Remembering Justin

Today is a day that weighs heavy on my heart. I am so thankful for the memories I have of my brother Justin.  Not a day goes by that I don't think of him in some way and its important for me to make sure my boys remember what a great uncle he was. Today we all enjoyed a favorite of his... Braum's ice cream. Parker even said that we should take some to heaven and give it to Justin; if it was only that simple.

Valentine's

Today the boys had Valentine parties at their school. Parker's party was this morning. They got to wear their pj's to school and had a pancake breakfast along with crafts, and card exchange.

Carter's party was later that afternoon. There was a yummy collection of cookies, brownies, and cupcakes. They did have a fruit tray to balance out the sugar. I didn't see many of the older kids eating the fruit but Ryder really enjoyed the strawberries. And what would a Valentine party be without a decorated bag full of valentines and what else... more candy!

We decided why wait until Valentine's Day to give the boys our goodies. So, Sunday morning after the boys woke up they got to open their treats from us.

Bowling Party

We celebrated Parker's 6th birthday at the bowling ally with family and friends. The kids had a good time bowling. Parker even bowled a strike and a few spares.

Striker the bowling mascot game out to wish Parker a happy birthday. Some kids are scared of big stuffed mascots (we had a few friends not in the picture), but not Parker. He loves them. As soon as he saw him he ran him down and was ready for a picture.

After fun bowling we enjoyed pizza, cake, presents, and time in the arcade. It was a great party!

Oh Snow!!

We woke up this morning to a blanket of white snow covering the ground.  I had to sneak outside and take a few quick pictures before it was destroyed by running feet and snowballs.

Later in the day we decided to head over to Mimi and Poppy's house. Their yard has more of an incline so we thought it would be good for trying to sled. Unfortunately we didn't have any luck. The snow was too soft and we couldn't get very good traction either. We were also using an air mattress as a sled, which may not have been the best idea. We did feed the horses next door some carrots and manage to get some good play time in. 

Parker threw a snowball right in Carter's face so getting him to look at the camera for pictures after that was useless. Oh well, life goes on;)

Swim lessons

Thats right. Swim lessons in February. I signed Parker up through our local Y. I figure why not, its an indoor pool and he needs the practice. Day one wasn't too bad although I did threaten him that if he didn't start swimming the right way we were going to continue taking lessons every month and he wasn't going to step foot in a pool this summer. We'll see how long I can drag that one out.

Happy Birthday Parker

My little groundhog turned 6 today. He was super pumped to get to stay home on his birthday (another day off from school). I had promised him a special lunch earlier this week so even though the roads were icy out we ventured to McDonald's for a special birthday lunch. While we were there the power went out (from the rolling blackouts we experienced all day). Luckily we had already ordered and just got out food. I was getting our drinks ready when it went out so we had to do without until it came back on.
He was so patient waiting for Brandon to get home all day so he could open his presents. As soon as Brandon walked in the door that's exactly what he did.

The birthday boy also got to pick out his special dinner. At first he wanted McDonald's again. I explained to him that not everyone likes McDonald's as much as he does, so maybe we could do something else. His second choice was Chick-Fil-A. Better, but not what I had in mind. We finally made him choose somewhere we could all go and sit and enjoy a meal. We ended up ordering pizza and staying home. Mimi and Poppy came over and joined us for dinner and another round of groundhog cupcakes.

I can't believe how fast time goes. It seems like yesterday that I was making these groundhog cupcakes for his 1st birthday. Hopefully he never gets too old to keep making them every year. It is a fun tradition and it doesn't hurt that they are really good!

No School!!

I wish I could say we missed school because of a snow storm, but all we got was an ice storm. The weather was freezing!! Temperature dropped into the 20's and with wind gust blowing at 30-40mph it felt like single digits. COLD!! With not much to do I figured it was perfect for getting a jumpstart on Parker's annual groundhog cupcakes.

The boys helped ice and decorate and even got to enjoy the fruits of their labor for dessert later that evening.

Yummy Corn Dogs!

Everyone says that kids grow up too fast. And yes its true. Its the little things that I love watching Ryder discover. Like the first time he said dinosaur or his dancing in the car or along with the TV or walking in his room in the morning and him greeting me with his arms spread wide saying "YO!" But today is was watching him eat a corn dog. This is not his usual meal but Brandon was out of town and I was making them for the older boys so I thought I'd give it a try. Much to my surprise he picked it up and gave it a try. I don't think it hurt that he saw his brothers doing it too. My first thought was 'oh my gosh, he's actually eating it'. Then I realized what a monumental moment it really was. My baby seemed like such a big boy sitting there with his brothers eating dinner just like they would.

Needless to say he really enjoyed his corn dog even when it came off the stick. I have a feeling many corn dogs are in our future.