RANDOMS

We survived the big snow storm of the winter.  I can definitely say, though, that I am SICK of snow.  Not only did we get a foot of snow, but we had lots of sleet under and on top of that snow which made it so hard to shovel our very long driveway.  Thankfully, Artie's work was closed yesterday (day after the blizzard) and we were able to work together to clear our driveway-though he lasted longer than me.  A few hours after we finished, wouldn't you know the plow came through our neighborhood and plowed our drive shut, so poor Artie had to go out in the dark and shovel it clear so he could get out to get to work today.  I don't have any pictures of our drive, but I did get one of the dogs in the backyard... 

 Domer isn't that bothered by the snow because he's bigger. Ace, on the other hand, doesn't like it all and waited until Domer made a worn down path before he'd venture out more than 5 inches from the door to go to the bathroom!

Other pictures from the last week:

 Spencer enjoying a chocolate cupcake after dinner one night.  I just love the smile:)

 Finally getting a picture up of Avery at tennis lessons-and it's not even a very good one!  She's the one all the way on the far end of the court in pink-they're working on volleys.  She just started her second session a few weeks ago and has improved so much since starting in November!

 The kids having snack time in a laundry basket.  These two have so much fun with a such a simple household item!!

 Avery used the laundry basket as a comfy spot to relax after ballet class this week!

 While running some errands last weekend, Spencer fell asleep in the car-not unusual for him.  When Artie brought him in the house and put him on the couch, he rolled over and stayed like this, sleeping!

 Thanks to cousin Garrett, the kids have discovered their love for Super Why on PBS.  We had coupons for Toys R Us so while there looking around I found Super Why kits on sale and we got them for just over 4 bucks! Here's Spencer modeling his-each kit came with a wand that says phrases and makes sounds, a cape, and Spencer's came with a mask.

 Avery picked out the pink princess one-of course-and hers came with a crown.

 Trying to get a picture of the two of them...still have trouble with that one:)

Spencer spent a whole day wanting to wear Avery's crown-much to the dislike of Artie. But, I thought it was so cute and Spencer couldn't have been happier! These are the kinds of things that happen when you're a boy with an older sister, just ask my brother-who had two older sisters!

Hope everyone's February is off to a great start (minus the weather!)!!

When dog groomers attack!

We recently took Ace, our westie, for a much overdue grooming. We take our dogs to a nearby Pet Smart and have always had relatively positive experiences and been happy with our dog's new do's. Since Domer is a mix, he just basically always gets trimmed because his crimpy hair can get out of control and he doesn't have a "specific" cut. Since Ace is a full westie, he gets the "westie" cut. Apparently, not all dog groomers understand how to do this cut and we were a bit traumatized after picking Ace up from his appointment.

Here he is before...

 Here he is now! Yikes!

If you would google what a westie should look like, this is most definitely not it. Not only did his fur get butchered, but it's extremely cold here-single digits-and he's small, therefore, he's freezing!! We had to go out and buy him a few fleece hoodies:) Hopefully, his hair grows back really fast!!

Here are a few other pictures from the week:

 Ace loves laundry days because apparently the piles of clothes are comfy for sleeping. This is honestly one of his favorite sleeping positions!

 He had his head under the tv stand close to the register...I guess he was trying to keep warm.

 We got a new dog bed for the dogs thinking they could share because it's a really big bed. However, Domer has taken it over as all his own. It must be really comfortable because Domer never sleeps in one place too long and he usually spends all night here! It's a memory foam dog bed that we got at Sam's Club for only 27 bucks! That's a great deal compared to pet beds any other place.

 Spencer walking around with a diaper on his head, just being a silly boy:)

Avery decided Buzz needed some accessorizing! He looks pretty chic, right?!

Here's a 20 second video of the kids playing their new Wii game, Nickelodeon Fit. Plus, Spencer says very clearly "Dora" and "Boots". He's really starting to say a lot more words!

We're Back!

I can't remember going this long without posting in the nearly 3 years I've had this blog!  Sorry for the lack in posting in the last few months.  I'd like to say that I have a great excuse, but, really, I don't.  Basically, life got in the way...not to mention the holidays.  This was the first holiday without my brother around and it was a little hard for all of us-thank goodness for skype!  Other than that, the kids are growing like crazy, and I think we're all ready for spring and for it to stop snowing:)!

