowball to toss.

He quickly got the hang of it and started making his own snowballs to throw. I circled his snowball, so you could see what Kelsey is about to attack.

Here's a picture of how we Texans dress for snow. We put plastic bags around our feet before we put our shoes on... it's called makeshift snow boots!

Lila was having fun too.

Seriously, Kelsey was in dog heaven. I don't think the kids have ever played with her this much (the only other thing she likes to try to catch as much is a balloon.)

Lila thought it was fun to throw her snowballs at the fence.

She also thought it was fun to go really fast down the slide!

The next day my parents arrived, so everyone (minus Grandma and Piper) trooped back outside to play some more. This time they built a snowman.

Our snowman was a fireman with good oral hygiene!

I confess I didn't last very long outside. Trying to take pictures gives you cold hands! But, before I went in, I handed the camera over to Ben and took a picture with the kids. (You don't realize how pale you are until you stand right next to a bright red coat!!)

Gotcha! They didn't want to stop playing to take a picture, but I snuck one in anyway!