Life is made up of many pieces, like a puzzle. Here I attempt to put them all together.

Monday, December 28, 2009

Christmas Eve With Grandparents

We spent Christmas Eve day with my in-laws and had a great time. We took a few gifts along for the kids to open so they could share in the fun. Actually, the gift we let them take along was by far their biggest gift this year. It was so much fun to see the kids' faces when they opened them.

While waiting to open their gifts they were entertained by watching Papa draw.





After a delicious meal the gifts were finally opened amid many squeals of delight.




 These Dell laptops were a definite hit!

 

 

 

 

 

It was a great day.

Friday, December 25, 2009

Merry Christmas!

Monday, December 21, 2009

Just Wondering?



How many men does it take to watch the tractor scrape the parking lot?

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Snowed In

The snow that began yesterday afternoon and lasted all night last night and all day today made for a fun day of being - Snowed In!

Austin and Amanda had fun playing in the snow.







 
Amanda loves to shovel snow and does it without being asked.




Doug got a really good deal on a snowblower and brought it home yesterday. He put it to work today.






 

Michael and Hunter watched all the outdoor fun with amazement.





We made snow cream. I had not had snow cream since I was a kid and this was every bit as good as I remembered it. It didn't stay around long and I think we'll make a bigger batch tomorrow.



 

 

We finally put up the Christmas tree today.




 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I loved watching the way the kids faces shone while they decorated the Christmas tree.

Snow Pictures


At least 18 inches and it's supposed to snow the rest of the day.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Snow in the Forecast

It's been a hectic week. Some our daycare kids have increased their hours. I've caught a bad cold and am having a hard time keeping up with everything.

But on a good note - Their is SNOW in the forecast for this weekend and I'm very happy about that. I'm hoping for a nice quiet weekend so that I can watch it snow and soak up some peace and quiet. Hoping. We'll see how it goes.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Cooking Up a Storm

This weekend has been full of kids. I guess that's not news. Every day around here is full of kids.

Amanda had two friends over Saturday afternoon and they stayed for the night. They had a great time together. I was glad because a few sleepovers recently have turned a little sour. They did each other's makeup, went for a long walk, played with the little kids, and watched TV. Saturday evening they made Bacon Wrapped Burgers and fries for dinner.


We woke up this morning to freezing rain and a coating of ice on everything. By lunch time though the temperature was up around 40 and by early afternooon the sun came out.

Austin made some Pork Chops and Scalloped Potatoes and a Cream Cheese Strawberry Pie for lunch. It was SO good. We also had broccoli and cheese.



And the finished product!
Yummy!

Michael has continued to be very fussy and clingy the last two days. He's not complaining about anything hurting and not running a fever. I've been giving him some Tylenol just in case something is hurting and he doesn't know how to tell me. He does have a slight cold so I've been giving him some Benedryl at night to help with the symptoms and to help him sleep.

I got to take the most wonderful nap this afternoon. Doug watched the one daycare child who was here at the time. Michael was asleep and Austin and Amanda were watching Disney.

Doug has squad duty this evening. His shift is from 5:45 - 9:45 this evening.

Friday, December 11, 2009

Cooking and Learning Together

Today has been the coldest day so far this season. We woke up this morning to temperatures at 19 degrees. I know other areas were much colder but this was cold enough for me. It reminded me how glad I am that my work comes to me every day and I don't have to go out into the cold.

Austin and Amanda are still on their cooking spree and I'm loving it. They choose different things to cook then I would and it adds variety to our meals. It's to easy for me to fall into the pattern of cooking the same things over and over.

Austin chose to make a ham and potato casserole. This was a recipe that I normally would not have chosen because I'm not a fan of sour cream. But this particular recipe was really good. I had him do as much on his own as he possibly could, only stepping in when he started to get too overwhelmed. He did a great job and there were no leftovers.



Amanda has quite a sweet tooth and decided to make Saucepan Fudgies. They're really a very chocolaty cookie. And they were delicious. And they completely disappeared in next to no time.


Michael has had a bit of a rough day and spent a good bit of time in his room for misbehavior - throwing things, pushing other kids, etc. I'm not sure why he was so out of sorts today but I'm hoping a good night of sleep will "reset" his mood. He did enjoy stealing cookie dough from the cookie sheets before Amanda could get them in the oven. He can be really fast when he wants to be.

This evening Austin and Amanda went to practice for the Christmas play they are going to have part in. Austin is playing the part of the innkeeper and Amanda is an angel.