Long Recap....A little overwhelming

No need to comment on any of this, and I wouldn't blame you if you just scrolled over and scanned the pics. I am posting purely for documentation sake. I like to look back and see what we were up to in previous years. So to satisfy that here we go...

(I wondered while doing this...is it easier to put the caption about a picture above or below it?  Do you like to see the picture and then read what it is about or vice versa?  Just curious!  I'm gonna try it different than usual.)

To start: Random Pics

This is what happens when Dad is in charge and Mom is at a church meeting.  Of course he let them play with the makeup.  I am fine with it all over their faces, but seriously...did it have to get on the clothes?

This is Taylor at one of the kids swim lessons, I just had to post it because it really wasn't that long ago and she has already grown so much.  That outfit, which I adore, doesn't even fit her anymore.

Abby had to dress up for her career day at pre-school.  She decided she wanted to be a hair stylist (or haircutter girl as she calls it) when she grows up.  I whipped out one of the many Lowe's aprons from the build and grow clinics and modified it a bit.  She was so excited the next morning when she saw it.

I don't know what this is, I don't even think I took it, but I thought it was a funny picture of Mason.

Abby's First Loose Tooth:
Mason got so much hype with his first loose tooth and it seems like Abby's just snuck up on us.  Well it did sneak up on us, she lost her first tooth way earlier than Mason did and she's not even in Kindergarten yet.  Her teeth grew in before her baby teeth fell out, so for a while I was so nervous seeing 2 sets of teeth in her mouth.  It looked so messy and crooked and all I could think about was braces.  But everyone assured me that it was common and it should all turn out fine in the end.  It did.  Her grown up teeth forced the little ones out and they grew in nice and even.  The video is all I got, I don't know why I didn't get a picture.

Reading:
I am so excited to have a little helper around the house.  Now that Mason is reading really well he will sometimes read books to the girls.  I walked in the room to see this, I didn't even tell him to do it. 

Missouri Botanical Garden:
We went to the MissourI Botanical Gardens one day and it was beautiful.  This is a clock that actual works and it is made out of tons of flowers, it was really cool.  And more pictures of our day there.

Swimming:
At the kids swim lessons.  Mason has really progressed and seems to love swimming.  We are planing on putting him on the swim team over the summer.  I think he will love it.  Abby has progressed as well and is getting more and more brave in the water.

The Circus:
I've mentioned before, one of the wonderful perks of Sam's job is that we can submit requests to events being held in St. Louis.  We may not always get what we request but when we do it is a lot of fun and FREE.  The Circus was here and we decided to go.

The kids had a great time and I was glad that our seats were up so high, the elephants were so big and being any closer I would have been uneasy.

Taylor's 2nd Birthday:
Taylor turned 2.  Here is the monkey cake we made for her.  She loves monkeys, especially Boots from Dora.

I just love her smile.

Halloween:

Grandma sent Halloween shirts for the kids.

Mason was a spider, Abby a witch and Taylor a Cheerleader

It was really unbelievable how much candy the kids came home with, how am I suppose to stay fit with stuff like this in my home?!

Mason's 7th Birthday:

Mason turned 7, YES 7!  I can't believe it.  We celebrated at home as a family on his birthday and he had a little sleepover with some of his buds.  Here is the "earthquake" that he had, Sam introduced me to this and the boys loved it.  

Everyone grabbed a spoon and dug in, well the boys did.  Probably not the most sanitary thing to do, but it was fun.  

This is the cake that we made for his birthday when we celebrated as a family. Its nice to have his birthday around Halloween, they had the perfect eyeball candy out.

Sam just about died when he saw that I bought this for Mason, but it was on his list and it was so easy and cheap to buy.  But this is sooo Mason, he asked for paper and envelopes.  He is going to look back on that one and laugh.

Sunday Dressed:

These are just some random pictures of the girls that I snapped before church one day.

I just love Abby in this picture, it is sooo her!

Great Wolf Lodge:
We made a very last minute decision and decided to get away for the weekend.  We have never taken a family vacation by ourselves, typically our vacations consist of traveling to see family, which we love to do, but it was nice to get away "just us."  We hopped in the car and drove a little over 3 hours to Kansas City where we stayed at the Great Wolf Lodge

It was a great trip and if you have one in your area we highly recommend going.  They have an indoor water park, kid friendly rooms/cabins.  They had a pajama story time and the best part for me and  Mason was the MagiQuest game.  You buy these wands and walk around the entire hotel playing a game, we had a blast.

California: 
My sister had her first baby recently and we all flew out to California to throw her a baby shower.  I have been to all of my sisters first baby showers and I wasn't going to miss this one.  For some reason I do not have one picture of the actual event or any of my sisters and mom. (Sisters...please send some to me.)  It was actually really cute, we did this hot cocoa bar theme, it was a lot of fun.

Here are some people that I was able to briefly see while I was there, it was a very short trip.  Ambyr drove down from SF to say hello, it was great to see her and her cute little Grace.

