snow day 4 & 5

I dropped the kids off at MeMa and PaPa's yesterday morning and they came home this afternoon.  They had two days of sledding fun and a sleepover at Kelly's!

 

 

This is what happens when you throw a snowball at MeMa!

 

See the snowman in the background?

 

The kids are out of school again tomorrow, but I think they'll go back Thursday.  Plows have literally been working on the parking lot at Bryce's school for the past 4 hours. 

snow day #3

Today was such a fun day!  We had a "BelJackLock" breakfast at our house with the neighbors and then headed out for a morning of sledding.  This picture doesn't do it justice, but the snow is deep!

 

 

Our friend Justin brought Emmy's friend Avery over to sled with us.  After our snow disc broke, we pulled out the swimming pool.

 

Eating some snow to stay cool.  It was quite a workout walking back up the hill. Thankfully, Emmy walked up by herself most times this year.

 

I got a little brave while sledding.  Falls sure do hurt the older you get!

 

 

Jason eventually brought out his inflatable boat.

 

It was a big hit.

 

We all took a few turns.

 

A video of a boat ride!

 

 

The gang's all here.

 

We went back out for some night sledding and boy it was a bit colder without the sun.

 

And what's a snow day post without a sleeping picture of Emmy.  She curled up in the chair to watch football and fell fast asleep.

 

School is closed to tomorrow so who knows what kind of fun we'll get into.

snow day #2

We got a lot more snow today and a lot of wind with it.  Because of that, we told the kids it would be too miserable to go out and play in it.  Emmy was fine with that and cuddled up on the sofa with me for an afternoon nap!

 

 

Jason decided to go out later in the day and the kids weren't going to be left behind.  They didn't do any sledding, just some falling walking in the snow.  Poor Emmy couldn't stay on her feet.  We probably have a foot of snow, but with the drifts, it's almost two feet in some places. 

 

It's been a while since we've seen this much snow.

 

The kids may be out of school all week!

 

Bryce used his hands to clear off the front porch.  Silly kid!

 

The snow should stop by this evening and the sun may even come out tomorrow.  We have plans for breakfast and sledding with the neighbors in the morning!

snow day #1

So, snow storms have names now!  They canceled school for Friday on Thursday afternoon in preparation for "Jonas".  We made a breakfast donut run in our pajamas before the snow started.

 

 

Emmy still had gymnastics so we all went and watched.  It started snowing while we were there and had already accumulated when we left.

 

We got home and all hunkered down.  Emmy can appreciate a snow day.  Bryce however ran circles around the downstairs until it was time to play in the snow.

 

We went out around 3:00 once there was enough snow to play in. 

 

We met up with Bryce's friend Patrick for some sledding.

 

Snow buddies.

 

We stayed out for almost two hours, but it was miserable.  Courtney and I huddled up against the school to shield the wind and snow.  Looks like we were in time out!

 

We finished the evening with dinner and games at the Jacksons.  It was quite a fun snow day and I'm sure there will be a few more before getting back to normal life!

last week

The kids spent the night with Jason's parents on Sunday night since there was no school on Monday.  This little girl always comes home worn out!  I ended up taking her to the doctor on Wednesday for an ear infection.  It was the first one she's ever had.

 

 

Tuesday I went to the store to prep for the weekend snow storm.  You got to get all the essentials, right?!

 

 

Bryce's school had reptile night on Tuesday.  It was fun last year so we went back for more this year.  Bryce has decided to have them do his birthday party this year!

 

Emmy and I picked Chase and Taylor up from school on Wednesday.  It doesn't matter how excited she is to see them, she just can't stay awake on the drive over. 

 

This little lady turned 10 on Wednesday!

 

Bryce's school had spirit night at Chick Fil A on Thursday so we brought Thomas along with us before everyone got snowed in!

 

Next up, SNOW!!!

SNOW

The word snow had been thrown around this week, but I had no idea the forecasters actually knew what they were talking about!  But sure enough, I looked out this morning and it was snowing!!  After getting dressed for church, the kids ran out to catch a few snowflakes on their tongue!

 

 

The snow eventually started accumulating on the grass so Bryce made a few snowballs.

 

Oh, the excitement of the first snow!

 

We had lunch at Jason's uncle's house after church and the kids couldn't resist a little snowball fight!

 

We dressed the kids in their snow gear when we dropped them off at Jason's parent's house for a little more fun before the snow melted.

 

Bryce's attempt at a snowman.

 

Sometimes I just love the back view as much as the front!

 

The kids had fun, but now they're even more ready for a real snow.

a slower pace

Last Sunday afternoon was full of laziness!!  Once we finally got home from church, lunch and our other activities, we parked it on the couch.  My two favorite girls napped in my lap for a long while and I loved it!! 

 

 

Emmy and I did a little Valentine crafting this week.  This little puppy dog mask makes her look so sad.  She totally didn't believe me that it was a dog.  She thought it was a ladybug, ha!

 

Nina and Pop sent Target gift cards for Christmas so we took the kids to do a little shopping one night last week.  Bryce is still very much in love with monster trucks and Legos.  There aren't many of either that he doesn't already have.

 

Emmy chose Frozen pajamas and a pink truck because she loves to play cars with Jason on the car mat!

 

Emmy was playing dress up on Friday afternoon and I cracked up with her outfit choice (light up shoes, lots of tulle, a wand, tiara and wings). 

I'm looking forward to another lazy Sunday afternoon/evening tomorrow.  I came down with strep throat this week (Bryce had it over Christmas) and I'm finding recovery is not as quick as an adult.  Bryce bounced back quick.  I on the other hand still don't feel 100%. 

happy new year

Here we are, one week into the new year, and I really haven't made any positive changes to start this year off better than I ended 2015.

 

I posted this picture to instagram on New Year's Day.  I woke up with a pep in my step and a fleeting moment of excitement for making a change in 2016.  I lost my way towards the end of last year.  I was over committed and gave up taking care of myself.  My motto was "just get through the day".  I vowed to take care of me this year.  I'm sad to say I've only exercised twice and I'm already a day behind in my devotional.  I think I've even lost and gained back 2 pounds this week.  I knew going into this year that I would still be over committed until school was out, but I was just hoping I could find a way to deal with the stress a little better.  There's always next week, right?!  I've made some decisions that are going to help lighten the load here soon, but I just have to keep on keeping on for a bit longer!

 

I took this picture on Wednesday night to document the fact that my baby will be turning 4 in a month.  I'm so sad about this and can't believe how fast time has flown.  I feel like I've lost valuable time with her this year with my busy schedule and I'm saying no to a lot next school year so I can focus on her before she goes to school.

 

We switched the kids' rooms over the summer and I redecorated Bryce's room after the move.  Emmy was still in her toddler bed and loving it so I wasn't in a rush to move her just yet.  Fast forward 5 months and some Christmas money later, I was ready to make the move to a big girl bed and big girl décor.  I've got a few more things to purchase and then actually put things on the wall and I'll be done.  I can't wait to show off her sweet new room!