All I Wanted Was One Nice Picture

And this is what I got! 

Me-"I want to get a picture of the 4 year olds. Go sit on by the fireplace so I can take your picture." 

Fast forward 5 minutes and two frustrated parents (and probably kids) this  is the result. And I'm okay with that because I'm all about living in the moment. I know that these days are flying by and before I know it they'll be 18 and heading off to college. I'll wish for these days to be back again. So to me, these are perfect pictures of my four year olds, even if they aren't what I was planning on. 

January 18!!

IOn the morning of their birthday, Will and Erin didn't want to go skiing. So Mark and I went and skied for an hour.  The snow was really icy, hard and fast so it was good that they didn't come with us. It was nice to spend time together carving a few turns. And reflecting on what life was like 4 short years ago. 

The kids had fun opening a few presents ( Will did ask where the rest of his presents were- I think that's a problem with having their b-day right after Christmas). 

We Face Timed with Aunt Sarah because it was her special day too (she turned 30!) 

We packed up and headed home. I wanted an afternoon at home without feeling rushed. We FaceTimed with Aunt Kristin who was traveling in Switzerland, Uncle Matt in New York, Aunt Krysten in Chicago, and grandpa Paul/grandma Connie. What did we do before technology? 

 We relaxed a bit and then went to Uuchellos for dinner (it's a local sports bar/restaurant so daddy could watch the rest of the Packers game). Will spent most of the time plugging his ears because it was a bit loud from a few people who were cheering. 

On the way home we stopped for cough medicine because Erin had a cold. I had to mention that because the kids are sick every year on or around their birthday. It's just something we plan on now. 

It was a fun and special weekend spent with some of our favorite people. 

Crystal Mountain Birthday Part 2

We went skiing with the Jen/Pat and Steph/Todd families on Saturday morning. Mark has been friends with Jen and Steph (who are cousins) for his whole life. The girls and I were all pregnant together. Steph was due in February with Urban, Jen in April with Margo and I was due May 1. We all know the ending to that story. We got all 5 kiddos out in Totem Park for a few runs before we hit the big hills and chair lifts. We even got Grandma Melanie on skis. She did great and I think she'd do it again. The snow was perfect and so was the company.

These next pictures are funny because we tried to get all the kids together for a picture. Margo wasn't having any of it and she literally ran in front of everyone while she was wearing her skis. It happened so fast and we all laughed really hard. 

Hendrick (18mths), Erin, Tommy (almaot 5), Urban (almost 4), and Will. And Margo was somewhere else. 

The kids have become amazing little skiers. Erin is starting to carve her turns. We can see her knee bend when she turns. It's awesome to see her ski! 

Crystal Mountain Birthday!

 

We didn't have anything planned for the kids birthday this year. We decided to go to Crystal and bring my mom with us too. At the last minute, we had an imprompt birthday party after skiing with everyone for a few hours Saturday morning. The Schafflers (and their friends), Galdes, Relichs and our family had pizza, beer and cake back at our house. The kids had fun playing and Will shared his Spider-Man cupcakes and Erin shared her rainbow cake with everyone. It was fun to spend time celebrating with some of our Crystal Mountain family. 

I had to relight Will's candle because Mark blew out the candle and Will was sad. Will doesn't like loud noise (including singing) so he was plugging his ears. 

Erin wanted a rainbow cake. She was so excited to have this cake. 

Aavra, Noah, Will and Erin had fun playing Hungry Hungry Hippos. 

We had fun swimming with Tommy and Margo. 

These pictures are blurry because the kids don't stop moving!! 

These two live the hot tub. They're only supposed to put their feet in the tub. But they eventually end up slidding down onto the first. As if we don't notice them. They also love to play with th my bubbles. On this day, they wanted to play 'car wash'. They took turns going under the handrailing and I had to wash anthem with bubbles and rinse them off.  

Happy 4th Birthday

I always take their birthday (or the day before their day off of work- it's kind of like a holiday to me:-). I took Friday off of work to take the kids in for their four year check up. I was planning to have us stop at the NICU to drop off some cookies to the amazing staff. But, the plans changed quickly and I was reminded that sometimes it isn't about my agenda, but what the kids want to do. Their doctor appointment was rescheduled for the following week. The kids were very happy to have a relaxing day at home. We never made it to the NICU, but the kids had fun playing with their toys and relaxing at home. They each took a nap and played with some new toys. I enjoyed the quiet day at home reflecting on the past four years. 

Will's rain boot was filled with Matchbox cars. 

We had to spend time playing Barbies (which are acutely Loving Family dolls) too. 

Clark is my buddy too. And Erin LOVES her doggie Clark. She'll be sitting on the couch and we'll look over to see her petting Clark. 

Will's new parking garage he got for his birthday. 

I got to rock my baby to sleep. She wasn't feeling well and wanted some extra snuggles. 

Watching Paw Patrol (the current favorite) 

And he's down for the count too. 

Running for Carrots?

Yes, you read the the title correctly. Yesterday I was making soup when I got a text from Sarah asking me if I wanted to go for a run with her in spirit (she loves 2 hours away). I said sure (why not? I didn't have to do anything besides encourage her). So I gave her a few encouraging word and got a text back from her telling me that I had to run too. Huh? I was warm, dry, warm and in the middle of making soup. But, I got dressed, put on my running shoes and was on my way to Sobie Meats to get some carrots for my next soup recipe. I can only imagine what people who drove past me thought when they saw me running in the cold and snow with a bag of carrots. Lol.  It was my first time running in the cold (15ish') and snow covered roads. It was a bit tricky, but much more fun than the treadmill.  So long story short, I ran the 2.25 miles round trip and got the carrots.  I'm thankful for Sarah who pushed me to get out and run. And it was her first run since this summer. Good for her!! It's good to have someone to hold me accountable and encourage me to run. 

And we sent pictures to each other to prove we ran. 

This is after sledding and running today.

Sledding

So these pictures were uploaded backwards, but you'll get the idea anyways. We went sledding yesterday with our neighbors. There is a great sledding hill at Union High School, which happens to be right by our old house. Mark and I have only been sledding once in the 14 years we've been together. He told me that that was the only time he's been sledding. I digress... The snow had finally stopped and it warmed up (to 15') so we headed out. The kids weren't sure what to think of sledding. There's a picture of Erin that says it all. She went down twice and then decided that she didn't like sledding. I wasn't surprised. She liked watching and then finally decided that she would sled on her bottom. She's all about being in control and I totally get that so I don't force her to do something she is not comfortable with.  So she and I hung out while Will, Mark, Ben, Cameron, Stacie and Jack were sledding. 

Going down the hill is fun, but the climb back up is a beast. The hill is steep and then you add 30lbs of dead weight and its exhausting to go up the hill. We lasted about an hour and then headed home to play outside some more. Cameron's family came over for some soup dinner and the kids always have fun playing together. It was a great afternoon with our neighbors. 

This is how Erin decided she liked to sled. 

Will had fun, but he didn't want his face to get covered in snow. 

After we went down the hill. 

She's so excited...lol