I got to go visit my newest nephew, this was my first time seeing him and he is so cute.  

Craig and Sarah are some of our best friends and we got to visit for a little while.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra:
We got tickets to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.  It was....let's just say, interesting.  I mean they did put on an incredible show, but it was 3 hours long.  And I am sorry 3 hours of that kind of show is a little much for me.  I am glad we went, it didn't cost us anything, but to be honest I don't know that I would go again.  Just a little lengthy for me.  

Christmas: Arizona
We spent Christmas in Arizona visiting with Sam's family.  They moved there not too long ago.  Here is a picture of the kids seeing and hugging Grandma for the first time in almost a year.

The first thing on Abby's to do list was to have her Aunt Melanie do her make-up.  Mel is AMAZING at doing make-up and Abby loved every second of it.

The kids decorated cookies and Taylor got a little carried away, her cookie was just covered in sprinkles, I think she used the entire bottle on one cookie.

While in Arizona we were able to meet up with some old friends that we knew from Cali.  Ryan Hurst and his brother now live in Arizona, it was nice to see them and catch up.  Sam and I went to high school with Ryan.

Abby got this jumbo coloring book for Christmas and she colored and gave Grandma almost every picture inside that book.  Grandmas or so nice, they even display it in their walls throughout the entire house.  It made Abby feel so good.  

Taylor being silly.

And this is why I need a fence.  The kids seriously would spend hours outside just playing around, riding the little bikes and driving around in circles over and over again.  They didn't even get off their bikes to eat their pizza.  Anyone want to come build me a fence?

Christmas Continued: Grand Canyon
We took a trip within our trip.  Hopped in the car and drove to the Grand Canyon, We had never been and figured this would be the best opportunity to go.  I was super nervous with the kids at first but soon realized that the only way you could actually fall and get hurt is if you don't follow the rules and safety guidelines.  We only let the kids go where there were railings.  Plus with the ice and snow it was way too slippery.

It was fun to find some snow in Arizona and especially around Christmas time, the kids love it.

I love Papa's face on this one, he surprised Mason.

On our way out of the park, we got a close up of this....pretty cool, huh!

More Christmas:
Taylor hanging out in the Kitchen.   

We took a little hike, it was a beautiful day.  And compared to the St. Louis weather we were use to, everyone got hot, the kids even stripped down to their undershirts.

This is how Dad entertained the kids at the airport.  They played a few different silly games and it kept everyone entertained while we waited for our flight.  We had a wonderful trip and we were so glad we could see family.   I wish I had more pictures, my camera wasn't really cooperating very well and for a couple days I lost it.

Cooped up:  

The girls get silly and try to make the best of being cooped up inside the house all the time.  

I think they are really anxious for it to warm up, well except for their feet.

New Addition: Moose
Those who guessed a dog, well you were right.  We have talked over and over about getting a dog and we kept telling the kids that it wasn't going to happen for a few reasons:  We don't have a fence, mom has allergies, its a lot of work, etc.  Well, upon one of our outings visiting the pet shelter, we saw this little guy and just went for it.  I was kinda shocked that we made the decision but I felt like we could handle it and it would be good for the kids.  

Isn't he cute? We brought him home and he was so cuddly and sweet.  And then....he got comfortable, and well, lets just say not my favorite thing.  He peed EVERYWHERE, even in his correctly proportioned crate.  He nipped ALL THE TIME.  And honestly, I am not a pet person, I am just not those people who see an animal and oooh and aww over it and want to pet it.  But I thought I could get over that and love it and see my kids interact with it and it would all be okay.  I WAS WRONG....the kids didn't want to touch him because he nipped all the time.  I hate changing Taylor's diapers, but I love her and I carried her for 9 months, so I do it, but why the heck would I pick up pee and poop to this dog that I just brought into my home?  He was going to chew and ruin every piece of furniture that we have worked so hard to get.  I think you can see where this is going....

After a week and a half (I can't believe I lasted that long) we said goodbye to Moose.  The kids were a little sad at first but then they were glad, it was just too much for us and I am SOOOO happy he is gone.


  Snow:

We've had a few good snowfalls this year and have been able to enjoy some great sledding in our neighborhood.  I think it is fun to have snow days from school, the kids get a change of their routine and so do I and we get to stay in our pj's and drink lots of hot chocolate.

Is it weird that I get kinda excited to go out and shovel the snow?...not because I want to shovel it, but because afterwards its all clear (well, and it is a good workout)  Kinda like cleaning the house and vacuuming... dirty and then clean ahhh!  Does anyone else know what I am talking about?

Sponge Rollers:
I remember as a little girl my mom putting my hair in sponger rollers on Saturday nights for church the next day.  We had some laying around the house and the girls were way excited to give it a try.  They didn't manage to keep them in all night long, I think they even came out before they went to bed, but we got some cute pics out of it anyway.

Little miss model, she was totally posing for all these pics.  Hilarious!