True Winter

We got about a foot of snow all at once this past Wednesday which made for an interesting week. That much snow overwhelms the snow removal efforts so they delayed public school a couple times this week and then cancelled them all together a couple days as well, which meant that Nate only had to teach seminary once the whole week. He enjoyed his opportunity to sleep in a little, and made me breakfast in bed twice! Even IU closed campus one day this week which does not usually happen. I often laugh at how quickly they cancel things here because of the snow but got stuck a couple times myself just trying to get out of the driveway. Did I mention that no one has snow shovels? Nate had to try and clear our driveway enough to get the cars out with a big broom and our garden shovel. It took him well over an hour!



So, since many of the things we usually do during the week were cancelled (basketball, bookclub, library) I went to Walmart and bought another pair of boots so the girls could go out into the winter wonderland and enjoy. Did I mention that no one has sleds either? Our front yard has a bit of a hill on it, and I wanted the girls to get their first experience sledding. I attempted to make a sled out of a box covered with a black garbage bag. It sort of worked. Baylee fell face first into the snow her first step of the front of the house and was fussing the rest of the time, but at least the girls got a small glimpse of what sledding is like!






In the meantime, Preston continues to grow and grow and laugh and smile. He loves his baths and playing with his sisters.














Preston soaking in the tub.














First time in the Johnny-Jumper.

















Blue, blue eyes......












Baylee says, "We don't eat Play-Doh" but "yeah, we eat pie dough!"














I kept telling the girls just to eat a little bit so they would have some left to play with, but noticed the amount of pie dough dwindling as time went on. =)

We made Princess Crowns for family night when talking about how we are all children of God. The girls loved them!

Mckenna reading "Green Eggs and Ham" by Dr. Seuss.

And, if anyone has any ideas about how to fix the formatting on my blog......It never looks the same once I post it...........sorry.

Happy Baby

What can I say? He hates being on his tummy right now, but I know it's good for him to strengthen his neck muscles so he can hold up his own head! He really can hold up his head pretty well but sure does let me know when it's time for a change of scenery.

And, most of the time he is a very happy baby. All you have to do is turn him over and talk to him, and he'll give you a smile to melt your heart.

(See movie below for some of his cute laughs and sounds.)

The girls, in the meantime, have really enjoyed the snow this winter. So much so that I finally went and bought them some snowpants the other day so they could stay outside longer. They've also discovered the wonderfullness of hot chocolate with marshmellows to warm them up when they come inside.

They still love to play with Preston whenever he is up, even more so now than a couple weeks ago. They lay on the floor next to him and share their blankets with him, try to help him roll over and put toys in his hands. He is one loved little boy! He has definately captured my heart with his sweet and joyful personality.

Some of the cute things the girls have done lately:

1) When drinking fruit smoothies that we made for family night, Nate was telling the girls not to drink too fast or it would hurt their head. Then, off course, Nate got a brain freeze. For the next ten minutes, both Baylee and Mckenna kept reminding Nate and I, and each other to "don't drink too fast. You don't want to hurt your head. Just drink it slow Daddy."

2) When playing with play-doh, the girls kept saying they were making this or that for Grandma and Grandpa. So cute.

3) They wore their I Am a Child of God necklaces that Grandma Wardell got them for Christmas to church this Sunday for the first time. Mckenna didn't let go of hers for the first hour of church and then was showing everyone her "special, special necklace." Nate had had a talk with both of them before church about how they shouldn't pull on them because they didn't want to break them, so Mckenna said, "I don't want to break it, it's made of glass." I have been telling them not to drop certain cups because they are made of glass and they will break, so she put two and two together that her necklace must be made of glass if it was so breakable. =)

The New Year

Happy New Year 2009!

This is the start of a new year with many unknowns for us. Nate is in the process of applying for several teaching positions all around the country as he will graduate in June with his Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry. We are excited and anxious to see what will transpire in the following months. I have been busy trying to organize and rid our house of any clutter we don't want to move with us, of course on the side of taking care of three children age 2 and under which fills my days with wonder, frustration and joy.

Our Christmas was wonderful, spent here at home with our little family. The girls really enjoyed opening presents this year and were willing to help Preston open all of his too. They haven't stopped playing with their new toys yet, the favorites being the pretend vacuum, harmonicas, stroller and play-doh.

Preston had his first official laugh yesterday. Turns out he is already very ticklish and just loves to be talked to and held more than anything else.

Below is a picture of one of my Christmas gifts from Nate, a shelf with flourescent lighting, heat pad, humidifier, etc. for my new found interest in plant propagation. It was a very thoughtful gift and a total surprise to me. Now maybe my Impatien flowers that I started from seed will live!