Snow Day

Last week we got the kids all dressed up in their snow clothes so they could go out to play. It is quite the process to get snow pants, socks, boots, sweatshirts, coats, hats and gloves on all of the kids... It literally took about 45 minutes. That's why this was a picture-worthy occasion!

Aren't they cute?

I opted to stay inside and make hot chocolate for when they were done since I don't have any snow clothes that will fit my hugely pregnant belly. I took a few pictures through the window because it was so sweet to watch them all out having so much fun together. They really had a great time... Well, until Jonah refused to keep his gloves on anymore so we had to bring him inside. His little hands were so cold, but he was NOT happy that he had to come in. He cheered up after a nice nap, and the two big kids enjoyed their hot chocolate after they came inside awhile later.

All in all it was a successful snow day!

Playing in the Snow With Daddy

Sam is much better than me about taking the kids out to play in the snow. I don't like the cold and the process of getting the kids into their snow clothes is crazy. But Sam convinced me to get out there with them this past weekend.

There was snow eating,

snow angel making, 

snowball throwing, 

and cuteness.

Lots of cuteness.

Oh, and don't forget the snot-cicles!

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

It's crazy how fast the weather changed here in Rexburg this year. Last weekend it was 50 degrees and sunny and this weekend it is 27 degrees and snowy. We have spent the last few days inside because it had been too cold to be outside, but it was warmer today so we ventured out to the front yard. Besides, the kids just couldn't resist the snow! 

It's one of those beautiful days where there is no wind, and the snow just falls in big flakes.

Of course they had to catch snowflakes on their tongues!

And of course it ended the way it always does: with someone falling in the snow and deciding they were done.

The only disappointment was that our attempt at building a snow man didn't go well - it was too cold. That's alright, we have the rest of the winter to do that!

The First Snow

We woke up to this yesterday morning:

Ellie and Nathan were so excited they could hardly contain themselves. Of course we had to celebrate by having pancakes with "snow" (powdered sugar) and listening to Christmas music.

We needed to get out of the house, so we decided to go to story time at the library. Ellie chose her own outfit, complete with the snow boots. It made me laugh. This was the best picture I got because she was mad that Nathan wanted to be in the picture...... Yeah. 

The boots complete the ensemble, don't you think?

Now that there is snow, Ellie keeps asking me when Christmas is.... 

Saturday Adventures

Saturday started out with my awesome husband getting up with the kids so I could sleep in. Yep, he is great.

When I woke up, I saw this:

Two happy, mostly naked kids helping Dad make waffles. With homemade strawberry syrup. Mmmmmmm...

We did some cleaning, and decided that later that afternoon we would take the kids to see "Frozen" after their naps. We got halfway out of the neighborhood when we had to turn around because we forgot the tickets. When Sam ran in to get them, he parked in the driveway in front of our house rather than the garage like we always do. Then on our way out he decided to go through a huge pile of snow rather than the plowed driveway, and, well.... We got stuck. In our own front yard. Yeah. So Sam started digging around the wheels and pushing while I steered, but nothing worked. Then our neighbors drove up. These neighbors happen to have a tractor. After an embarrassing conversation and much laughing on Sam and my parts, (oh, and some scolding of Daddy from a certain daughter) this neighbor hooked us up to his tractor and pulled us out. And that was that. It was really, quite embarrassing.i wonder what those neighbors think of us now..... :)

By the time we got out of the snow we were late for the movie, so we decided to run to the grocery store and play a few games in the movie theater while we waited for the next showing. We passed the kids' cousins on the way, and they decided to come play games too. They all had lots of fun!

Then the movie started, and Ellie was in absolute heaven the entire time. She LOVED it. Nathan..... Not so much. It probably doesn't help that he fell and hit his head twice. 

The movie was great, but I have to say that I think Ellie's favorite part was getting to hold the popcorn.

All in all it was a great Saturday, even if we did get stuck in the snow.

Thanksgiving Break (Sorry for the extremely long post...)

Friday was the last day of school before the week-long Thanksgiving break. Sam and I were really excited for the time off from school - we needed it! Rexburg was supposed to have a snow storm starting on Friday night, so when we walked to the car from our last classes we were excited to see a few flakes starting to fall. We went home and watched a movie, talked, and relaxed. Then at 11:45 that night we decided to go to McDonalds for ice cream... Why not, right?

