Kites

Yesterday some really bad weather rolled in, the wind was out of control. Today the bad weather was gone but there is still some residual gusty wind. What is better to do on a windy day then flying kites? It's the first time both kids have been old enough to fly them by themselves (after the initial lift off). We had a great time! I think kites will be big in our family, especially as it warms up this spring. 

Ryan's Room

We have finished decorating Audrey's room so this weekend I decided to start working on Ryan's room. He at first wanted star wars but then thought it might be too scary so we decided on an outer-space theme with a little star wars mixed in. So far I've finished a planet mural- I will post more pictures when I move onto the next element for the room. 

Ice-In

We have been battling some winter weather. There was a pretty bad storm that rolled in Friday and iced everyone into their houses until afternoon Saturday. It was fun staying in with Hot Chocolate and the fireplace and then Ryan went outside to battle the ice with a hockey stick. While it was fun having a little stay-cation by Saturday afternoon we were ready to get back into the world.

Baby Girl Hollynn

My very good friend Leigh had a baby last week. Baby Hollynn is very cute and I am very excited for the newly expanded family. It's great being able to see the baby and hold her and spoil her with cute girly things like hair bows and then handing her back to her mommy for the night.  I love that there is a new baby girl in the mix! 

Birthday Weekend

It was my birthday weekend last weekend! Don came home from work at 12:45 on Friday, my mom came over to take the kids and we were off. First we checked into a super nice hotel (the one we stayed at for Don's birthday) then we went to the movies, which we haven't done in FOREVER. We saw the Hobbit, it just seemed like one of those movies that is epic enough that it should be seen in the theater.  Then we went out to dinner, I even wore a dress to the occasion! Finally we went to the symphony to listen to music with a Diva theme. The next day we had a late morning- strolled around shops, hung out in comfy leather chairs of Starbucks and generally relaxed. We showed up at home in time to make sure that our VERY tired children took a nap. The kids seemed to have as good of a time as we did- they get to stay up VERY late with Grandma and Grandpa and they generally get to do anything they want. When we got home they looked hungover- they were so tired and in need of water and healthy food it was funny to watch- they took huge naps (they usually don't sleep at all) and then laid around the rest of the day which made it seem like our little vacation lasted even longer then it actually was. Over all it was a great time!

Museum Field Trip

Ryan had another class field trip, this time to the Museum of Natural Sciences. It was fun, and I hadn't been in years so it was nice to see how much it has changed. The kids got to touch turtles and snakes, explore the live butterfly room, and so much more.  It was a nice way to spend a cold rainy day.  Leigh who was also chaperoning is 9 months pregnancy and probably going to have the baby Friday!

Happy Birthday Me!

Yesterday was my birthday! I think I handled it pretty well (though I did pop off a temporary crown and had to go to the dentist). The kids were cute (mainly because they knew they would get cake if they were) and my husband made it special with a great breakfast, dinner and dessert and a very sweet card. The main celebration with the hubby is scheduled for this weekend with a night out on the town!

Small Sibling Victories

It's sometimes hard to find activities that the kids can do together (at least happily). Today we pulled out the trains thanks to my massively OCD new years reorganization that brought the trains to the front. Ryan showed great restraint as the bull in the china shop (Audrey) knocked down the bridges and derailed his trains. They actually worked together very well- Audrey was more of the track engineer and Ryan was the head conductor.  They even cleaned up thanks to me making it a contest. Sometimes as a mom you count your victories in minutes- this one lasted an hour! 

Kindergarten Registration

Today I registered Ryan for Kindergarten A.k.a "real school". He has been in preschool since he was two and yet this step of signing him up for elementary school felt a lot different. He is excited, we drove by his new school today so he could check it out and he really wanted to go in. He likes that it is close to home and I think he is excited that it's new. I am excited also, but also really nervous. It's so much bigger then his school now. The expectations of kindergarten are a lot higher then preschool. I as a mom have a lot less control of everything when he is in that building.
The good news is that we live in a really good school district. More good news is that Ryan has a lot of friends who are also starting kindergarten so I have mom friends going through the same thing and Ryan has friends who are also making the transition.
Right now it still seems far off enough that I don't feel too emotional- but give me a few months. It feels like a chapter is closing. I am a stay at home mom and - my role will change with him- his role in the family will change. Send some good thoughts our way that we get great teachers and Ryan likes it when he actually has to walk through the doors on the first day.

Little Helper

Ryan loves to do work around the house. First of all he likes to get the praise but I think more then that he likes feeling like he is contributing. He cleans up and helps transfer the laundry to the dryer and he makes his bed- his teachers say that he is also the first to volunteer when the teachers need help with something. Today got to use his new tools from Christmas and change the light switch to a dimmer. I did the wiring for it but he did everything else. He was very good at it and I wouldn't be surprised if he tries to convince me we need dimmers in all of our rooms. We will have to come up with a new project he can work on now that he has his "real tools."

Christmas Card Picture

I never posted the picture from our Christmas card because I wanted it to be a surprise for everyone who received them but for posterity's sake I thought I should post it on here now that the Holidays are over.

Massachusetts Family New Years

We traveled to Massachusetts the day after Christmas to see Don's family. It was our first trip since Audrey has been born and it was great to get to introduce her to everyone. It was really cold, there was 8 inches of snow in one night! But it was good to get a taste of it before heading back to our lovely south where we can still play outside for more then 10 minutes at a time. The kids especially LOVED their cousin Kaylie.  It was a great way to end 2012 and ring in 2013. 

Christmas Day

Life has been a little crazy... so we are a little behind in posting so here are the pictures from Christmas Day! It was a lot of fun, the kids loved it and have asked about a million times when Santa comes back. Good day with family ending with a dinner at Amy's house with a little dance party and great food!