Blowing Bubbles and Slumber Parties

It stopped raining yesterday so we had to get outside and get some fresh air!  We swung on the swings for a long time and then we pulled out the bubbles and the kids had a great time!  Alaina was the official bubble blower and Lila and Rylan were the official bubble poppers!  Friday nights are exciting for our kids because they get to have a slumber party.  They decide which sibling's room they will sleep in and set up sleeping bags and make a night of it.  It is usually a sister thing, but last night Rylan hosted the slumber party in his room.  He was VERY excited to have his sisters sleep in his room!  It was fun to listen to them giggle and talk until they went to sleep.

Happy 2009!

Whoa!  The year just started and I'm already behind!  Thought I better post some pics of what we've been doing!  Here are all the kids in their new pajamas on Christmas Eve.Rylan received some great stuff this Christmas.  Grandma and Grandpa Far Away found him a huge dump truck and digger.  He likes to push the girl's ponies and barbies around in the dump truck.  He also received a bike from Uncle Jim!  Now he won't have to learn to ride on a pink bike!New Years Eve we headed up to Seattle area and met Grandma, Uncle Dave and Aunt Jeannette, Neil, Raquel, John, Amy and Grace for lunch.  Then we headed back to John and Amy's place to spend some time together.  It was fun to have everyone under the same roof - after our Christmas plans to do just that were thwarted by the unusual amount of snowfall this year.  The cousins are enjoying a movie together in this shot.  Heres wishing you all a great 2009!

Sledding

Our lone garbage can lid has served as a great sled for the last couple of days. Today Ryan decided to get out the inflatable we tow behind our boat. It worked great as sled - especially since all four kids can fit on it at the same time. No waiting! There were some pretty big smiles on the slopes today. It was extra special to have Uncle Neil here to push them and catch them at the bottom. FUN! FUN!

Our Winter Wonderland

We had a request from Grandma to show some more pictures of the snow! It was supposed to turn to rain today, but its still snowing out there!

New Haircut - New Personality

Have you ever noticed that a new haircut can sometimes give a person a new personality? Well, maybe I shouldn't say a whole new personality, but when my kids get a hair cut they certainly get hyper! Maybe its that removal of weight off their necks that was holding them back before and now causes them to run a little faster and act a little crazier. I don't know what it is! Last night I cut Emily and Alaina's hair and they were so excited and acting so crazy - giggling, teasing, and chasing each other around the house.

SNOW DAYS!

One of the more beautiful things in life is looking out the window to see snow falling and covering the trees and ground. We did some sledding in the front yard this morning and will have to head out there again this afternoon. We have a nice hill out by the playground - we just need to make sure we stop ourselves before we end up in the pond. Lila wishes she had ice skates. Here she is attempting to skate on the frozen fountain.Poor Rylan has to wear Minnie Mouse gloves - one of the curses of having older sisters. Hope everyone is enjoying the snow. Stay warm!

We're thankful for cousins and puppies!

Our kids love their cousins. On our recent trip to Idaho we got to spend some time with family and had a great time. These pictures are from a trip to the Boise Zoo with Uncle Jim, Aunt Tawna, Quinn and Ashtin. We also enjoyed meeting Grandma and Grandpa's new puppy, Penny. Rylan was especially taken with her. This picture isn't the best, but it was hard to get a good shot of them because neither of them stay still for very long! Maybe that's why they hit it off so well.