In case you've missed it, Anna has been sick all week so we really haven't ventured out of the house much. By today, I was going stir crazy so we mixed things up a bit and had an indoor beach party. We put on our swimsuits, cranked up The Beach Boys, and had a blast!
We went swimming in the ocean . . .
played with the beach ball . . .
dried off from all the "swimming" . . .
and did a little sun bathing!
We also had a picnic and a lot of dancing at our beach party. It was so much fun we just might do it again tomorrow!
This scene is pretty typical in our house these days. Jack being extremely loud, the dog barking, Sam getting into everything. The only thing missing is Anna and she's been sick all week, so I did not include her recent charming attitude in this video. You're welcome.
Sam is a champion crawler these days and just pulled up to his feet for the first time today - on Jack's train table. Guess we will have another Thomas fanatic in the house!
We were playing with 'Tato Heads (as the kids call them) today and Jack wanted to make our family. Then, of course, we had to take pictures! From left to right: Anna, Mama, Sam, Daddy, & Jack. Notice that Anna has two sets of eyes (she insisted) and I only have one ear. Guess that means my kids are so loud it just doesn't take two ears to hear them; or maybe it means I only listen to half of what they say . . . .
Once Sam went down for his morning nap, we hit the snow one last time. At this point it was starting to melt pretty quickly and we were getting pelted with chunks falling from the trees but we had fun.
Jack finally got to make his snowman and he was thrilled.
Then he destroyed it.
Anna looks like she's missing her hands, but her mittens were wet so we pulled out the plastic wrap and a pair of socks. Seemed to work just fine!
Jack was all about a snowball fight - until I hit him in the face and he told me I wasn't allowed to play anymore!
Jack had fun throwing snowballs in the air for Hank to catch.
It's funny how long we played outside. If there hadn't been snow on the ground there's no way we would have left our warm house to go outside. We all had a blast, though, and it was a nice change of pace from our usual Saturday morning routine.
When I say early, I mean EARLY! Jack was up at 6:30 this morning jabbering about the snow and was so excited about going out to play. Marshall, being the great daddy that he is, had set his alarm for 7:00 (he had to be at work by 9:00) so that he could get up and play with his kids in the snow. However, the alarm wasn't necessary and we were up long before it was set to go off! We bundled the kids up and out they went to play while the rest of our neighborhood slept.
I put on a coat and flip flops thinking I could take pictures from the porch, but my pj pants were way too thin and when my flip flopped feet sunk into the snow just on our porch I retreated back to the house. I did take a few pics from the upstairs window as I bundled up to head out and play.
Jack really wanted to make a snowman, but the snow was just too powdery and wouldn't stick, so they just walked around knocking snow off everything that was standing still.
We moved on to the front yard. I had to keep telling the kids to stop squealing so loudly because all of our neighbors either have no kids or grown children and probably wouldn't appreciate the early morning excitement coming from our yard.
Remember the view from yesterday? This is the same one. That dark spot in the middle is our dog running around like a wild thing!
I finally coaxed them inside. Sam woke up and we enjoyed a pancake breakfast, which we discovered that Sam absolutely LOVED!
We were finished with breakfast by 8:50 AM! I told you this was the EARLY installment!
Occasional snippets of life as we know it with a 5 year old, a 3 year old, a 2 year old, and a new baby girl! Throw in a daddy, a mama, and a rather large, sometimes neurotic weimaraner to complete our family package.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. Psalm 126:3 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jack
Every good and perfect gift is from above . . . James 1:17
Jack is our inquisitive firstborn. At five years old, he’s extremely interested in how things work and will ask a ton of questions until he gets a satisfactory answer. He's an active kid who enjoys running, jumping, and playing outside. However, give him a video game and he would sit and play all day if we let him. Lover of anything "Buzz" these days, he's definitely all boy. But don't let him fool you, he still has fun playing princesses with his sister! He is a great helper and loving big brother and his deep dimples melt our hearts every time he smiles.
Anna
Children are a gift from the Lord . . . Psalm 127:3
Anna is our spunky three year old. She wants to do everything her big brother does, as long as she can do it while wearing a dress. She is Miss Independent most of the time, and certainly has her own sense of style these days. She loves being a helper around the house, and when she's in the mood, she's the best cleaner upper in the family! She enjoys reading books, singing, dancing, coloring, and playing dress up with her brothers. She will always be our baby girl, and has the biggest, sweetest blue eyes we’ve ever seen.
Sam
I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made . . . Psalm 139:14
Sam is our stubborn number three. He's a stinker who manages get into EVERYTHING! It's hard to resist that wide smile and mischievous giggle, though, even when he's up to no good. He's a boy on the move and will do anything to keep up with his older siblings. He loves balls, trains, playing outside, and wearing everyone's shoes but his own. Some days he's still our snugly little boy, and that's quite alright with us because that boy with the toothy grin has brought an enormous amount of joy to our family!
Lucy
I prayed for this child . . . 1 Samuel 1:27
Our sweet little Lucy is such a joy! She has a pretty laid back personality, but can certainly bring the drama when she wants to. She's a happy girl who will smile and coo all day, as long as she has a full tummy! We just adore her chunky thighs, reddish hair, and the way her face lights up at the sound of our voices. Already, Lucy is the perfect addition to our family and we love her to pieces!
Hank
Technically our first baby, Hank likes to sleep all day and have his ears rubbed by anyone who’s willing. He’s also especially good at protecting us from dangerous things like squirrels, the mailman, and neighborhood joggers.