Avery modeling a new hat and gloves...she's very into having her picture taken!

Spencer has become VERY into Buzz Lightyear. Luckily, I found these slippers on clearance at Target for his growing feet and growing love for a certain space ranger.

Popcorn is a fantastic was to get the kids to sit still and be quiet for a little while:) With all of the snow and cold weather, we've been having a lot of family movie time.

They weren't actually posing for a picture here...sometimes, they just really like each other this much:) Spencer has started calling Avery "sissy" and loves to give her hugs.

Cousin Garrett and Avery at Christmas.

While I was a little out of the blog world, we welcomed a new cousin, Eli, into the family!

The kids had a lovely Christmas and one of their larger gifts from mom and dad was an upgraded kitchen-they were so excited!

Christmas morning with my kiddos, I'm so glad they are still young enough that they sleep in on Christmas morning:)

Avery and Spencer in front of the tree with the Christmas jammies.

One day the kids got a little too crazy on the furniture and had too many accidental injuries from playing on the couch so for one day they weren't aloud to be on any furniture...mommy still helped them be cozy and comfy though!

I'll end my first blog back with a recent picture of Jake, who is now PFC Redwanski. He is a little over 4 months into his year tour and it's nice to say he'll be back in the states this year!

Hope you're all having a great start to the new year!

Private

Wow, I think this is the longest I have gone without posting since I started this blog! We have been having camera issues and other crazy stuff so it has been hard to be on the computer at all! I hope to get back very soon, but I will soon be making this blog private so please send your emails so I can get you on the list so we can continue to stay connected:)!!

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and is settling into a new year!

Tea Party

Most mornings after breakfast, this is what I find my two babies doing...

Avery and Spencer love having tea parties together. I love having the memories of watching them together (and snapping the photos for proof later!), I hope they are always this close.

Speaking of being close...the kids had their 3 year and 18 month check ups this week. Spencer is only 4 inches shorter than Avery now and only 2.5 lbs lighter! The doctor said he will be passing her soon!

Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend!

Blue Skies Smilin' At Me

Well, smilin' at anyone lucky enough to be in this unseasonably warm weather!

The kids can sense the rarity that this weather is.

So I'm constantly bugged to go outside.

I don't mind, it's great weather to bring out the sidewalk chalk.

Look mom, it's warm enough not to wear a coat!

Getting to play with a new bubble wand in November...

Priceless!

Priceless, times 2!

In unrelated weather updates: Avery is officially potty trained!! She has started ballet and tennis lessons and Spencer has started swim lessons (pics of all to come). We're busy around here, and hopefully it will keep my mind off the impending winter still to come!

There once was a witch and a robot...

ZOO HALLOWEEN

We started our Halloween by meeting my mom and stepdad at the zoo for their Halloween celebration.

A quick family pic before we head in for the fun!

I think Avery was a pretty darn cute witch:) She insisted on carrying this treat bag at all times-it's almost as big as she is!

Our very adorable little robot. Spencer spent the majority of the 2 hours we were there walking, not riding in the stroller-he's getting so big!

The zoo always does the coolest things with pumpkins/gourds/squash. This is just one of many examples.

The kids playing in the maze.

Meeting Broomhilda, the friendly witch:)

Taking a popcorn break-with my kids, there must always be popcorn!

A picture with grandma and pop pop.

Grandma escorted Avery on her pony ride.

Avery and Spencer on the giant pumpkin:)

Avery was excited about the Dora decorated pumpkins!

At the end, Avery got to pick out her own little pumpkin.

NEIGHBORHOOD TRICK-OR-TREATING

We initially weren't going to do the neighborhood trick-or-treating thing because, well, mommy is paranoid about strangers. But we know most of the people around us and our neighborhood is really safe, so we headed out to take a spin around our block.

They're off. Spencer did a whole lot more walking during this trick-or-treat session too (we were out for an hour!). I like to measure my kids on how big they're getting based on how much they can walk around by themselves without having to ride in the stroller:)

Spencer had to be carried a bit by daddy though because he got a little slow and wanted to wander!

A quick picture with mommy:)

We had a very nice Halloween day with the kids. It was a lovely family day. The weather was sort of chilly, but it was a beautiful sunny day the entire day so we were lucky!

Hope everyone enjoyed their Halloween weekend celebrations!