Spring Art

We did some art today...
Bright pretty colors, creative juices, smiles.
It widdled away a good hour...
Spring break days starts getting a little bit hairy in the afternoon hours...so finding something for my littles to take their mind off of bickering, and instead focus on interacting and laughing together...
That is my idea of a GOOD day!

We made these "puff paints".
Simply made from one tablespoon flour, one tablespoon salt, and a little water to make a thick creamy "paint". They can be colored how ever you want to color them.

Then use Qtips, and paint your design on thick paper.
Finally, microwave for 30 seconds.

They puff up.

The kids LOVED it!
They had a great time painting away, using every color time and time again.

Their projects turned out so cute!

They were really proud of them.

Truth is, this spring break has actually been nice. Very, very relaxing. Everyone has been a bit under the weather...so we have just been snuggling on the couch, playing board games, coloring, watching shows, doing art.
Sometimes, it is just nice, to do nothing!
It was a fun afternoon with the kids.

A Matching Set...

We got more snow.
Nothing big...but enough to have the kids itching to go back outside...
The snow was SO crumby!
It wouldn't pack worth a darn.
So I told the kids they could just go play in it.

But those kids....
They were SO determined!
They worked and worked...
I don't know how they did it...but SLOWLY...

They were able to form some snowman body parts.
They were on a mission, to make a pair of snowman to match Snowy.
One made by each of them.

So they worked for about an hour and a half.
And their work paid off!
Here is Makylie's new best friend...

Seriously...SO cute!
She was SO proud!

Her name was pink Seahawk.
She was a little tiny thing...but it was just a perfect Makylie size.
She literally made it ALL by herself...until she needed my help getting the face pieces on.
-------------------------------------------
Now, here is Tyler's.
He too, was so proud because he made it ALL by himself.
All of it.
His was Blue Seahawk...and a little bigger then Maky's...but also perfect Ty size.

Then Ty went and made a sign for all of our neighbors to see....
You know..."so that they know what we have been working on all day"

It was cute...he wanted to hang it on the siding of the house. :)
We compromised and put it on the stairs.

Such hard workers.
So passionate about what they want.
They are a driving force, let me tell you!
They are my sparkle...my human glitter.
They are every breath of every ounce of fresh air that exsists.
Just look at their amazingness.

February Snowman...

The kids couldn't have been happier when the snow fell.
Just enough to go make a snowman.

Only thing is....
For the first time ever...
their favorite playmate, daddy, is out of town!

Mommy actually had to go out and get her snowman on. :)
And we did just that.
It was that kind of day...it was warm enough to stay out and play for hours but I knew we only had a couple hours that the snow was going to stay good enough to pack into a snowman.....
The snow was continuing to come down...but it was that pellet kind of snow at this point....
It wouldn't pack into anything.

So....We got to rolling and packing, and making a dog-gone good snowman!

Our friends came over to check it out too.

The kids named him snowy.
He was a nice wintery addition to our yard!

There is nothing quite like a fresh snowfall...
especially in our area where we don't get A LOT...
But add a snowman to that...
a couple cute, hardworking kids...
and some homemade hot cocoa afterward.
THAT, my friends, is my perfect day.

Waiting....waiting....waiting...

Just standing...waiting....

starring....and waiting...

Just waiting...and wishing....

For the snow to accumulate, enough to go make a snowman!

Family time...

Enjoying a couple of evening milkshakes....

And a rousing game of Connect 4.

A little family time for the crew before daddy leaves on another trip.

Kevin is taking off for another work-cruise.

This time to Mexico.

The kids get so clingy before he leaves...and obviously after he returns.

They don't like him being gone.

Kevin likes having the opportunity to travel for work...

but

he doesn't like to be away from them either.

So...Lots of Connect 4 and milkshakes it is! :)

Meet THE Snowman

Finally,
We got an AMAZING snowfall.
THE perfect snow to make a SNOWMAN!
******************************************
The kids wanted to BUILD...
So build we did!
On a mission to build...
"the biggest snowman"...

Some worked on the middle...

Some worked on the head.

The biggest worked on the bottom...

At this point...it was a question of physics.
How to get a 100 pound ball of snow, hoisted into the air, and set carefully atop a 200 pound ball of snow....
All while keeping everything intact...
It was so big, that Kevin and I together, could HARDLY lift that middle ball.
I mean if we had had to go any further up, it would have landed on the ground.
But we did it.


Then we sculpted...and molded....

He was so tall....his hat, had to be put on by ladder.
Speaking of the hat...it is a small bucket, not a hat.

Then we decorated...him.

We think he turned out pretty nice!


All 8 FEET of him!

As a side note....our neighbors decided to compete with us...
They did a really good job, but theirs fell down that same day.
Ours....
As it turns out...
Must have been made of concrete....
Because he just kept standing.
However, as the weather warmed little by little....
Our snowman leaned little by little...
Until he looked like this on the 1st.

We couldn't believe how he just kept standing.
We would make bets everyday, that by the time we got home from school or daddy got home from work he would have fallen over....
but it didn't happen until the 4th....

It was pretty cool!

Good memories...

The best kind!

Traditions...

For our family,
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are simply loaded with tradition.
Every year, we go to my In-Laws house.
We celebrate Christmas and family and have a nice dinner.
By doing this...we have made the choice to stay home on Christmas Day..
which we REALLY love!

(Above, is what Makylie wore on Christmas Eve day.
I found the outfit at a local consignment and FELL.IN.LOVE
So perfect for Christmas...Valentines day...
any other day that I feel like having Maky look A-dorable!!! :)
I just wanted to showcase how cute she looked!)

Oh Christmas....
How I love thee!

So also, every year...after we get home from grandmas...there is a gift waiting for each of the kids. We started this...when Karman was 5 years old, and have continued it every year since.
The kids get so super excited...even though the gift inside is always the "same".
They get together...I snap some pictures....then they rip them open!

*It was fun, because to Makylie, who doesn't quite remember last year yet....it was so new...she just had no clue what was inside at all. She was GENUINELY jumping-up-and-down excited.*
That is what makes all of this so worth it!


Checking out each others loot...

Then we show what we got...

Sometimes they are Christmasy, sometimes they aren't. We have found as Karman has gotten older, that if we get her the Christmas thememd Pajamas, she will only wear them through December, where the little kids will wear their Santa jammies in July...because they don't care what anyone thinks.

Then they all go change into them.

The idea is that we don't get out of our jammies on Christmas day at all.

So they are nice, new, cute Pajamas for all of the pictures on Christmas Morning.

Of course....we have the Santa plate tradition. The kids leave out all of the homemade cookies.

They pick each individual cookie out themselves, and are meticulous about which one of these, or those are good enough for the big guy in Red.

We NEVER forget those reindeer either.

And either milk or cocoa for Santa.

I always read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas....

Then we hurry and get to bed, so that we can fall asleep as fast as possible.

*******

Nothing can top the giddy excitement of Christmas Eve.

*******

You know,
This season rolls along.

As much as I love it...I do get wrapped in the activity of it all...and I tend to have a lot to do everyday. Most of it revolves around the kids, obviously...from making cookies, to decorating the tree, to doing crafts...but there is just, overall, a lot to do.

As it begins to come to a close...I find I can breathe a little lighter...and just be.

Enjoy the sights, and sounds,

the laughter and the love.

The fact that my family is all together...

And that is just what I am doing today

Merry Christmas family and friends!

Cookies for all...

Cookies...Cookies...Cookies.

Cookies...
Frosting...
Sprinkles...
Toss in a couple kids....
And a lot of mess.

Get....some of THIS....

And a lot of THIS.
************************************************

And a lifetime of memories.