Mmmm...... Ice cream!!

It didn't snow Saturday or Sunday, but Monday morning we woke up to quite a bit! These are our front stairs.

There was probably 5 or so inches, so Sam had to be manly (well, he's always manly...) and shovel a path so we could get out of the parking lot.

On Tuesday morning we drove to Twin Falls. What is normally a 3 hour trip took us 6 hours because we were driving in a blizzard. We saw probably 18 cars off the road, and at one time the visibility was so bad Sam couldn't see the road... So we stayed right behind a semi that had its hazards on - he kept us on track!

We were dumb on the trip and took few pictures. I'm really bummed about that! So I'll just have to tell about it without pictures... On Tuesday we stayed with Melissa and Maren. We had fun talking and watching a movie. The next morning we went to WinCo to pick up some things, and it was pretty crazy! It was the day before Thanksgiving, what can you expect?

On Wednesday afternoon we got to my grandparents' house, and while Sam helped my grandpa shovel snow, I helped my grandma cut (and eat) caramels and dip pretzels. I wonder who got the better end of that deal... :) My grandma had also made clam chowder for us that night. Mmmmmmm. I ate all the leftovers too. :)

Thursday was Thanksgiving! Sam and I were only in charge of deviled eggs and green bean casserole. Seriously, everything else was taken care of by my aunts and grandma. Crazy. We went over to my aunt Karen's house to help set up. I really didn't do much because every time I would pick something up, somebody would say, "now should you be carrying that?" So I opted for sitting in the living room and watching my cute cousins, Joey and Dylan, play "huskies" and talking to my uncle Matt. Since the roads to California were so bad, Melissa and Maren weren't able to travel. So they came to Thanksgiving dinner with us!!! It was fun to have them - I hope they weren't overwhelmed by us all! We played some games, ate an amazing meal, and talked. Then later that night Sam and I went to "The Last Three Days" with Matt and Alisa. It was a good movie, but I think the end ruined it for me. Bummer when that happens.

Friday Sam and my grandpa watched football. None of the teams they were rooting for won. The Boise State game was especially disappointing. But we don't talk about that anymore around here. ;) I played some games with my grandma, talked with her, and she introduced me to "The Unsinkable Molly Brown." Later that evening Sam and I walked around the mall. I love when the stores are all decorated for Christmas! We even looked at strollers and baby clothes at Sears. That was fun. :)

On Saturday we got to go to the Twin Falls temple for a session! It was so beautiful. I loved it. After that Sam and I went to my Aunt Alisa and Uncle Matt's house. I looked through Alisa's old maternity clothes (thank you!!!), and we talked for a few hours. It was fun to get to know them a little better and to spend some time with their family.

On Sunday we drove home. The roads were much better than Tuesday, so we got home quicker - which was nice. I'm so grateful for a husband that is experienced at driving in the snow!!!

Thank you to all of our Twin Falls family for letting us stay with you, and for feeding us! We had lots of fun with all of you!

In response to several requests, here's another picture of my belly. (Good heavens, when am I going to learn to smile normally in a picture? Sigh...) This was today, at 17 weeks and one day. We went to the doctor on Monday, and after waiting over an hour to see the doctor, we heard the heartbeat (150 bpm) as well as a little kick on the Doppler. That was exciting! :) While we were scheduling our next appointment, the lady at the front desk gave us a brownie because she felt so bad we had to wait so long. Well thanks! We can wait an hour when we don't have anywhere else to be anytime for a brownie! Our next appointment will be December 17th at 3:00. We'll have the ultrasound to make sure the baby is healthy, as well as find out the gender! We're really looking forward to that. :) Also, today I felt the baby move for a solid 10 minutes while I was in my chemistry class!!! That was pretty exciting for me because I've thought I've felt it before, but I've been unsure. There was no doubting it today, though!

There's every kind of holiday Hershey's Kiss in there. Dad and Micah? Be excited.

We got our Christmas tree today! We wish we could have gone to cut one down, but the snow hit at the wrong time! We're excited to put it up and decorate it. It's the first time I've had a real tree, so I'm excited. Hooray for my favorite holiday of the year!!!

Good thing we didn't get pulled over with that thing sticking out the window!

If you read that entire thing, I'm very impressed. Just sayin'.