A Preview of Spring!

This week we are having very mild temperatures, and we are enjoying a glimpse of what spring will be like!  Every day this week, the children have played outside for several hours.  Today has been the best so far.  It was in the mid-sixties, and I was able to open a few windows and the kids played out until dark.  Daddy brought home pizza, just as it got dark, and we came in and EVERYONE ate well from the appetites that we had worked up out there.  Then, these muddy children had baths!  It has been such a wonderful evening, and we are so anxious for this weather to come and STAY! :O)

Princess is finally big enough to play outside without me standing over her.  She even "played" basketball with her brothers this evening!

Two BIG monkeys playing in the tree.  (Yep the same tree that Silas fell from and broke his wrist!) 

The boys rode bikes.  Here the older two are giving Nolan a head start because he was the "bad guy" and they were the police.  A chase was about to ensue.

I think Nolan was enjoying being the "bad guy!"  He giggled the whole way!

Freeze, police!  He's on the scene!

Avery was playing "shake, shake, shake" with Chaille and she was cracking up!  It was adorable!

She can't make it go yet, but it is HER bike, and she'll let you know it!!!

21 Months

 Chaille turned 21 months on Sunday.  It is so hard to believe that our "baby" is almost 2!  She's got so much personality these days, and I wanted to be sure to document what she is like at this age.  I'm so afraid that I won't remember all of the fun "quirks" of the kids!  So, I'll use pictures to help me here:



This picture sums up a lot of her personality.  She's VERY clingy to mommy, so usually when I'm in the kitchen working, she's either at my feet or sitting on the counter.  She love love loves her jammies and really ALL of her clothing, and she is frequently wearing "layers" of stuff that she insists on putting on.  She also wants shoes on all of the time!  She is a real dress up princess for sure.  And.. She is in love with peanut butter too.  She dips her finger in it and then licks it off. 



She is also IN... TO... EVERYTHING!  Silas failed to eat his carrots for lunch one day, so she helped herself!

Uh oh, caught in the act...

Oh well.  Mommy agreed that carrots were a good snack, so I got to keep eating them! :O)



Chaille is also very cuddly at this age.  She gives the BEST hugs and kisses.  Daddy wouldn't let her go because this hug made him SO SO happy.  He'd have held on forever, if Chaille would have let him!  The jacket she is wearing is her FAVORITE.  I have to hide it from her when I don't want her to wear it, because if she can see it, she MUST be wearing it!



You can tell by the face that she is loving this hug as much as her daddy!

Somedays, I just really wish that they didn't have to keep growing up.  Other days, I love to reflect on the ways that they are maturing and I love  their new "phase"  just as much as the old one.  I know that they MUST grow up, and boy oh boy, is Chaille ever doing so at a fast pace!  She already is starting into 3T clothing and wears size 7 shoes.  I think I can already hear the phone ringing with college recruiters wanting a super tall athlete... :O)  Or maybe I'm just dreaming...

Silly boy.

This afternoon Silas and Nolan were playing a game on the wii, where the objective is to shoot the bad guys on the screen, but be sure NOT to shoot the women who appear.  In between rounds, I hear the following conversation.

Silas: "I'm going to shoot the ladies."
Nolan: "But the ladies are good!"
Silas: "So do you want to marry the ladies?"
Nolan: "They aren't THAT good."

Nolan said it with SUCH tone and emphasis that you would have thought it was a grown man answering.  It was one of those moments when I wished another adult would have heard it... It was HILARIOUS. :O)

Time with Daddy-O!

We had a fun, but busy weekend.  On Friday night we had dinner out as a family, which was very enjoyable.  Then, on Saturday, I had a bridal shower to hostess and to work in the evening.  Daddy-o and the kids went to the movies to see "Gnomeo and Juliet."  Sunday, we went the Grandma Shells to celebrate her birthday.  Afterwards, the older two boys went to Randy and Deb's while Nolan and Chaille went with us to Grandma and Grandpa Fryes.  Nolan was Daddy-O's big helper.  They cleaned up the yard of debris from the winter storms, and then had some fun time together too:

I tried to capture them working outside, but they were on their way in to get a ball and bat!

Nolan LOVED being the only batter and having the pitcher to himself :O)

Nolan said he had two scores.  Daddy said that he had two big hits that they called "homeruns!"

The Dentist

On Wednesday, the 3 boys had a dentist appointment.  We went early and had lunch with Grandma and Grandpa.  Then we came back and played at the lego table until it was our turn.  It took about 15 minutes for all 3 boys and we were happy to hear the report of NO CAVITIES :O)  Yay!  Chaille is excited because next visit she gets her teeth cleaned too.  I forgot my camera, but took one picture with my phone of them all 4 playing together.

Nolan's Birthday Party!

