Firefighter Trey

Blake's mom gave Trey some darling overalls for Christmas.  They're fleece-lined and make me so happy on our frigid sub-zero days.

They make him happy, too.  Anytime we put them on he says, "Niiii-iiice."  So cute.

One day while he was wearing them, he demanded his "boo-its" (boots). 

Then he snuck the fireman's hat off of Bryce's lamp.

And I couldn't resist his cute, make-shift fireman's outfit.

Neither could Zima.  She stuck her big nose (and tail and body) in all of my best shots.  Hooray for dogs.

This is as risque as our firefighter poses go.

I can never figure out why that pillow is always covered in so much dirt and dog fur.

A Favorite Tradition

 There is a tradition that the kids count down the days to every year.

DATE NIGHT!!!

Trey was more than a little crabby, so we gave him a jumpstart on the date fun.

How To Properly Enjoy a Donut:


--By Trey

First, examine the specimen thoroughly.

Pick off a little taste of frosting and sprinkle.

Take that first ambitious bite.


And then devour.


Top only.  If there is no frosting attached, it's not worth eating.


The End.

This is the Daddy Daughter Dance part of the date.  Well, at least the photo op before heading off for the dance.

She put together her own outfit.

He said she was the most casual of all the pretty princesses at the dance.  That's so unusual for my little girl.

This was her idea.  They were all supposed to be making hearts with their hands.  It looks like her heart decided to attack Bryce's head at the last moment.

Warm up twirls.

Bryce didn't want to be left out of the pictures.  But, being neither "daddy", nor "daughter"--this was not his date.

His date was with me.  Mother Son Donut Date.

If you will recall, this tradition originated while I was pregnant the last time.  I can't help the donut craving.

And the boys "donut" mind either.

Hahaha.  I'm so funny.

Scratch that though.  One of the boys definitely minds.  Because his frosting was all gone.  Tragic.

We refused to let his bad attitude get us down.  He went was promptly sent to bed and this mother and son had a fun date watching "The Incredibles".

Good times with my little man.

Daddy snapped this shot just before they left for their dance.  Isn't she beautiful!

They had a great time dancing, eating cupcakes, and having fun.

And that's why we love Date Night!

And Then It Was Winter

We've had awesomely amazing weather for most of this winter.  Seriously beautiful.  Well, for the North Pole, at least.

And then, BOOM, winter struck.  With a vengeance.

This was the first time I felt it worth putting on his snow gear to let him go out and play.  He was a little overly excited and was crying because he couldn't wait to get out there, he didn't want to let go of the shovel, and the gloves were just plain stressful.

And even after we got him outside, he was just distraught.

I hate gloves!!!

So, I decided he'd be happier with icy hands that could hold the prized shovel, than toasty hands that couldn't hold anything.

And I was right.

These three couldn't have been happier from the get go.

This gives you a little better idea of how it was coming down.  It was crazy!

Remember when you were a kid and icicles were amazingly fun and fascinating?  Still a part of the childhood experience, apparently.

Just like getting hopelessly tangled in the rope your dog was tied up in.  Frustrating.

Finally able to put the precious shovel to good use.

Isn't this a nice picture?  (wink, wink)

And then we discovered that there is a fabulous sledding hill in the vacant lot across the way.

How cute are these two?

How cute is this one?

 I love my boys.

I was amazed at the endless amount of this fun this hill provided.

And amazed that all three of them could fit in one sled.

Eventually, everyone tired from climbing up the steep, snowy hill.  Naturally, Blake ended the afternoon by throwing the kids in the snow.

And Bryce decided he couldn't move.

And for just one day, it was kind of fun to have all of this snow.

But after all of the shoveling, I was ready for it to be gone by the next day.

Old Man Winter hasn't clued in yet.

If Bryce Hijacked My Blog...

This is how this post would go...

Guess what?

One time, my little brother was helping my dad fix a chair.


And then, guess what?

They decided to turn it into a rocket instead.


And then, guess what?

They flew it all the way up to outer space.  And it went shooting like this across the sky!!! (Making whooshing sounds while racing his hands quickly past his face.)


And then, guess what?

There were aliens shooting at us and they exploded the ship.  Well, not all of the ship, but just the wing side.


And then, guess what?


Treyton had to go out in his space suit and try to fix the part that was all exploded.


And then, guess what?

He couldn't do it, so I had to go out and help him.  I brought my replacer.


Do you know what replacers are?  They're kind of like robots and they have two arms like this (holding both arms out), but they're not like a fork lift.  And it replaces things.


And then, guess what?

I used my replacer to fix the ship.  And my dad was like, "What?!  I didn't know you could do that Bryce."


And then, guess what?


I shot all of the aliens out the sky.  Ff-ff-ff-ff-ff-ff-ff-ff-ff-ff (a frighteningly realistic imitation of machine gun fire as he shoots with his fingers).


New story:


My sister had a birthday.  It was her birthday for a lot of days and she got a lot of presents.

And it's NEVER going to be my birthday...

She's always reading.  I wish I could read.  I'm learning how with my dad and with my special powers.


Guess how strong I am?  I can flip clear across a ocean.  And a mountain.

(Mom, just thought you'd like to see your gift! (c:)

New Story:


One time it snowed.  Not very much snow because it was just a little bit of snow and so there wasn't enough snow to cover the ground.


And then, guess what?

My sister and I went outside to build a snowman.  Actually, she mostly built the snowman.  But then when my mom was getting her camera, the head fell off.


And then, guess what?

I made it the new head and we stuck it on.  Isn't it a cute little snowman?


Actually, it's not cute.  It's a scary monster snowman.  It likes to eat people and puppies.


And then, guess what?  It started trying to eat my sister.  So, I was like, "No way, Snowman Monster!  That's my sister!"  And I shot it.


Ff-ff-ff-ff-ff-ff-ff-ff-ff-ff.

That's how most stories end.  We are working on our violence issues.

Entertainment During A Long School Break

The kids had a very very very long break from school for Christmas and New Year's.  I actually loved it until about two days before it was time to head back.  It was kind of nice to have a more laid back schedule--especially with everyone being sick for so much of it!

But on the days that everyone was feeling well, we tried to find fun things to do.  Which meant, of course, that we headed to the Children's Museum a couple times.

The water is Trey's very favorite part.  We usually leave completely soaked.  He's actually fallen in at a different spot a couple times.

I'm a very attentive mom.

And Blake cut his hair the night before.  It always amazes me how incredibly different he looks without his fluffy fuzz.

Exploring an old boat.

He does have a love of sailing in his blood.

This is what happens when we go to the museum with other (more artistic) moms.  She kind of looks like she's getting ready to roar, but she was really just sort of stretching her face.

I have very normal children.

Isn't she cute?

And here is where I apparently switched settings on my camera and forgot to check how they were turning out.  But he painted his own face--in case you can't tell.

Doesn't this look like he's a passionate little maestro playing some dramatic chord?

He was actually throwing a tantrum because he saw that I wanted to take a picture.

See?  Still mad.

Then Kayli put this hat on him and he was happy.

I have such normal children.