President's Day weekend and Valentine's Day

President's Day Weekend was great fun because Matt, Micah, Trent, and Amy all gathered at our place for the weekend. I love it when people come stay with us. Consider that an open invitation for anyone who wants a place to stay.

I can't guarantee a four star stay, but I can guarantee our kids will keep you busy.

Besides playing outside in the snow, we watched the Olympics and a few movies, among other things.

It's fun just hanging out with family.

One of the nights, after the kids were in bed, we had a big fondue dinner.

It was pretty good.


We had fondue dessert too, thanks to Amy, which was also very good.

And we shared Valentine's Day together. Sweet, I know.

And on a side note, these are the Valentine's cards that Drake handed out this year. It's just a 4x6 picture with a sucker stuck through it.

I got the idea last year from someone's blog and was excited that Drake was in school so we could try it out--Drake thought it was pretty cool too.

We're always trying to convince people to come stay with us, so it's fun when people actually do. Thanks again Trent, Amy, Matt and Micah for making it way more fun than it might have been otherwise. We're glad you made the trip.

creative writing

Drake saw this cartoon in a magazine or workbook and decided to fill in the talk bubbles as was suggested. To help you understand it, the guy on the right is the one who talks first, according to Drake. So this is their conversation:

"You have a funny dog."

"Oh, don't worry. I have a fun dog."

It's fun to see Drake enjoying reading and writing. And on a different writing topic...

I was cleaning out the fridge and found a couple of really old syrup bottles for flavoring shaved ice. The last couple times we've tried using them, the syrup was kind of sticky and weird--not ideal for our shaved ice goodies.

So I gave the syrup to the kids and told them to go outside and have fun writing in the snow, and they did.

And on another random note, here is a drawing of Graham's. I don't remember who each person is, but if I remember correctly, I wasn't any of them.

I love my kids.

avery's hair

Besides Avery's eyes, her hair is another thing I adore.

It's naturally curly.

That means I have to actually do something with it or else it goes crazy.

But I have to admit it's really fun to have an excuse to comb her hair at least once or more a day.

Because it gives me a few minutes where she will stand still for me, and we can just talk.

And yes, Avery likes to talk.

This picture is of the only time I've actually pulled it into an elastic. I hope she'll start letting me put bows or clips into it.

So even though she wakes up with crazy hair every morning and after every nap...

...I love it.

I love the curls.

They just make me smile.

The end.

hanging out with family

We spent some time with Shad's family (and mine) up in the colder part of Idaho. We were only there for a day and a half, but it was fun.

Saturday we decided to go sledding. There was a big group there going sledding as well---all at the same time.

Yes, all those people are sitting and sledding down the hill on one big tarp.

My brother Matt met us there and helped the kids have fun.

After a while, he decided to join his friends and do the "big" sled.

It was fun to watch.

Here are a bunch of pictures from our sledding that day.

At one point, everyone but Avery and I went to the other side of the fence to check out some snow sculptures.

Once we decided we were cold enough, we went back to Shad's parents for some hot chocolate.

And games.

A little while later, Matt and Micah came over and we hung out with them for a bit. Matt was doing magic tricks for everyone.

Drake decided he was going to do some too.

It's fun being with family.

january in review

Time for a bunch of random photos from January.

If there isn't dirt, use snow.

Playdough worm.

Pipe cleaner hat.

I love finding my kids reading books, especially when I thought they were quiet because they were into mischief.

We assembled some hygiene kits for humanitarian aid.

Drake insisted on buying kids' toothbrushes because, as he said, "There are kids in Haiti too."

My cute, little slaves helping to dry the floor after I mopped it.

And here is a video of my kids dancing to a song on a CD that goes with the "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" book treasury. I've never had Graham dance this much.

Maybe they should go professional.