Luke and Lanning

I took these pictures while we were visiting Tennessee this last time. We went on a walk around my parents' neighborhood, and took along our nephew, Lanning. Now that Luke is older and actually fun to play with now, it was a real blessing to see Luke and Lanning's relationship start to bloom. Towards the end of the walk, Lanning started getting tired and was lagging behind. Luke noticed and went back to walk with Lanning so he wasn't alone. It was so sweet!

Our Half Snow Day {UPDATED}

UPDATE: I can't believe I wrote this post and didn't include the funniest part of the snow experience! Well, maybe it wasn't that funny at the time, but now I can laugh about it. :) With all the kids out in the snow shortly after 7:00 AM, I decided to go snap some pictures while the snow was still there. I donned my coat, hat, boots, and scarf over top of my jammies. I was only going to be out there for a few minutes.... or so I thought. I grabbed the camera and went out the door. When I got out there, I realized John David wasn't quite as bundled up as I wanted him to be and sent him inside to get his heavier coat. He came back around the house confused. "The door is locked." "What?!"

After our nice neighbor offered to let Caitlyn use the phone and call Jeremy, we waited for him to come let us back in the house. Or at least I waited... in my jammies... in the snow.... with my camera hidden under my coat to keep it dry. The kids were too busy playing to care! :)

The weather here has been super crazy lately. We've had a very mild winter, which I have thoroughly enjoyed, but the kids have been a bit disappointed that we haven't seen snow. After last winter's unusual abundance of snow, the kids were expecting some this year. Well, they got their wish, albeit for just a little while anyway. :) On Sunday evening, the temperature dropped pretty quickly, and it started snowing. It snowed heavily for several hours, and in the morning, we had a yard full of snow! It wasn't the pretty fluffy kind (more crunchy than fluffy), but the kids didn't care and were up at 7:00 waiting to play in it. Normally, I probably would have made them wait at least until we had eaten breakfast, but with a warm day ahead, Jeremy and I knew the snow wouldn't last but just a few hours.

 It was about six inches, and just enough for the kiddos to sled down the slope in our front yard. Luke made me laugh. He just laid on his sled while our sweet Kylie pulled him around. :) He had a pile of snowballs on his sled with him, and kept telling me that they were hungry and needed water. By lunch most of the snow had turned into mus d puddles, and the sun was warm and high in the shy. This morning there are a few small spots of snow left, but the majority of it is gone. The crazy weather continues, though. We decided to plan a day to the zoo later this week. The weather forecast? 68 degrees and sunny on Thursday!

Luke was pretty tired after all the playing in the snow. He took a great nap!

 

Sushi? Me? Never Again!

A couple weeks ago, we had the privilege of meeting two of our favorite couples, Mark & Candy and Pam & Billy, for dinner. All four of our kids and Candy and Mark's daughter Abby came along for the fun. We met at an Asian restaurant, and I settled in for some yummy Cashew Chicken and rice. Next thing I know, there is talk of sushi. Wait, sushi? Almost all the adults ordered sushi. I did not.

When the sushi came, Pam and Jeremy were trying to talk me into tasting some sushi. Now granted it wasn't the raw kind, and basically was rice, veggies, and seaweed, but seriously... me eat sushi? Eventually I gave in, and tried some. It didn't go so well. I couldn't even swallow it! It was disgusting and I will probably never try it again. :) The highlight of my night was when little Abby showed us how she could hold a pen with her nose. :D

I'm a Chiquita Mom

Just wanted to let you all know about a new job I got. For awhile now, I have been doing frequent freelance writing jobs, plus my normal writing at MyFourMonkeys.com. The little bit of extra money is always nice, and I get to write - something I love to do. I'm really excited about a year-long contract I just started with Chiquita... as in Chiquita bananas. This week they launched an online community for moms called Chiquita Moms (www.ChiquitaMoms.com). If you're a mom, come by sometime and check it out. I'd love for you to read some of my writing!

Week of February 12th, 2012

Thought you might like some pictures from this week...

Luke and his friend Madison

Annual Church Valentine Banquet

Last night, Jeremy and I had fun at our church's annual Valentine's Banquet. This year's theme? The 1940's! There was a fabulous meal, games, real life war stories from a WWII veteran, and even an air raid. Our banquets are always lots of fun, and it's a chance to hang out with our church family and friends!

Jeremy and Angie

My friend Heather had the whole 1940"s look down to a 'T'. She looked gorgeous!

Jeremy and friends playing with the decorations. Boys will be boys!

Jeremy and Mark

Nathan and Brittany

Jeremy and Billy

 

Meeting Aiden

At the end of January, we made a visit to Tennessee that I had been dreaming about for years. A visit to meet my sister's first baby! Aiden Claiborne Watkins was born on Saturday, January 14th. After a rough delivery and a few days in the NICU, baby Aiden and Andrea made it home safe and sound. Aiden just turned a month old, and even though we were with him just a few weeks ago, I miss him terribly! Here's a few pictures of our first visits with Aiden - somehow we missed getting a picture of Uncle Jeremy and Aiden :( !

The kids were pretty excited to finally see baby Aiden!