Nolan had a WONDERFUL 3rd Birthday party!  He was so excited about EVERYTHING, and that made the day fun for everyone.  When he walked into the living room he said "you got BALLOONS for my party!?!" and he that in itself would have made it a party for this happy boy.  Then he was so excited to blow out his candle on his very own cupcake.  And the presents just made his day!  Lots of Toy Story gifts made Nolan the happiest little 3 year old around.  Here are some pictures from his party (I didn't do a good job of documenting all of it though):

Happy Birthday, Little Bear!

Nolan is 3 today!  Boy, oh boy, have those 3 years flown.  I'm so happy to be celebrating this day with him.  He woke up full of excitement and wonder as to what the day will bring.  So far, he has had his birthday cupcake for breakfast, our tradition, and his brothers are treating him like a king, doing whatever it is that the birthday boy wants to do! (I'm not certain that this will last, but we shall see!)

Nolan, mommy is so proud of you!  You are growing and learning so much.  You have such a love for life, and are very passionate about what you believe, and what you WANT too.  I pray that you continue to be the healthy, fun loving boy that you are today.  And I pray that you get many, many years to celebrate in your life!!  Here are some tidbits about your personality at age 3:

* You call your father "daddio," which he finds quite endearing.

* When asked to do something you tell me "I'm on it, mom!" (unless you say, "no." to which a struggle ensues.)

* When something doesn't go your way, your response is "aww... nuts!" (I think you learned that one from Avery.)

* You tell stories with such enthusiasm and energy.  Just now you told me "I saw a SQUIRREL(in your words squail) outside in the yard, MOM.  I SAW IT, it was runnin around."

* You are majorly into Toy Story and anything Buzz Lightyear.

* You still scream like a girl and throw fits when you don't get your way. (We hope this ends soon!!!!!!)

* You are being stubborn with potty training, choosing to go potty when YOU feel like it.  I hate to tell you, but today you are three, and Monday is going to be a wake-up call in the potty world!!!

* You are so sweet and loving.  And I'm forever proud to call you my son!

* I love you, my big 3 year old!!!

Back up and running

We had our power restored yesterday afternoon, sometime between 3 and 4.  We stayed at mom and dad's for dinner, while the house warmed back up.  When we got home at 6:30, the house was back up into the 60's.  By the time Steve and I went to bed the furnace was shutting off from time to time, because we were back up to normal in here :O)

I'm so thankful that God provided for us, during what could have been a very HARD time.  Steve made it home despite quite yucky travel conditions and a truck that was acting up.  And the kids and I never did without any of our normal luxuries!  Thank you, Lord!!

Lights out!

This is what it looked like at our house last night:















We lost power from the ice storm at a few minutes after 8.  I had literally just tucked the kids in bed.  I came downstairs and walked to the kitchen and the power flickered 3 times and was really loud and then... OUT.  it is STILL out.  The kids and I came to mom and dad's (I'm so thankful that they live close) where they never lost power (their lines are buried!)  They were so excited when we came to have a slumber party.  The loved the air matress.  I forgot my camera, but I took a picture with my phone:

This morning, papaw made us all waffles, bacon, and eggs.  It surely doesn't feel like a Wednesday morning around here!  Chaille helped Grandma do the dishes:

When daddy is a hero...

It is really cool having a daddy who is a real life hero. We are very proud of him in this household!

But on a day like today, when heroes don't take day off for ice storms, or any other kind of catastrophic weather events, having a daddy who is a hero is hard.  I mean, we are proud to know he's out there with the people who save lives and clean up messes related to this!!!  But we are also bummed to be at home without him, while most other families are at home bonding and enjoying this day off together.  Daddy, we are proud of you for doing a job that takes a lot of strength and involves staring most people's fears in the face.  You are a very good example of sacrifice, as you give your all for others!

 As we were playing at home this morning, Chaille became very snotty and clingy.  Again.  I took her temperature and it is back up. (just when I finally thought this bug was OUT of here.)  So, the tylenol continues to flow at our house.  Somedays I wonder if we should have a drip IV of the stuff here.  Someone in this house has been on a daily regimen of it for 12 days now!  Boo...

This morning, and soon to be afternoon, we have enjoyed a movie and popcorn as part of our "iced in" festivities.  The boys were excited to see this morning that mommy brought home popcorn from work last night.  So, we ordered the newest Shrek movie and indulged in a lunch spoiling snack!  Oh well, it's worth it to enjoy the day off.  Chaille didn't really care about the movie, so she and I had a photo shoot while the boys have been watching their movie! :O) Only took 10 or 12 pictures to get us both fully in the picture!!!



These boys are enjoying their day at home so far. 

Steve, we love you.  You are our HERO, and we are proud of the job you do for others and how hard you work to support this family!