Ice Cream and Playdough

David brought some ice cream home the other day and we've been enjoying that tasty treat for a few days. It always amazes me that babies know what the good stuff is. And I don't mean the good-for-you-healthy-stuff. I mean the stuff that is yummy on your taste buds!

David had given Brooke some ice cream but it was all gone. I was touched that Logan was willing to share his with his sister. (Face it, Folks! Momma wasn't even gonna share that stuff with the baby!) I know these photos aren't the best quality, but put together, you can see how the ice cream sharing went.

When Nana was here in October she made the kids playdough. It smells like Thanksgiving. Seriously! The playdough has cinnamon, cloves, & nutmeg. . . all the traditional pumpkin pie spicess. She'll be happy to know that the kids have been playing with the dough again lately.

Sunday Photos

While everyone was spiffed up, I wanted to get pictures of the kids. Somehow Trevor and Logan disappeared, so I just got Cole and Brooke. Cole was having such fun posing with his sister.

I'm really enjoying my Sunday School class. I told the story of the feeding of the five thousand. I was trying to think of a good illustration and here's what I came up with:

Five loaves and two fishes - John 6

The kids loved it!

Play Time

The other day we went to the mall for a while. David had some errands to run, so the kids and I took a walk through the mall. There were some nice, shiny cars in the mall that day and the boys loved the Corvette there.

Our mall has a nice little kiddie playland inside and the kids enjoyed running, romping and going crazy while I watched.

Winter

I guess winter isn't over after all. That dumb groundhog got my hopes up! We had some spring weather last week so I was quite surprised to see snowflakes coming down yesterday afternoon. I was even more surprised that it was sticking to the ground. We figure we got 6 - 8 inches last night.
Of course, the kids are very excited about this.

A Slight Misunderstanding

Today is President's day and we do not have school. Last night we were in the kitchen talking about our day off. Cole said, "What kind of presents are we gonna get?" David and I were both a little confused and asked Cole to repeat himself. Cole said, "For PRESENTS DAY? What presents are we gonna get?"

Yes, he got a brief history lesson after that comment!

Happenings

Things have been going well at our house. The kids are all growing so quickly and they are truly a joy to be around.

We had a fun Valentine's day. I made heart-shaped cookies and rice crispie treats. They were a big hit, along with the little Valentine goodie bags the kids received.

Trevor is doing very well in school. He's getting ready to learn division and he's actually excited about it! (I think that's because he hasn't actually started yet!) He is such a good boy and is really growing up fast. Trevor's a good helper. With the cold winter days on us, I've been teaching the boys how to help a lady with her coat. I love it when Trevor brings my coat to me and holds it open so I can put it on. Trevor is also very good about opening my door for me at the van. He's definitely a keeper.

Cole is growing up as well. He's becoming less little boy and more big boy every day. He has a tender heart and still favors his little sister. He is seven and hasn't lost any teeth yet, and let me tell you, it is killing him! He has two loose teeth on the bottom of his mouth and he just can not wait for them to fall out! I think he's the last of his friends to lose a tooth, so he is really anxious for this milestone to happen. David was just commenting on how tall Cole is. I think he's definitely shot up lately.

Logan is almost 5 years old. He seems to be going through a growth spurt and soon I'll need to get more clothes for him in the next size up. Next year I'll be home schooling Logan for kindergarten, but this year we're enjoying easy days around the house. Logan is such a fun little boy. The other day he had a Transformer toy and was trying to transform it. He gave it to me and asked me to help him with the head. I struggled for a while then finally said, "Logan, Mom just doesn't know how to do these things." He looked at me and said, "Maybe if it was a beginner one you could do it, Mom." What a vote of confidence! Ha!

Today we're expecting temperatures in the 60's. In honor of these almost-spring days, I decided to get out the polish and paint Brooke's little toes. Aren't they adorable? Since she's been wearing tights all winter long I haven't bothered to paint her toenails for a while. But now that spring is here, I'm looking forward to keeping up with her little pedicures.

Brooke is all girl, and I am just thrilled about that! She loves to put one of my necklaces on and wear it around the house. Of all her toys, Brooke plays with her tea set every day. I think that is the cutest thing. She is learning new words all the time and her little girly voice saying, "Okay!" is so cute!

Here is an example of a conversation we have with Brooke almost every day:

Boys: Brooke, say "Da-da."

Brooke: Da-da.

Dad: Brooke, say "Momma."

Brooke: Ma-mom

Mom: Brooke, say "Cole."

