almost finished!

Grandpa has been working hard- today we get the sand! Here are a few photos from the construction yesterday.

project

My parents are visiting from Minnesota this week, and our project with Grandpa is to build a sandbox for Lyle. Well, all the kids can play in it, but I am guessing he will occupy it most of the time.

We picked a spot under the deck where the kids can play in the shade and where we can sweep the sand off the patio easily. Nothing grows there anyway, and this space has just been collecting junk and could use some sprucing up. So now we can reclaim it and fix it up. Updates later in the week!

living outside

The kids have officially taken up residence outside. At last! The weather has been perfect for being out in our yard- warm sun (with lots of shade to balance it out!), gentle breeze, clear blue skies with puffy white clouds, and of course no bugs yet. We are all loving it because we are exploring and rediscovering our outdoor space, and working to make it more functional and beautiful.


And I just love when I look out and see them living and playing out there in harmony together. That picnic table we built is getting loads of use now!


We eat outside almost every day for at least one meal. Breakfast and lunch on the patio or at the picnic table have been so wonderful!


I adore a good summertime sandwich for lunch. We don't buy deli meat every week but it sure has hit the spot lately! Oven roasted turkey and provolone, with lettuce and tomato, pickle, mayo & mustard, on lightly toasted 9 grain & seed bread, with Kettle brand Salt & Black Pepper chips... YUM! I love living outside!

let it snow!

Our yearly snow storm arrived a bit earlier than last year, and thankfully it was not as destructive. It started coming down Friday afternoon in big, fat flakes, and didn't stop falling until late that night. In all we got about 4 inches of snow in our yard, although I'm not sure what the official measurement was.








We had a blast and took many, many, MANY photos, which are on my Flickr and I might do another post with cool snow shots in a day or two as well. The snow filled our weekend with lots of fun and play and exhaustion, and we're a little sad to see it go with the 40 and 50 degree temps we had Sunday. I'm not really sad to be done with the ginormous production of helping everyone into and out of their gear several times every day, and getting all of the gear dry in between times. But the snow was such a huge part of my childhood growing up in Minnesota, I am so glad when these guys get an opportunity to experience it as well.

vintage goodness in the mail

My cousin Jodi emailed me a few weeks ago, wondering if any of my kids would be interested in her childhood Barbie dolls that she was ready to part with. I assured her that one very lucky girl would be thrilled to take them into her care.




Stella didn't know anything about this package coming her way, so she tore into the wrapping of the mysterious package with her name on it, squealing with delight when she saw what was inside. She quickly set up in my room (where there was some open floor space and a door to keep her brother out) to explore the contents of her new box of Barbie treasures.




OK, she was hamming it up a little on that last photo. But you can see her great 6 year old vampire teeth so well in it! She is so cute with her new teeth growing in right now.


It didn't take long for her to get her brand new dolls from Christmas out and start trying on the jackpot of vintage clothing that Jodi sent. And I had to laugh when I saw the old and new dolls all nestled together when it was time to put them away. What a contrast between the two- painted on lashes and pink streaked mermaid hair, next to the real (if made from plastic hair) eye lashes and a modest blond bob.




Lyle was SO excited to see the little bag of stickers and other goodies that was included in this special package, with him in mind.



He stopped watching Speed Racer long enough to inspect and lay out the contents of his bag, and to plaster stickers all over himself and the furniture. And he REALLY likes Speed Racer.




Even the packing materials were fun!






Thank you so much, Jodi, for making their day! I am so grateful for the connection this blog has helped us keep with our relatives and friends far and wide, and it is so cool to receive something fun like that in return for sharing our lives with everyone here. Your dolls will definitely bring many hours of joy to Stella and I know that is exactly what you were looking for when you generously offered them. Thank you!!!

catching up a bit

Whoa. So it turns out I just need a month off every winter! Who knew? I am feeling back into the swing of things now that vacation is over and I have triumphed over a pretty nasty cold. I knew I was ready to get back to blogging when I started noticing tiny things that I wished I could share, if only I weren't so behind. So this will be one big catching up post, and then on to the current events and everyday life this week.

Decorating our tree:




Oragami cranes by Daisy for the tip top this year instead of a star. And berries that we actually found growing on the trees at the farm! So pretty.





And our Christmas Pickle. We hide it in the tree over and over again during the holiday season, and take turns trying to find it. Everyone has a lot of fun with it. 


We visited with family and had lots of fun with cousins and grandparents




And had a very merry Waffle House Christmas breakfast before everyone headed back to TX and OK. This is one of our most beloved holiday traditions!






When we got home from Waffle House, our own family's Christmas began- with lots of presents to open from our MN relatives, and from each other. We spent the weekend playing with new stuff and settling back in to our quiet(er) house without all the extras. We had so much fun visiting but it was good to be on our own again too.
























Stella lost a tooth on Christmas Day, and we went for a drive to enjoy the lights and a snack of fries and Frosties from Wendy's before bed.






The lights downtown always look just like a starry sky. I love it so much.




Well- that's just a quick wrap-up and some pictures of the kids. We had a really crazy but really great month, and I am looking forward to posting about some non-holiday related stuff that has been going on around here since. THANK YOU so much for coming back to check on us here even though I have not posted in so long. We appreciate every single reader we have! Happy New Year to everyone!