Favorite Foto Friday

It's a tie!
There's this little jewel of evidence -
I was taking sweet little kitty lovin' Brin's pic (trying out my new flash, yay) when Ben runs by and pushes her!
Not smart. Gotta save it for memory's sake, though.

And then there's Bo...

2 years, 24 lbs, 34.5 inches of silliness.

Happy Birthday Bo!

Oh, my little boy, how I have loved watching you grow! Every single day of the past 2 years you have brought me joy in ways only you could. You are my fair child...serious and quiet but with that mischievous Lokey twinkle in your eyes.

You still love peek-a-boo games and flip out if anyone messes with mommy. Your can often be heard saying "oh, fall" and love reading "Where's my Sweetie Pie?", "Gossie", and "The Eye Book". You will do anything for a sucker.

You are such a boy - obsessed with all things football and "motorcysells" (motorcycles). You love your boots, "shooting" things and showing us how strong you are, lifting anything to prove it.

You know Elmo, Curious George, Harry Potter, Super Mario, and Barbie thanks to your big sister & brother who you imitate every chance you get.
When Ben is Luke, Brinley is Leia and you are "baby Han Solo". When Ben is Harry, Brinley is Hermione and you are "baby Ron" ready to "oo-fy" anyone who crosses your path.
You are my three musketeers.

You are the quintessential "baby" of the family - adored by us all!
Bowen, we couldn't have asked for a more wonderful completion to our family.
You are precious. You are loved.

Happy Birthday, my son!
Love,
Mommy

Marriage takes three

As a Christian, I know God should be the center of our lives, our families.
And at the center of our family, our marriages.

As a human, I'm a little more hard headed and tend to figure things out on my own.
It took me awhile to realize that even if your spouse is Mr/Mrs. Right and you love them with your entire heart... marriage does, indeed, take three.

Anyway, I stumbled upon this poem and thought it was worth sharing:

I once thought marriage took
just two to make a go.
But now I am convinced
it takes the Lord also.

And not one marriage fails
where Christ is asked to enter.
As lovers come together
with Jesus at the center.

But marriage rarely thrives
and homes are incomplete
till He is welcome there
to help avert defeat.

In homes where Christ is first,
it's obvious to see
those unions really work,
for marriage still takes three.





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Old Ben

You are looking at a ripe 100 year... I mean day old kindergartner!

And apparently they don't smile and they hold their bellies alot ;-)

With all the snow, he thought this day would never come.
Congratulations, Ben!

Snowcation, the sequel

Another several inches of snow this week & a couple more days at home.
And this time Daddy got to spend a day at home with us!

Bowen can tolerate the cold for about 5 minutes...

otherwise I think he would have loved sledding.

Yes, I realize my "snow" pictures are mostly Ben...

But he has had the most fun!

Which is good to know so we won't plan a ski vacation for a couple more years.

Brinley was feeling better and got to join us.
that's a smile behind all that hair :)

Bryce tried his hand at snow surfing

A snowcation wouldn't be complete without a project.
This is Ben's box for his class "friendship" party...that would be Valentine's party to the rest of us.

ILU = I love you
He's too cool to spell it out, I guess.

Treats & Sneaks

Brinley & I were treated to a little girl time at the mall today - Bryce's idea!
First we hit the nail salon, then the candy store before having lunch.

She came home with a new pup (surprise) and zebra striped fingers & toes.

Then we returned to find this...

Bryce sneaked in Bo's first haircut while we were gone!!
If I didn't know better, I would say our treat was actually a scheme to get us out of the house.
Daddy wins.

Favorite foto Friday

This was the first day of the blizzard...

when snow was still magical.

Blizzard - Day 3

The snow isn't going anywhere...and neither are we.
Ben is the only one wanting to go out today. He is itching to conquer these snowdrifts!

Haha, king of the mountain...

aaagh!

Mom, get one of this!

Indoor activities included making silhouettes.
So, just in case I wasn't already insane, I thought it would be fun to make my cabin-fever riddled children hold perfectly still while I traced them.

Turns out not to be the best activity, but I was persistent and they are pretty neat.
I will try to post them after I get them mounted.

Blizzard - Day 2

We are still here!
And so is the snow.
Just because snow pictures start to all look the same...

And because I happened to have the ingredients in the pantry...

Pumpkin pie -
It's not just for Thanksgiving anymore.

2011 Blizzard

It was our first blizzard.

Blizzards are cold.
Bo didn't care for it.

Back yard snowdrift.
I didn't measure it but it's taller than my kids...

and that's impressive enough for me.

And since you can only play about 15 minutes in a blizzard, we got a little crafty...

150 popsicle sticks $1, Dollar Tree
Bought yesterday...
'cause I'm smart like that.