Brooke: Co

Boys: Brooke, say "Logan."

Brooke: Ya-Ya

Boys: Say "Trevor."

Brooke: Ya-Ya

We laugh every time and then tease Trevor and Logan about their new names.

I really hope the weather hasn't been teasing us. It is so pleasant outside. There are just a few patches of snow on the ground here and there, but none at our house. I was outside without a jacket today. David pulled his motorcycle out of the barn and has been giving the kids rides around the lane. It is really idyllic. I'm looking forward to spending some time in the yard soon.

EE-i-EE-i-O

I made this video of Brooke making animal sounds a couple of weeks ago. She is too much fun!

(In case you're wondering, the dog says, "F-F." Brooke makes the "F" sounds at the end of "woof-woof.")

For Grammy - Legos

My mom has a thing about Legos. She loves them! Whenever we spend time with Grammy, you can bet that a table full of Legos (or a sheet outdoors) is somehow involved! For Christmas she sent money for the boys to get . . . . Legos, of course!

I have to say that I am amazed at the good job my boys do with those things! Trevor is 9 and completely built this tractor on his own. Before it was a tractor it was an impressive dune buggy.

Cole built the motorcycle without help!

They thought they should pose with their creations. Already the motorcycle is no more. . . . it's been dismantled so they can build something else.

7-Years-Old

Cole turned seven a couple of weeks ago. I always felt bad that his birthday was 2 weeks after Christmas. To be honest, I am about partied-out by that point! But the night before I hung the balloons and streamers in the dining room like I always do, and was rewarded when he came downstairs with a big smile.

We started the morning with one present before school.


After dinner we decided to go to Slinky's. The kids love to play in this giant playland. (Like a McDonald's play place, only much, much bigger!) We all got ready to go then Cole opened his gifts.

I decided to save the Sunday comics for some wrapping paper, that way all of his gifts wouldn't be wrapped in Christmas paper. Hee-hee! I'm not only frugal but green as well! :-)

Cole got a nice set of walkie-talkies. Logan calls them "talkie-walkies," which I think is

just too cute!

It was late when we got back from Slinky's, so we ate ice cream cake in our jammies.

We're thankful that seven years ago, God gave us this handsome boy. We love him very much!

Tea, Anyone?

While we were in Indiana Brooke just loved playing with my niece's little kitchen set. She seemed to know automatically what to do with all those dishes and pretend foods. I was so delighted! It's so much fun having a girly-girl! :)

I decided then and there that Brooke would be getting a kitchen and dishes for her birthday. We went to the grocery store Sunday night for an emergency diaper run. They were clearancing their Christmas toys for 75% off! They even had a purple tea set. I snatched up those little dishes right then, and I was so excited! I thought about keeping them for Brooke's birthday, but then I thought to myself, "They cost me $1.74!" So I opened that package and my little girl spent a half hour with her dishes. So cute!

Everyday since then, Brooke has spent time with her little tea set.

Where Do I Begin?

It seems like I've taken a month-long hiatus from blogging. The truth is, once you get behind, it's hard to know where to pick up again.

We had a wonderful Christmas here at the house. The kids loved their gifts, and us parents enjoyed watching them tear into things. I made a simple dinner of ham, scalloped potatoes, veggies and rolls.

Brooke turned 18-months old on Christmas day. It's hard to believe that she's already been with us a year-and-a-half. Sometimes I can't remember life without her, and other times it seems we just got our precious, little girl.

Here's the aftermath of our Christmas celebration:

The Monday after Christmas we made a rather impromptu decision to drive all the way to Indiana to visit my husband's family! We didn't hit the road until 3 in the afternoon, but we got there before midnight. It was quite a trip. We stayed until Saturday morning. Thankfully our road trips were uneventful. Here are some scenes from our visit with David's family:

(Not really sure how David and Sandra ended up on the kitchen floor!)

My sister-in-law Kat mentioned having an early birthday celebration for Cole. That was so thoughtful of her.

I love this picture of Cole! He could barely contain his excitement!

Kit & Cole - cousins

While in Indiana I got to see one of my dear friends from college. Megan and I traveled together in a summer tour group.

Here are two of the "original" Farley boys:

All of the cousins are in this picture except for little Brienna.

Here's a picture of the girl cousins:

My Logan

Uncle David is a hit with the kids. (Probably because he can play like the best of them!)

Sleepy boys

On the way home we stopped in Ohio to visit with David's younger brother John and his family.

There's little Brienna, with Amber and John, of course!