Treasure Hunt

While at Grandmas we went out on a treasure hunt. We took a basket and walked around the block collecting this and that. Bell had a great time picking up pinecones, acorns, leaves and stick with Grandma and Grandpa. Grandpa's foot is doing much better and he is back up and around, walking and driving - yeah!!

Wow, have the big kids gotten big!!

Austin, Courtney, Robby and Sarah

MaryAnn, me, Michelle and Liz.

The whole gang!

We went to New York this weekend for my nieces 21st birthday party. Don ended up staying home to rest up his knee. He is doing well after the surgery, and is going back to work this week, so wanted to be as rested as possible. He ended up not feeling well alll weekend, so it worked out well!

While we were there we went out to dinner with our old friends. The kids (and moms!!) have been friends since kindergarden. It is hard to believe they are in High School now. Well we all went out to dinner and had a great time. It was so good to catch up, and we ended up the night playing telephone around the table, which lead to a lot of laughter by all..... I miss those guys :(

Campiing Indoors

Bell was hiding under a blanketthe other day, so we decided to make a fort in the bedroom. They had a blast playing with flashlights and eating snacks under their "tent". Bell even had her nap under there. She thought it was so funny that Austin did not fit and his feet stuck out. Bell CRIED that night when I told her she could not sleep all night under it.

Helping out daddy

The girls hanging out with laid up daddy!! Don's knee surgery went well and he is managing just fine with the comfy recliner and Percoset!!!

Bell was "taking care of daddy" by covering him with towels. Of course they were the towels we had just used for their bath, so they were damp, but it is the thought that counts. She has been so good with daddy - she is his soda runner!

A COLD February day at the park....

Our little climbers....

This wall is 9 feet tall and Bell can do it all by herself!!Victorious at the top!!!

Valentines Day

The girls in their princess hats, neckleaces and wands they got for Valentines Day.

And the aftermath of the candy!!

Making Valentines hearts for the cards, they love to color!!

Our Valentine Superheros!! Super Lina and Super Bell love to run around the house in their capes!!

SNOW, finally!!

Daddy and Bell playing Candyland before he went away to Arkansas. We called to tell him it snowed this AM, and he said they had a ice storm, he wins!! But Bell and Austin were SO excited about the snow.

Austin was let out of school early today, for 2 inches of snow!!

A pajama day !!!

Today was so COLD out, and it was Saturday, so we stayed in all day!! The girls got to stay in their Pjs all day as well.....
We made an obsticle course in the living room this afternoon to keep from getting cabin fever! The girls hopped on their blow up horses down the living room, stopped to play the drums and maraccas, climbed over a two step ladder, and then in and out of the laundry basket. Daddy thought we were crazy, but admitted after watching hte girls do it over and over it was a good idea! We do obsticle courses made out of lots of different things when we need to excert some energy in our small house.
They also picniced on a towel in the kitchen.....
And daddy and the girls made dinner, pizza, yummmmmmm

And the end product, all over Linas face (piece number 2).

And now we are going to end off hte evening watching Alladin.

Hope you all stay warm this weekend!!

Karen

This and that (and Uncle Nicky)....

Lina wearing mommys slippers, so funny!!

Uncle Nick came to stay over because he and Don were working together the next day. Bell had a great time playing with him. She was so excited he was coming back again this past week (when we took these pictures). We don't get to see the Fab's enough :((((

Our pretty girls in their matching shirts.

Bell's great Playdoh snake. Mommy helped shape the snake, and Bell made all the stripes and eyes. As I type, Austin is sitting in the kitchen playing playdoh with the girls :))

Double pony tails and the tounge move she inherited from daddy!!! With a dolly sleeping on her back as well....

Lina's new bed

Lina got a Big Girl Bed this weekend!

Our "little" girl is not so little anymore. It seems she is growing up more and more every day right before my eyes. She loves her new vacuum from Grandma and Grandpa from Christmas - both girls now get to help out at the same time now!!
This weekend we took down the crib and put together Lina's big girl bed - so sad - no crib in our house at the moment (OK, don't read anything into that!!). I was glad to get her in the bed, because she REALLY would not go to sleep awake in the crib, but it was very nostalgic as well - she is my baby :). Tonight was the 3rd night in the bed, and she went to sleep in it without needing to nurse, rock on moms back - so the decision was the right one - for all of us!!!



