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.

Project!

This last month Ryan and I have been working more on the laundry room/mudroom. When we moved into our house the only thing in our laundry room was the hot water heater, a closet shelf to hang clothes on and a spot for the washer and dryer. Last year we found some used cabinets on craigslist and painted them and installed them for some extra storage and counter space since the room was just a jumble of "stuff". This month Ryan moved the water hook-ups to the other wall and stacked the washer and dryer. This was a bonus because the washer and dryer hide the beautiful hot water heater from view. It also gives us another spot for a counter and another set of drawers. I don't have a picture of the room before we started so these aren't true before and after shots, but here are some pics that show our progress. (The washer and dryer used to be under the window).We just grouted the slate backsplash last night so we have to seal it and then finish the trim. I also have to find someway to store all the shoes that end up all over that room!

Fall Family Day

There was no school in Wahkiakum county today because of a teacher's inservice. Therefore we decided to make it a family day. We took off on a drive to enjoy the lovely fall day. After enjoying lunch at Pizza Hut we set out on foot across Lake Sacajawea Park. Watching ducks swim in the lake. Rylan took great pleasure in chasing some seagulls. Back in the car he fell asleep pretty fast after all that seagull excitement. We drove over the big bridge to Oregon and then took the ferry back over to the island. We really enjoyed our fall family fun day!

Happy Birthday Alaina!

Yesterday was Alaina's 6th birthday! She had two exciting days of celebration. Friday she invited some friends over for a tea party after kindergarten. Last night we had our traditional family party including dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and Alaina's favorite part - opening presents! She had a smile on her face the entire time so I think its safe to say that she enjoyed herself! An extra-special gift she received was a dozen roses from her Daddy. It's fun watching you grow Alaina! We pray God will use you in great ways! Love, Mommy and Daddy