Most snow since 1996!!

Yesterday it started snowing about 5:00 and is still snowing now, 24 hours later. The snow has not been a normal snow for our part of the world. We have not seen this much snow since about 1996. Everyone seems pretty excited about it, but I would really just like it to go away! The kids went out today and TRIED to play in it. Lydia and Emily kept getting stuck and I had to pull them out of the snow. Guess when you are only 3 feet tall, 16 inches of snow is probably pretty overpowering! :)

We went out at about 11:00 this morning so I feel certain there is more snow out there now since it has not stopped snowing!! UGGH!!!

"I am drowning!" Lydia kept saying with a laugh!
Emily . . . Just about waist deep :)Ryan going up the steps of the deck. Amazing he could even find the steps!
Here is Emily stuck in the snow. I made her wait while I got the camera before I helped her up.Sliding is really fun when the sliding board is covered with snow!

Ryan was jumping off the picnic table and landing in the snow. Emily decided to do the same :) Lydia did it once, but I had to hold her hand. She did not care for it.

Made some snow cream when we came in. I did not have any vanilla so we used coca instead. Vanilla is definately better, but chocolate worked in a pinch.
Lydia eating the snow while waiting to put more in the bowl. She and Emily LOVED eating the snow! Emily ate it so much outside that it made her chin hurt from being so cold. :)

Whoops, forgot one . . . .

For Thanksgiving, we took our annual trip down to my Uncle's house in Moneta Virginia. There was great food, great fun, and great family time! The Parker's (Stacey's mother's family) definately know how to have a good time!! As always, so great seeing everyone!! Love you all!

Merry Christmas!!

Christmas Lights House

Last night we took the kids, for the first time, to a recommended house of lights. One of my friends told me about "musical christmas lights" that were at a house that is about 45 minutes or so away from our house. She said it would be worth our trip. These lights were really neat!! Christmas music was playing and the lights "danced" to the music. The kids loved it! We got out and listened for a while, but the best part was as we pulled up to the house there was a sign telling you to program your radio to a particular station. Once tuned to that station, the music that was coming from the house was the same music that was being piped into the van. We could stay warm in our van and still listen to the music while watching the lights. I took a movie, but it really does not give it justice! This morning Emily asked, first thing, if we could go back to the musical lights again today :).

Volunteering with the kids

I have this great opportunity of being able to volunteer in Lydia and Emily's classroom on sporadic Fridays (my day off). I help with the projects as well as doing various SOL activities with the kids. It is a lot of fun!!

Today I was scheduled to volunteer in their classroom, but I found out earlier in the week that Ryan's class was going to be making Gingerbread Houses (with ingredients that parents all sent in earlier in the week). Not only was this a great Christmas activity, but it tied into some other things they were doing in the first grade. As a result of my work schedule, I have not been able to do anything with Ryan's class this year. Unfortunately, the times I was needed in both classes was overlapping. Mike happened to be off today too so I asked him if he would take my place in Lydia and Emily's class as their parent volunteer so I could go to Ryan's class. Mike agreed!!
Lydia and Emily were so excited to see Daddy come into their classroom to help out!

I went down to Ryan's class where Ms. Downey, his teacher, had arranged all the desks in one long line of desks facing one another. This helped the children to be able to all reach the needed ingredients. Everyone had their own milk carton, bag of graham crackers and container of icing. There were bowls of various kinds of candy set out all down the long row of desks. Ms. Downey demonstrated some different ideas the kids could do with their gingerbread house and paperplate "yard." All the kids had such a great time!! After our volunteering times, Mike and I stayed and ate lunch with the kids and Ryan's friend, Ben. We sit at a "family table" which is easier to keep the kids from running from table to table. Ryan's teacher allowed his friend Ben to come sit with us as well.

This is a picture, once Ryan came home from school, of Ryan and his gingerbread house.

1st Snow of the Season

Last weekend was the first snowfall of the season at our house. It snowed all day on Saturday, and Sunday made the perfect day to go out and have some fun. The kids really wanted to make a snowman, but I did not have the proper clothes or gloves to help them make one. I promised them by the next snowfall I would be able to help them out. :) We pulled out the sleds and the kids went sledding down the little hill in our side yard. They had a great time!! Ryan and Emily making snow angels
Ryan and Lydia sleddingEmily sledding (yes, Mike is wearing shorts--he was only outside for a short time)

Ryan with Emily

Our Gingerbread House

This past weekend we helped the kids build a Gingerbread House. They had such a great time making it, but an even better time eating it!! :)

Christmas Parade time again

Friday night was the Harrisonburg Christmas Parade. My preschool, Freedom Baptist Day School, entered a float into the parade. Mike drove our truck for us and the kids rode on the float. Everyone dressed in their warmest pajamas (very cold night!) and we decorated the truck to look like a bed. The kids had such a fun time and saw so many kids from their school!! We all had a good time! Lydia and Frances

Ryan and Emily

Emily and Lydia dressed in their warmest pj's and many layers underneath.

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Our First Sleepover

This past weekend our niece, Adella, spent the weekend with us. The kids were so excited about Adella spending the weekend with us! Adella was waiting at the bus stop when Ryan, Lydia and Emily got off the bus on Friday. Very exciting! Lydia was so excited that she forgot to get her backpack as she came off the bus. Luckily, Emily saw that she had left it behind and picked it up on her way off. :)

Adella spent Friday night at our house, Saturday all day and night and went to church with us Sunday morning. It was a great weekend!

Here are the kids eating lunch on Saturday Playing in the backyard They decided they wanted to watch a movie on Saturday night. I made some dinner and then let them eat their dinner at the coffee table while they were watching the movie. They loved it!!Taking fun group pictures in the backyard. It was starting to get dark.Everyone asleep in Lydia and Emily's room. I blew up the air mattress to make a really big bed for everyone. They loved it!!Everyone dressed for church Sunday morning.

Halloween 2009

Lydia and Emily decided they wanted to be princesses and Ryan wanted to be the Transformer, Bumblebee. Cousin "Doctor" Adella went trick-or-treating with us. Fun times! Tons of candy!!

Season comes to an end

Well, our first season of flag football has come to an end. Ryan's team, the Packers, finished out the season middle of the road. They did not win them all, but did not lose them all either. As a result, the "champions" got trophies and the rest of the league received metals.

Ryan really likes his metal and we up it up with his t-ball trophy from the spring. Though Ryan still has a lot to learn about football, he really had a lot of fun playing! We will see if he wants to play next year--he has talked about playing soccer too.

Washington Pumpkin Carving Night