Spring is in the air!

Spring has sprung here in OK and winter has given way to much warmer weather, allowing us the opportunity to spend some much needed time outside. We have been busy with zoo trips, back yard fun, and lots of trip to the park. We also had a fun tour of one of our local fire stations in Edmond, which Gage and his friends really liked! Here are a few pics of our recent activities!

First pics are from Fire Station 1 in Edmond. I arranged a tour of the station for Gage and his friends. We had lots of friends that couldn't come but we had an awesome time with the ones that could.











Next are some spring pics I took of the kids. This first one is the best I got. Everything is in bloom here, and one of the local parks has tulips everywhere. I got the kids dressed up, brought their Easter baskets and a few eggs, and tried my best to get a few good pics.








The last few pictures are of some of the everyday activities we do around the house for fun. One of Gage's favorite (not Stella's however-who screamed the entire time) is finger painting in the bath tub. He thinks it's so cool he can get paint on the paper and himself and mommy doesn't care. I have learned this is the best way to keep all the mess in one place, and then turn on the water and wash it all away, including on the kids. The other few pics are of Gage and Stella digging in the flower beds. Gage loves to fill up his dump truck, dump it out and do it all over again. And of course sister has to be right there beside him.







Hope Spring has sprung where you live!!!

Look Whoo's turning one...Stella

Stella turned one on February 10th and we celebrated her birthday in style at Gymboree. It was a "hoot" of a good time. If you can't tell by the few play on words, we did an owl themed birthday for her party. Everything was perfect! I think she had a great time.
We celebrated her actual birthday with a family party and cupcakes at home on the 10th and her birthday party with friends was on Sunday the 12th. She had 11 of her best pals with her to celebrate, plus their parents. A good time was had by all. One of her favorite parts of the party was the parachute and bubble time. She loved trying to catch the bubbles. She was a little hesitant to dig into her smash cake, and instead loved to be fed by Daddy with a spoon. (She is a little miss priss!)
A few milestones I would like to remember about Stella at one year old are
-She has 6 teeth
-She is trying so hard to walk. She will take three or four steps and then plop down and crawl because she realizes that she is faster crawling than walking.
-She loves to dance, wear any type of jewelry. Bracelets are her favorite.
-She knows where her head and tummy are.
-She will blow kisses goodbye.
-She loves to clap and is very proud of herself when others clap for her. (She started clapping when they were singing happy birthday to her.)
-She says momma, daddy, ball, hi, and (I think there might be a few more, but I am drawing a blank)
-She waves hi and loves to give high fives.
-Some of her favorite foods are cheese sticks, grapes, bananas, mac and cheese, potatoes,yogurt, strawberries, apple sauce pouches, and many more. This kid loves to eat!!

Here are a few pics from her birthday party!
(It's backwards, her friend party first and then her family party...Oops!)

Boo to sickness!!!

My poor little girl has had a rough go of it this winter. First double ear infections, then the flu (even after having a flu shot), and now RSV. I just hate when kiddos are sick. You feel so helpless. Here's hoping that she recovers quickly and doesn't have to have breathing treatments. Here are a few pics of our activities over the last couple of weeks! Come on Spring. (and no allergies) ;)

What an amazing Christmas!

What an amazing Christmas we had as a family of 4. We spent it right here at home this year and enjoyed every minute of time we got to spend as a family. Christmas eve started out with a bang! We were up and at em' early that morning. Gage helped me make breakfast and then, it was time to fix the big Christmas dinner. We decided to do it Christmas eve instead of Christmas day, so we could spend time with the kids putting together and playing with all their new toys. On the menu: Ham, mashed potatoes, carrots, green beans, and rolls. For dessert, Gage and Daddy made Jesus' birthday cake. After lunch it was nap time for kids, clean up time for Mommy and Daddy. Quick cleaning of the kitchen, and then off to get ready for Church. It wasn't till 4, but we left about 3:15, to ensure we got good seats. We let Gage stay in "big church" with us for the singing, and he was mesmerized. It was so amazing to see him clapping and singing along to the songs. And he was quite enamored with the drums! After church, we headed home for a quick "left overs" bite to eat, then we were on the mission to make reindeer food. Gage and Daddy put it on the lawn while Stella and I watched. Gage is very much into "I will do it myself," so we couldn't do much of anything but watch ;) Quick baths for the kids were in order, then into their Christmas pjs, before opening 1 present and putting out cookies for Santa. Surprisingly, Gage went right to bed without a fuss, which is a task these days.
Apparently the kids were on the nice list this year, because there were tons of presents around this house. Christmas morning started about 7, when Stella woke up and her brother just a few minutes behind her. We SLOWLY opened Santa gifts, because Gage will accept NO help and wants to open every package/present/box/bow himself. By 9 we had gotten through Santa gifts and a few gifts from Grandparents, when it was time for Stella's morning nap. While she was sleeping, we let Gage open a few more, then we put everything together or out of packaging and let him play till she awoke.
After a quick hour nap from sister that ended with a diaper malfunction, crib sheet changing, and bath for Stella, we were back at present unwrapping. We seriously didn't stop till about 12 when we realized maybe we should stop and eat something, which was almost impossible for Gage to do. Short afternoon naps for the kids followed, then we played/put together all toys that they got. It looked like Toys R Us in our house. But on this one day a year, I wouldn't have it any other way. Experiencing Christmas through the eyes of children, is absolutely the best most rewarding way to experience it. God is so good and we are so thankful for everything he has blessed us with in 2011. Can't wait to see what he has in store for us for next year.
I will leave you with a few pics of our special weekend.

(Christmas Eve, Eve!)

Christmas Eve




Christmas Morning: