Mud Slide

When it's been super cold and there is finally a sunny day above 55 degrees we congregate with our friends at the park.  Although the ground might be soggy we are willing to risk it, just to get some fresh air and exercise.  Poor Emma was a little unlucky this day.  She was playing tag with friends and found a slippery slope. She was so annoyed to covered in mud and wanted to go home.  Although I wouldn't listen to such crazy talk.  I told her the mud wouldn't kill her and that we had some more sunlight to kill before heading home.  Thankfully my great laundry soap got rid of this ooey-gooey mess!

Ben's Bootcamp Party

Welcome to...

We started off with some face paint while kids arrived.

Then Emma lead them in a warm-up.

Including the butterfly, sit ups...

...cherry pickers and jumping-jacks!

Then "Sarge" gave each recruit a nickname!

Each child stood in a line while Sarge

gave the a firm talking to.

But the kids couldn't keep a straight face

and kept laughing at him.

Then time for some more muscle building!

Punch it Carly!

Watch out, here comes Hudson!

These 2 silly friends were a big help!

Line up, and march!

Time for the obstacle course!

We had a tube crawl...

...tires to hop through...

...and an army crawl, too!

Go Keira, Go Marcus!

Faster Peyton!

Then it was time to reveal the special ice cream cake!

Including an army scene.

Make a wish!

Happy 6th Birthday Benjamin Lee!!

Ben Celebrate's Turning 6

Ben didn't even let us wake him up super early to

sing Happy Birthday!

He couldn't wait!

He was up with the birds and watching TV

downstairs waiting for us all to get up!!

A lego star wars planet from the

Grandparents!

And also a new bedspread!!

I think he's EXCITED!

More Star Wars GUYS!

Including a bunch of them

that we can't even pronounce the names of.

Oh but Dad can!

Happy Birthday Ben!

Bored and Cold

It's cold outside and we are stuck at home!

What to do?

Make crazy hair-dos!

And dress-up!

Yes, It Does Snow In Dallas

It happened again.

But the poor kids

STILL had to go

to school.

Who's that peaking in our window?

Ben was very upset that his ball was 

frozen to the ground!

Keira takes a walk in the snow.

Let's make snowballs.

Twins!

Daddy didn't want to risk a

drive in snow to work.

We aren't really prepared for that

kind of weather around here.

So he stayed home with us!

Ben is in the back row wearing a red jacket!

This is a cute picture of his kindergarten class.

10 Going on 20

Now that Sydney is 10 we have started introducing her

to the joy's of babysitting.

We first began with little jobs like for 30 mins while

Mom and Dad walked around the neighborhood

or

when Mom had to take a kid to a friends house down

the street.

Now she is ready for bigger jobs.

We explained that when Mom and Dad go on dates

she will be paid.

But if we have to go to a meeting for church

or an errand it is called "being a part of family"

and those jobs are free.

Her first two times Sydney did wonderfully.

Both times we had older, experienced

people there to help but ONLY if she needed it.

We knew Sydney was ready when she brought

us a box of special toys she collect from

birthday parties, school rewards, etc and

made it her "babysitting box".

She only lets the kids pick 1 thing out of it

when she is babysitting!

We are so happy to finally embark on

a new journey / freedom for our family!

Emma's Reading Corner

Sometimes having a lot of people

in a house makes it hard to find

quite spots to think, read, or

be alone.

For some reason I am NOT

thinking that sitting on the kitchen counter

is one of them!

Silly Emma.