Feeding the Ducks

The weather was semi-nice one day while we were hanging out at Grammie and Papa's house so we decided to walk down to the Daybreak Lake and feed the ducks. We came prepared with bread and chips and the girls were excited to be close to the ducks.

I think these ducks are very well fed and are obviously not afraid to get close to people.

Liev was fine to watch from the stroller.

After throwing all her bread, Rhen decided she wanted to try and touch the ducks.

Then Rease did the same - she's a little more nervous than Rhen is so I'm not sure she actually touched one. But she got close.

We had a fun time at the lake and are looking forward to warmer days ahead to be able to hang out here more!

But I can't eat my banana!

For lunch one day I made the girls a PB&J sandwich and gave them each a banana to eat along with it. I went into the other room to do something and before I knew it Rhen was behind me saying "I'm all done with lunch mommy." I asked her if she ate all her sandwich and all her banana. She said "Well I ate my sandwich but my banana fell in Rease's drink so I can't eat it."

I'm sure it just "fell" in Rease's drink. She just did not want to eat her banana. Nice try Rhen.

Snow Day

We haven't had too many real snowy days this winter - at least ones that require getting all the snow gear on to go outside and play.  So when the girls woke up to snow this morning they were stoked to be able to bundle up and go out to play. 

 I wasn't sure how long either of them would last, but they headed outside with cups and bowls in hand to be able to make "shapes in the snow."

Rhen only lasted about 10 minutes and then was cold because she kept taking her gloves off.  All she wanted to do was get in the shower and get warm.  Rease stayed a little longer and played on her own.  Her poor hat was holding on for dear life.  Her big head was just too much for it!

 Snow angels are a must while playing in the snow.  Right?

Overall a good day in the snow even if it was very short lived.

Redecorating

Rease did a little redecorating in her room one day while she was supposed to be taking a nap.  When she showed me what she had done to the room she said, "Aren't they beautiful?  They look just like the lanterns in the sky on Tangled." 

Yep.  Just what I was thinking. 

Beautiful addition to the room Rease!

Trying the skis on for size

Josh went skiing quite a few times this year (and skipped out on work while doing it - yes!)  One morning the girls were helping him get ready and thought they should try the skis out just to make sure they were working okay.  Rhenner gave her approval.

 Apparantly they would also work for doubles skiing. 

Have a fun and safe day on the slopes dad!

"I need help wiping!"

Rhen still needs help wiping her bum when she goes potty.  She usually yells to us from the bathroom "I need help wiping!"  I found her all ready and in position one day. 

Cute bum!

Is it warm enough for the park?

I'm not sure it's park weather, but it was the nicest day we've had yet so we wanted to get out of the house. I took the kids to Steep Mountain Park above our house and, though there's snow on the ground, we had a fun time.

I found out that Liev loves the swings. I couldn't get over how excited he was every time I pushed him. What a cute guy!

And Rease and Rhen are always fans of the swings too so I went back and forth pushing all three of them.

Rhen being a daredevil and climbing up these stairs.

The girls didn't know what to think about trying to walk across this little bridge - but they made it without too much trouble.

We had such a fun time on our first day out to the park!

Happy Valentines Day!

Happy heart day to all of you! Normally we don't do much for Valentines Day, but this year I decided the kids needed a little treat for Valentines morning. I got up and made breakfast and set the table all love-like for when they woke up. Rease thought the heart straws were the coolest and Rhen could not get over the mik that was pink. (I told them that it was called "pink surprise" but when Rhen tasted it she said, "it tastes kinda like milk mommy." Nevertheless, she called it Pink Surprise the rest of the day.)

I also made these Orange Cranberry scones that were pretty good but mostly just cute. We had a fun breakfast together before Josh headed to work and we started our daily routine.
Josh is very sweet and got each of his girls a rose. My girls are obsessed with flowers, so to have one of their own was like a dream come true for them!

I have so many special people that are my "valentines" today.

First and foremost - my amazing husband. Josh is such a great person and I feel very lucky to have this man in my life. He works hard for our family, loves our kids to pieces and is very patient and loving with me. There are many days that I realize I am who I am because of Josh. Today, all he wanted to do was spend Valentines Day with the whole family. So we took the kids to eat burgers and fries and then headed to the bookstore for the kids to each pick out a new book for themselves. (We came home with "Puss in Boots" and a princess search and find book.) We have a great dad and husband in our house and I especially am very grateful to have him as my valentine today.

