February 2011 in Pictures

Started February off with a snow day...

And they kept coming...feel like the kids are going to go to school all summer.   

Here's a sampling of our snow days.

 

 (Cant really tell from this picture, but I built 2 forts for the kids)...they used it for snowball wars. 

Superbowl.  For the first year in many we didn't host a Superbowl party.  It was WEIRD.  Quiet.  We actually got to watch the game...(well Wade watched the game, I watched the commercials).  The favorite...no question...

 

Probably watched it 20 times.  Think we loved it so much because we live it.  No doubt about it, we're a Star Wars family, everyone in this house loves Star Wars...see below. 

The Hulk vs Vader.  JP screaming in the back...normal night in our house. 

Goodbye...

You will not be missed. 

Like I said in my last post, I had Lasik.  There was pain...mostly just the first day.  Nice doctor gave me a Valium after surgery so I'd sleep through most of it.  Worst part...a week of ripping off the tape on my protective eye sheilds each morning...AND scrubbing my face of all the sticky residue.  Best part...HAD to stay in dark bedroom with eyes closed for the afternoon/evening of my surgery (Ahhh...quiet....something I NEVER get).  Riley was so sweet.  She desperately wanted to cook me breakfast in bed the day after AND it had to be pancakes and chai tea latte...really sweet thought.  Loved every bit of it...until I had to get up and clean up the kitchen...from my breakfast and theirs.  C'est la vie...my siesta didn't last long.

Riley has such a big heart.  I love that she thought to do that AND she was so adamant with Wade on what she wanted to make and wanted to do it all herself, with no help from the him or the kids. 

 

Before Valentines Day, Cade got off the bus with 6 green hearts he made in class.  He had 6 different sizes starting with a tiny one for JP and a they went up from there.  That night after we did homework, ate dinner, took Riley to tumbling, put all the kids through the bath, Wade and I exhausted, walked into our room to find this and I just melted.  What a sweet kid. 

Brooke keeps spilling at the kitchen table so we decided to put her in the high chair...JP didn't like it one bit.  He'd scream at her and push her across the floor trying to get her out.  The rest of us laughing hysterically.  Poor kid...it was just SO hilarious we couldn't help it.

One more note about Cade.  The boy is neat.  He keeps a VERY clean room.  Even filling out his valentines.  He separated them by color and stacked them into neat piles as he filled them out.  I used to be like that.  Before I had FOUR children I was uber organized.  I've laxed a bit on that the last couple of years...now a days I'm just trying to stay afloat. 

  

Valentine Parties.  Very. Big. Deal.  Valentines parties might be a bigger deal than Christmas parties.   

Mondays we have gymnastics so we had to eat  a late Valentine dinner.  Tonight we had fondue.  Such a great dinner with all sorts of fresh vegetables, a couple fruits, chicken and bread.  Dessert was chocolate covered strawberries.  Very Valentin-ey!

Typical meal time...Sampson knows the best seat in the house for getting fed.

Helping me unload the dishwasher.  This one doesn't take after his brother in the "neatness" category.

The best birthday gift.  Wade and the kids detailed my car for me.  The windexed windows, vacuumed mats, and cleared out all the toys.  A much needed bath for the old silver bullet.  Perfect, perfect gift...

that AND having the 4 best kids on the planet!

Saturday night, family movie night. 

Riley began basketball at the end of the month and loves it!  She's out there with all boys (one other girl on her team of 11).  She hustles, she's energetic, this may be a really good match for her.   

Hope to catch up with March before April hits...stay tuned.

A Month in Pictures

I feel like all my posts the last 6 months or so are all "re-cap" posts that are weeks (or months) behind.  At this point blogging is very low on my priority list. But, I do get to it when I can. So for those friends/family that are still with me, here's what we were up to in January...yes I realize it's March...such is my life right now.   

January 1st starts out the same way every year, with our annual New Years picture.  Each year I get a shot of the kids holding their New Years Day sign as a way to document how much they've grown in a year. This is our 8th annual picture...it all started back in the day with Riley on her 1st New Years...

Fast forward 8 years and 3 kids later...

Pretty impossible to get all 4 looking and smiling at the camera.  Settled for 3 out of 4. 

 

All. Day. Long. 

This is what he does.  All day.  Empties drawers, makes messes, all the while looking adorable.  He's got me trained.  And he knows it. 

We took a road trip to Columbus, Ohio to visit my brother Todd's family. The kids had some extra days off around Martin Luther King Day and Lori was throwing him a big 40th Birthday Bash so we felt like all the stars were aligned.  We were so happy we got to be a part of his birthday.   

Todd, Lori, and 2 adorable nephews Aiden and Garrett...

Wade was traveling (shocking, I know!) So the kids and I loaded up and I drove up by my lonesome.  He met up with us there.  I'm so glad we went, we had such a great time and the kids all really got along and loved hanging out together. 

That's Cade holding up his tooth, which he lost while we were there!Jack-o-lantern smile

Looks like Garrett's wondering why big brother is loving on someone besides him!

Most Unusual (this is for any Wilson's reading this).  There are now 2 of these huge crosses on the trip...
Brooke caught a glimpse and yelled, "OH MY GOSH.  JESUS HAS GOT TO BE THERE".  It was so cute. 

 We drove to Indianapolis on Sunday night so that we wouldn't be driving all day on Monday.   Such a good call.  We got back just after noon and had the rest of the day to "chill-ax" (as the young-ones say now). 

JP thought the sleep number adjuster was a phone.

My view from the driver's seat... I love this view.  My heart feels this way sometimes.  Full and crowded and happy and just about max-ed out...about to overflow.  Really, REALLY love my family.  

Snow days were abundant in January (and February for that matter).  

We've had so many stinking snow days it's unreal, kinda feel like the kids might be going to school all summer.  However, we had a lot of fun.   It usually snows once a year in Tulsa...and when it snows it might be 70 the next day and melt it all, so you got to get out in it while it's there. 

We're still under the mindset and we took FULL advantage.  

JP's Very 1st Sled Ride

Pretty sure we were on our sleds everyday we could.  Plus snow forts, snow angels, snowman building...you know all the favorites.  And we went through a few gallons of hot chocolate and a little of Wade's favorite...hot vanilla.  

 

I love Riley in this picture, she's testing out her snowboarding skills.  Riley's name means brave and valiant...does she ever live up to that.  I caught her one day "body sledding" down the back stairs of our deck.  She was trying to get Cade to go down, but he wasn't about to go there.  She did manage to talk Brooke into it though. 

This is my all-time favorite snow picture.  Not that it's a great photograph but my heart hurt for JP that he was stuck inside when his siblings were out building snowmen.  We spent some time outside earlier in the morning and he just got so cold I had to bring him in.  Some day J.P.  Some day it will be your turn to stay out until your feet turn purple.  Until then watch and learn, these kids play hard!  

2 of our little neighbor girls came over for some hot chocolate after playing outside.  The girls were so giddy, I just wish I could bottle up the joy sometimes.   

It's not always sunshine and roses.  With the fun, comes the clean up. Blah.   Every single door in my house looks like this.  Kids come in they peel off shoes, coats, bibs, and anything that is cold or wet.  Somehow a sippy cup got tossed in there too. 

In closing, a couple other random photos: 

Brooke's favorite condiment on hot dogs?  Peanut Butter.  Don't ask us how that started, we don't have a clue...but she LOVES it. 

Sometimes I wonder if Wade has a little "hair envy".  He likes to do this to the kids hair after they get out of the bath. This picture is noteworthy because it may be the last picture of me in my specs.  I'm not usually photographed in my glasses...don't really wear them much, but it's required for the 2 weeks prior to Lasik, which I had in February.  Went from 20/100 to 20/25 in one day.  Sweet!

Blech...

Not doing so well on the bi-monthly blogging, am I? 
Hubs has been traveling a bunch.  Exhausted at the end of the day.
Have a free minute now and all I can think about is sleep.
Maybe I'll try tomorrow...