Finding fun in this never ending winter!

Will this winter EVER end???  I don't think we've had one full week at school since we came back from Christmas Break.  This week found us missing school on Wednesday because of 10 inches of snow that fell on us Tuesday night.  We finished out the week with delays on Thursday and Friday, and I just saw we're supposed to be 15-30 degrees below zero tomorrow morning (with the wind chill), so I'm thinking another week with delays is in the works!

We're so sick of this weather, that Ben has resorted to finding fun ANYWHERE he can...as you can see from this picture.

Even though it's an endless sea of white out our windows, and our fingers and toes go numb just walking to the car, we're still getting out and about....as the saying goes, this too shall pass!  To occupy our time, we decided to take in some basketball this weekend.  Andy took the boys to see my cousin play some college ball on Friday night, while I was busy with Winter Homecoming at school.  Ben and his cousin Addie went home with Grandma Debbie and Grandpa Jim that night.  Earlier in the week, I asked Ben what he was going to do with Grandma Debbie...he said "probably bake some cookies".  I asked him what he was going to do with Grandpa Jim, and he said "probably holler (haul) some corn and beans in with the combine".  Ha ha, I think he was probably a little disappointed with Grandpa Jim for not getting the combine out!

Saturday night found us at my sister's, watching my niece Katie in the cheer clinic.  Of course, she was the absolute BEST one out there (I may be a bit biased)!  I didn't get any pictures of her cheering but I can tell you she is on her way to being a great cheerleader!

We all ended back at Stacey's, staying warm by their fire.  The kiddos came bouncing down the stairs about an hour after we got there, and they had this wonderful "show" for us.  I'm not quite sure what the official title of the production is, but I'm titling it the Circus!  These kids just melt my heart, and I can't wait until Kyran and Lucy are old enough to join in their antics!

Here are some pictures from the weekend, and the "circus" video is at the end...enjoy!

I definitely think Kyran and Grandpa Jim are look-alikes!  I need to dig out one of Dad's baby pictures and post it, so that I can really see the resemblance.

And now, for your viewing pleasure...

One for the books

I figured that I needed to write a quick summary of the month of January before I forget it happened.  This crazy weather has sure been something!  I wanted to make sure I have a record of it, so when I'm old and senile I can read about it...ha ha. 


We started off the first weekend of January with huge snowstorm that dumped about 5-6 inches on us.  The wind blew like crazy, and we were out of school for a week!  Thankfully the department of education gave us two of the days without a make-up because the wind chill was dangerously cold. It was so bad that Purdue even canceled classes for two days! 


Ben got snowed in at Grannie and Papaw's for two nights during that week because it was so cold that the tractor wouldn't start.  They knew that they wouldn't make it out in the vehicles, but I'm pretty sure Grannie wasn't expecting the tractor to freeze up, ha ha.  Oh well, Ben had a lot of fun, and by Wednesday of that week, Andy was able to get out in the truck and get him. 


We headed back to school and to work the 13th, and the weather has been up and down ever since.  That very next weekend we got another big snow which delayed our school day on the 13th.  We made it the rest of the week with no delays and no missed days, but by the 20th, we were back to freezing cold temperatures.  From the 20th-29th we had five delays and one day out of school, all because of frigid temps.  It was anywhere from 10 to 40 degrees below zero at night with the wind chill, and not much warmer than that during the day.


Needless to say, I think the entire state is ready to get back to a normal routine, and I know that we're going to be dragging at school for the next few days now that we're back to a normal start time...but, it's definitely been a fun month.  Lots of extra family time for us, which is always a plus!

Picture Day!

We took advantage of a lazy afternoon today and did an impromptu photo shoot with the boys.  I didn't take nine month pictures of Kyran, so I thought I'd make up for it now that he's ten months.  With two boys that are nonstop movers, I had to work quickly and be happy with what I could get.  Thankfully, they cooperated as well as they could!

 

 

 

 

 

 

10 Months

I can't believe that Kyran is 10 months old already.  Where has the time gone?  It seems like yesterday that we were just figuring out life with two kiddos, and now I'm starting to plan a 1st birthday party!  It goes, WAY, WAY, WAY too fast!

Kyran is still crawling (and when I say crawling, it's pretty much a dead sprint) all over the place.  He can walk, and takes a few steps each day, but he knows that he can get to his destination so much quicker on all fours.  He has 6 teeth now and loves table food!  He's especially fond of breakfast foods...he LOVES pancakes!  He still takes 4-5 bottles a day.  We're working on transitioning to a sippy cup, but so far, he's not that into it.



He sleeps between 10-12 hours at night, but each night usually involves one crying spell because he's rolled around and can't find his buddy (a.k.a. his pacifier).  Thankfully he's not fully awake, so it's usually a 30-60 second fix, depending on how long it takes his half-asleep parents to stumble in and locate a pacifier in a dark room!