Lina trailing after mom to help vacuum

All the girls getting in on the act....

Lina learning the finer points of wiring from daddy - she sure as heck is not going to learn it from me. To set up teh Wii, Don move the entertainment Center and did some re-wiring. Good thing all that is hidden away behind the unit!!

My camera has a great flash - the room was completely dark for these pictures. Lina fast asleep in her new "Big Girl" toddler bed. I will post a cute video as well :)

And Bell sleeping too....

Aren't they just so cute (I know I say that alot!). It took a lot to figure out the best way to reconfigure their room. The beds side by side with a nightstand in between seems to work out well - both for the girls and the tiny room.

I happened to peek around the corner into the living room this afternoon to this. I was in the bedroom folding laundry and came out to find daddy reading with his girls - so beautiful!!!

No pics of Austin today, he has been hanging out with friends, enjoying his last few days before school starts again!! Yesterday he went to a friends in the AM, called to ask if he could stay over, they were going to church and bowling, and stayed up until 4 AM. Needless to say he crashed early tonight! School starts again on Tuesday, with a whole new set of classes: Science, Social Studies, English (his fav - yeah right!!), and Art - which I do think he will really like.

You teach them to be independent and then.....

Well Bell is fully potty trained, and even dry most nights. So she loves to say "I have to go potty and need my privacy" and go into the bathroom. That great, until this week when we all have a stomach virus, including her. Try and convince an independent three year old to call mommy or daddy when she has to go to the bathroom to help - good luck, because I have not been able to master it (even putting her in a diaper to help). So, lots of laundry, sanitizing the bathrooms and a recently used carpet cleaning machine :). NO PICS to follow......

Practicing her ABCs

Isabella is doing great with her alphabet, otehr than a few mix ups (B&D, M&N), she knows them all by site, and is learning lots of the sounds. We asked Grandma & Grandpa T to get her a toy called Roll A Dough for Christmas, and she LOVES IT!!! She has always been a big playdooh girl, and this gives you the template for all the letters and numbers to shape over with the playdooh. She has asked to use it everyday....

Look at that tounge sticking out in concentration.....

Lina also like playdooh, so she stays busy while Bell does letters. She is just exploding with words, phrases and things she can do, it amazes us everyday! She has a ton of short sentences like "close the door", I'm ______ (fill in the blank - running walking, jumping, climbing - she describes everything), I do that mommy, and so many more. Her new concepts:

Circle: anything that is a circle shape she traces and says "circle:

Yellow: Her first color she seems to regularly recognize "Lellow".

Bless You: No matter what bodily function you have, Lina says "Bless You". Very funny at times.

WELCOME 2009

Happy NEW YEAR to all our family and friends!! We are looking forward to a wonderful new year, which will probably hold a lot of changes for our family! We wish you all a blessed and joyous new year ahead.



Our friends Brad and Heather and their kids (and 2 grandkids) spent New Years Eve with us. This is Ally (18) their only daughter. She is Dons "BFF" (a ongoing joke), and stopped in to wish us aHappy New Year before going off to spend it with her friends, and I snapped this great pic of the 2 of them.

Bell and I did a craft project during hte day and used construction paper and foam stickers to make party hats for everyone for New Years Eve. Here is a cute picture of her in her hat.

Austin was sick last night and ended up sleeping through New Years, and Lina was asleep on my back, so here are the hats of the sleepy kids! We have all been under the weather with a stomach virus in our house (started Tuesday and still continues!!), but Austin only got a major headache and fever - lucky him!! Our friends had just gotten over it in hteir house before coming over a few days before New Years, so we figure they gave it to us, so they could chance getting it back agani :)

From left to right: Landon, Jayson and Dalton

Brad (with grandson Phoenix on his back) and Heather (with Maddox on hers) just before midnight.

Landon and Bell.

Don and I before New Years. As you can see, there were lots of babies around and lots of babywearing going on!! After the New Year, all the kids crashed and we played cards until 3 AM!!

Bell was so excited it is hte new year.

Oh, after the ball dropped the silly string fight began (confined to hte kitchen, as it was freezing out!!). Jayson got tag teamed by Don and Brad.

And the boys getting them back.....

Isabella drinking her "Sparkling Cider" to toast in the new year.

All the kids toasting and shouting Happy New Year.

Brad and Don bringing in the new year.