My valentine Rease.

Rease is the most kind-hearted little thing. She had a Valentines Day party at preschool yesterday and was so excited to make valentines for each of the kids at school. But even on days that aren't holidays, she is thinking of others. She goes to school at least once or twice a week with a picture that she drew for someone or a treat she saved for her teacher. At home she is just the same and is constantly giving something to each one of us to let us know how much she loves us. We feel the same about her. Rease you are my loving valentine today!

My valentine Rhen.

Rhen is just a sweet/mischievous little girl. There are so many things I can say about this girl, but most of all I just love her to death. Rhen is witty, crazy and sweet all at the same time. She is always trying to make people laugh, making up new words, burping or tooting, or handing out hugs and kisses to anyone she meets. She loves her quiet time though and while Rease is constantly on the go, Rhen is happy to snuggle up and watch a movie or read a book. She is one of a kind and is my darling valentine today!

My valentine Liev.

Liev is my sweet boy and growing up so big! He just turned one and I can't hardly believe its been a year since he came to our home! He is such a calming influence around here and that is a nice change to the drama that the girls bring. Most of the time he doesn't make noise, doesn't cry and doesn't cause a fuss about anything. He will sit and play with toys (or quietly get into things) for hours at a time. Last week he was sick and though I hate to see him sick, he was my snuggle buddy the whole week and I could not get enough of him. He is the most calm baby I have had and has made having 3 kids very easy on us. Liev is my sweet valentine today!

One more teeny, tiny valentine to tell you about. Yes, baby #4 is my valentine today too. At just 12 weeks I am already in love with this little bundle. I saw Dr. Smith this morning and he said that everything looks great with a great heartbeat of 150 bpm. Does that mean a boy or a girl for us? We don't know that yet, but we do know that we are excited to have another one join our family. This baby is my tiny Valentine today!

Happy Valentines Day to you all and I hope your day was as filled with love as ours!

The Spee-ider

Rhen loves the movie Megamind. Her favorite part is when Megamind gets a spider in his eye - but instead of calling it a spider he calls it a "spee-ider." Anyway, Rhen thinks that these claw hair clips of mine look like "spee-iders" and always want to play with them. Today she had one and turned to me and said "hey mom look the spee-ider got my nose!"

"And it got my cheek too!"

She thought she was hilarious. (I actually think she is pretty funny too and we both laughed our heads off at her funny joke!)

Happy Birthday Liev

Liev turned 1 today and woke up looking like a million bucks...
Nothing like a good booger nose to start out the birthday!

Liev shared his birthday with the Super Bowl this year, so we combined the two parties and had a football cake to celebrate. I remember watching the Super Bowl in the hospital the day after he was born, just Josh, Liev and me - hard to believe that was a year ago already!

Believe it or not, Liev was not overly excited about the cake.

Actually he was a little scared of it and kept trying to push it off his highchair.

Much different than the sugar-crazy girls we have - he really was not happy about this cake!

It took me putting a frosting finger in his mouth to realize that he might actually like it. (Notice the other finger sneaking into the picture for a taste.)

Then he went after it.

Getting some love from the 2 Grammies.

And cheered on by Uncle Greg and big sister Rease.

After it was all done - he looks full doesn't he? Present time after a quick bath in the sink.

Rease was very sweet and gave him a present from her. She gathered up some of her favorite toys laying around the house and put them in a Happy Birthday bag to give to him. He has played with this toy plenty of times before but somehow as a birthday gift it seems much better!

She did draw this cute little picture for him and signed her name so he would know who it was from. She is the sweetest sister!

Can't put this toy down now that it is officially his.

A picture of the whole gang at the party. We had a fun time with everyone!

An attempt at a family picture. The best we came up with still has Rhen sticking her tongue out and Rease and Liev looking away. We did our best!

Happy Birthday darling boy!

Liev's 12 month stats from Dr. Erickson

Weight: 20.81 lbs - 19%

Height: 30.31 inches - 64%

Head: 19 inches - 91%