Beating the Winter Blues

I just had my 10th snow day this past week and I never thought I would complain about snow days, but I am complaining about snow days. I really think I am going to be making 4th of July lesson plans for my classroom this year. I just want to finish up some projects in the classroom and I can't seem to find the time to finish and move on! I just want to move on! :) Anyway, obviously winter has been very harsh around here this year and we are just trying to find activities to keep us busy inside and give us something to do. The weekends get hard because I think the girls get bored. We're finding ways to entertain ourselves though (for example, I am FINALLY updating this today! :)). Norah has been big into helping lately. She likes to help unload and unpack groceries, help load the dishwasher and then today she got into the sink. We don't have to wash most of our dishes by hand, but she was interested so I let her go. I think she was at the sink for about 45 minutes, it was great! Easy entertainment and my water bottle was squeaky clean. Hazel loves playing peek-a-boo and she likes hiding behind the curtains and peeking out. I love watching her, but know one of these days she is going to bring the curtains down. Let's hope that doesn't happen!

She had to try some water out of the clean cup

And then she discovered the sprayer

Goofing around with Daddy

Cracking herself up!

I soooooo wish this picture wasn't blurry, but I had to keep it and share.  Blurry or not, I love the emotion in this picture, hand by the belly, pure laughter.  There is nothing better in life than this right here!

Stinker-Winks

I'm not sure how we (Norah) came up with this nickname for Molly, but she is lovingly known as Stinker-Winks around here. I get the first part of the name, even though stinker does not even come close to really describing this old girl. She is a handful and I know it is our fault because we attempted to train her well and get her under control when she was younger, but perhaps we didn't follow through to the best of our ability. Well, it certainly shows these days. She eats toilet paper, toilet paper rolls, children's books, any cards or pieces to children's games, grass and any other unknown disgusting thing she can find outside, she runs away at any chance she gets, she barks at anything she can and she just plain ol' drives us nuts most of the time. But......then there are moments like this! Hazel loves this dog more than any of us do and Norah has been getting in her cuddling lately too. Even though she drives me crazy, I know someday when she is gone I will want to have these moments of her with the girls captured so they can have them when they get older. She is a true Stinker-Winks, but she is a part of our family!

Ha!  The best part about this pic is the tank top. Norah was getting hot, so next thing I knew she had her shirt and pants off.  A girl's gotta do, what a girl's gotta do!

Old and grey
Molly turned 9 on February 2nd
I just had her at the vet the other day for a few booster shot and the vet said he didn't see very many signs of arthritis or anything yet.  I kept my mouth shut but in my head I was thinking, "Of course you don't, she is going to live forever.  Arthritis?  Not this girl!" 

I HATE it when Hazel crawls in this bed with her, but she loves her and Molly needs all the loving she can get, so why not let Hazel give it to her!  Best Buds!

Annual Cashmer Visit

Our good friends Bri and Kyle came a couple of weekends ago with their two kids, Rowan and Kellan. It has become a tradition for us to go to their house in the summer and they come here in the winter; since Kyle is a golf pro it just makes more sense to do it this way! (see their last winter visit here.)  I didn't take nearly enough pictures this time while they were here, but we got a few of the kids and that is good enough!  The kids all played SO well together.  The three girls had a blast and with the exception of a few peeps from Kellan we hardly knew he was here because he was such a good baby! Bri was able to take a half day on Friday and so they got here much earlier than they normally do.  They were here by 6:30pm, so we ate dinner and had a few drinks, the kids played, we visited and then got all the kids down for the night.  Norah had her first sleepover in her room.  We made up a little bed for Rowan on the floor and the two of them slept in Norah's room.  It took them both a little bit to fall asleep the first night, and Norah got out of her bed a few times to check on Rowan (actually it was more like she got right in her face to see if she was still awake :)), but I was able to see her on the monitor, so I headed upstairs to tell her it was time for bed.  After two times of going up there, they fell asleep all night.  On Saturday, the girls all played so hard all day!  We went upstairs, played in Hazel's bedroom and played in the basement.  Bri and I even got out of the house for an hour to go to Peebles and the fruit market.  We had a delicious steak dinner and potatoes with a tomato, basil and mozzarella salad, that I should mention Bri, Kyle and Drew all made while I was giving baths and cutting hair (Rowan also had her annual haircut by Auntie Steph).  We all ate dinner together and on Saturday night the girls had NO problem falling asleep in the same room.  I think they may have said one thing to each other and then they were out.  It was a great weekend and so many more memories made! We can't wait to head down their way in a couple months!

Rowan loved playing with Hazel.  I think Hazel was just excited to have someone paying attention to her.  Norah is still in that "I'm the big sister and don't have to play with you" mode.

Lots of lovin'

Hazel and Kellan just hanging out!  

Kellan Wayne
Such a sweetie baby!

Can't wait for them to grow up together with lots of memories of our annual get togethers.