He's like his brother when it comes to talking.  He LOVES to hear his own voice.  He says dada, mama, uh oh, and nina (Linda, our wonderful babysitter).  I think he's also said ba ba, but I've only heard it once.


We're not sure on his weight or height since he won't have an "official" check-up until 12 months, but he's around 22 pounds and since we can hardly get him to hold still to change a diaper, there was no way we were going to try and measure him tonight for this post!


Our little guy is definitely growing up quickly, and we're just trying to hang on to every moment.  Sure, there are moments that we pray will be over quickly (teething, diaper changes wrestling matches, the loudest crying fits we've ever heard), but there are SO many moments that we wish we could capture and keep for a lifetime.  Those are the moments that we tuck away in our hearts and our memories forever.

It's gonna be the big one!!!

Well, it's here - the "big one", the storm of the century, the blizzard of all blizzards, 8-12 inches of snow, 30 mile winds, wind chills down to 30 below.  Ben and I thought we'd go out this morning and enjoy the calm before the storm.  Kyran was down for a nap and Andy was working on the kitchen sink (boy, doesn't that sound like fun), so we bundled up and headed out.

It was so beautiful out.  The flakes were big, and falling fast!  I think we're definitely in for several inches, and if the wind picks up, we're going to be inside for a while!

 

When we got back in, we had to try a new recipe we found for snow ice cream!  Now I know why everyone runs to the store to buy milk...it's to make ice cream.  Ben loved it, and I have to say, it actually tasted pretty good. 

 

 

We're going to enjoy this day, and hopefully we'll be able to stay warm tomorrow when the temperatures start to drop.  We hope you all find a safe, warm spot too!

Wow...it's been a while!

These past few weeks have flown by!  It seems like Christmas came and went in a flash, and we were just holding on for the ride.  Of course, we enjoyed every second of it! 

A lot has been going on since my last post...so much so, that I felt like I never had a chance to sit down at the computer. 

We spent time getting the house ready for the holidays, went to our nephew's middle school band concert (6th grade band at its best, lol), visited lots and lots of family, went to my parents for four days over Christmas Eve, went to Andy's parents on Christmas Day, managed to have both boys get ear infections, cut down a tree, spent New Year's Eve with great friends, and spent lots of time just hanging out as a family of four. 

We were so glad that Andy could take off two weeks with us, so that we could spend all of Christmas break together.  One of the perks of both of us being in education is that we can definitely carve out quality family time together (sometimes it might be too much family togetherness, ha ha)!

Here are some photos from our fantastic Christmas break.  I apologize in advance for the photo dump but since it's been a month since my last post you're getting a lot!  That's my New Year's resolution...to be more up to date on the blog.  Kyran kind of slowed me down on the blog posts this year, but we're going to get back into full swing, I promise!

 Grandma Debbie getting some time with Kyran

 

 All nine cousins goofing around during the photo shoot...they were about done with pictures!

 

 Katie, Emily, and Ben put on a play for us.  It was the birth of Jesus.  Katie was Joseph, Emily was Mary, and Ben was the super smiley shepherd (the sheep played himself)

 

 Grandma Debbie always does a good job of making sure Tiffany has a special birthday, even though it's so close to Christmas.  All the Christmas "stuff" stops on the 23rd so we can celebrate this sweet girl!

 

 

 Two awesome grandparents with their favorite kiddos!

 

 Just hanging out with Grandpa Jim

 

 This year, we were so happy that Whitney and her kids were able to celebrate Christmas Eve with us...these two guys were getting a little sick of my following them with the camera, but they were always smiling.

 

 Eric and Tai's annual Christmas photo...the one for the cards and the one that Tai would like to send out!

 

 Even Miss Lucy couldn't escape the camera!

 

 Ben unwrapping a Power Ranger...Oh My Goodness!!!!!

 

 Kyran LOVED his walker...we were home less than a week and he was walking without it!

 

 Mom and Dad found these adorable hats in Maine this past fall...super cute!

 

Evan was so patient and put Ben's Lego together that night so that Ben could play with it on the way home...what a super cousin!

 



 Opening presents at Grannie and Papaw's

 Grannie was pretty excited when she opened her Mickey Mouse light for the camper...I think she's ready to go back to Disney World now!

 

 Ellie and Kyran are good buddies

 

 The kids had a good time skating on the ice while we cut down the tree. 

Ben, working on his balancing skills

Christmas at the Zoo!

We all bundled up for a fun (and extremely chilly) night at the zoo!  We saw tigers, bears, penguins, a walrus, an awesome dolphin show, and much more!  The lights were so pretty, too!  We ended our visit with a stop to see Santa...the first time for both boys!  I always wondered if I would regret not taking Ben earlier, but I'm glad I didn't...he got to visit Santa for the first time with his brother!