TEXAS!!!

So this is way over due but here we go...
We had a somewhat crazy but good flight to Texas and when we arrived Grandad had some work to do in the garden. Sam just couldn't resist helping after sitting on a plane for 10 hours and in a car for at least 2 and a stroller also. That's a long time in anything for a 2 year old!Marie joined in the fun too. I didn't get a picture of the wheel barrel rides since I wasn't fast enough but they had fun riding back and forth on the leaves that got moved.At this point Marie was no longer interested in helping. Sam was a little unsure himself but he kept at it and helped the whole time.
And finally, He's big enough to help push! This is good since this lawnmower isn't so rideable. :)
Overall it was a great start to the trip! :)

Ouch :(

So Marie tried to get revenge on a very overly loving brother just before we went to Texas. She decided to cutely lean over the couch and drop a water bottle on his face or more specifically eye. Since Sam wouldn't hold still for a picture this was taken 2 days after it happened, and as you can see it's in motion too. :)
Marie has decided that she likes to stand on anything that will make her any amount taller. I'm not sure if it's a need to keep up with Sam or what but it's kinda funny to see her put a thin book on the floor and stand on with an expression that says, "Look Mom! I'm taller!" This however is the happy conquering of something a little taller. This expression says, "Now what do I do?"
And finally, Sam in his little Thomas outfit that Aunt Dorothea got him. He loves it and has worn the hat regularly since. How cute is that little happy face? I really do have the cutest kids in the world! :)

Happy St. Patricks day!

HAPPY ST. PATRICKS DAY!!!
As you can see, today Sam decided to put on a cheesy smile when I told them to smile. Marie however was NOT convinced by it.
However I was lucky enough to get some cute pictures anyway of those big blue eyes of hers and eventually she gave in and gave me a smile as Sam decided to reach for the camera. (gotta love his hair!)
And finally... I actually finished this project in a decent amount of time. Sam has a bit of a train obsession which definitely includes(and usually focuses on)Thomas the Tank engine. So while I was in America I found this fabric and just had to get it to do something with. I wanted to make matching aprons for Marie and I so I decided Sam needed one of his own that didn't have pink flowers on it. So this is what I did with the fun train fabric I found. Definitely cheaper to make than to by. It probably cost $3 to make it.

More fun in the snow

One of the weekends when we had a bit of snow we decided to (after shoveling of course) take the kids out on the sled. It was pretty fun and I know Marie enjoyed it a bunch. Notice the shovel that never left Sam's grasp.Sam however didn't stay on the sled for long. It didn't take much before he was off shoveling snow where ever he could. Again in the deepest pile he could find, moving it to the area of least snow he could find. Here he is shoveling the street near a neighbors house while Marie blissfully enjoys the free ride through the snow. I love that happy little face.And finally, the little man that wanted to walk behind just waiting for a nice big pile of snow to shovel. Gotta love the enthusiasm and wish we all had a bit more of it.

Little snow helpers

I don't think you could find a more enthusiastic little snow shoveler than Sam. Every day he would ask if we could go shovel snow. Fortunately for him, most days it needed to happen so out we went to shovel snow. Most days looked like these for all of the month of January and I've heard February was even worse. Too bad I missed it ;)
Even Marie joined in the fun. Some days were deep while others just needed a bit of sweeping but it got done regularly due to the excitement and thrill these little helpers got out of it.
I have to admit that having a 2 and 1 year old help shovel/sweep snow isn't always as helpful as I'd like, although usually funny. Sam had a habit of finding the biggest pile and putting it in a place that didn't have snow. This usually meant that he'd find the pile of snow that I'd been dumping on and move it to places that I had shoveled, but it wasn't too bad because anything that wears these little balls of energy out is a praiseworthy thing to me. And that's just what all that snow shoveling did. :)

Back to the land of the living...

Ok, so We DID make it back and I think I'm almost over the jet lag. I'm always surprised at how much harder it is to adjust with two little people but at least this time it went a bit smoother than a year ago.

So as of today I hope to be back into posting every couple of days. We'll see how I do, but here's a start...

January...There's not much to say about it other than crazy, lots of snow and cute little people playing in snow. Yea, that about sums it up. Enjoy the pictures! :)




More coming soon! :)

My wife comes home tomorrow!

Mandi has been visiting our family in Texas for the past several weeks while I have been busy at work. But now she comes home tomorrow. I am very excited! I have missed her tremendously.
Thank you for being such a wonderful wife!