First Snow, Just In Time For Christmas

I know that I have not been very consistent at posting for the past few months. But I have to say that life NEVER seems to slow down. I thought that once I got the kids started back in school things would slow down a bit, but trust me they haven't. It has been nothing but Colds, Flus, PTA, Homework, Chris gone to NC, Super Saturday, Callings, Gymnastics, Joy School, Strep, Play Groups, Laundry, Doctors Appointments and the list goes on and on and on and on. I have been so stressed out I pretty much collapsed last week and spent a good 3 or 4 days without leaving my bed. So it is time to prioritize, reduce the to do list, and if needed replace good things with better things. I feel like through the hustle and bustle of life I have lost track of family members and friends. So it is time to start blogging again.

We had our first snow of the season!! Which is pretty exciting around here. Being in the UT state of mind I thought that although it was snowing I could head out and run some errands, after all it was only an inch or so of snow. Boy am I dumb! Apparently the reason the city shuts down when it snows is because I swear the entire city of Arlington only has 2 snowplows. After slipping and sliding around in my Jeep, while dodging other people who's terrified eyes lead me to believe this may just be the first time they have ever driven in the snow. I called my friend Lindi and we hunkered down and watched the kids through the window while they ran around in the snow.

UGggh! Why do kids eat snow! So gross!

The kids had a blast, and even better they fell asleep pretty quickly last night!

Hallie's First Choir Concert

It was Wheel Night at Hallie's Elementary School an event that happens 4 times a year so that the kids can showcase what they have been working on thus far.

I have to say that the schools in Arlington are INCREDIBLE!! I love love love love Hallie's Elementary school. It is an art school and so not only does she have art, architecture, music, and dance classes, where applicable her school integrates the arts into all of her subjects.

For example Hallie learned how to count by tens by learning a song, she is in a class play that teaches the kids about the 4 seasons, and when she gets into 4th grade it gets even more high tech by teaching the kids about sound waves by writing having them compose a song that correlates the picture that they are given that uses long and short sound waves, which they are able to see on the synthesizer. Her school also has a claymation studio which last year won the Nickelodeon Shorty Award, a school garden, and violin lessons.

Hallie had her first Choir Concert this week, and let me tell you it was adorable. They sang 3 songs, Peel Banana (which is what the kids are doing in the picture below), The Wheels On The Bus with orginal verses such as the Daddy's on the bus say: Keep That Baby Quiet (ha ha), and The People on the Bus Say: Give that Baby some candy (ha. ha, again) It was adorable and Hallie sang at the top of her lungs!

After the concert we broke our goal of not visiting McDonalds until the new year

(we lasted one week!) and celebrated with some ice cream.

Camping Trip

A few weeks ago we headed out with our friends the Haws on our first real family camping trip. It WAS SO FUN!! Don't get me wrong I miss have a snuggly baby around but as our kids get older things like camping trips only get more fun.

It was Columbus day weekend and so in an effort to ditch the crowds in the Shenanadoahs we drove 3 hours to West Virginia. The roads to the campsite wound around little hills (mountains for all you east coasters) which was breathtaking for its beauty and its ability to make my stomach turn inside out!

We had no idea what to expect ,but when we got there we found this quiet amazing campsite. The whole campsite is surrounded by a beautiful river. It was warm enough that the kids were able to wade around in it, and shallow enough that i didn't really need to pay attention. In the summer the water levels are a little higher and you can float around the river over and over and over again and hop off at your campsite when you are done. Sounds heavenly!

I bought some watercolors so that the girls could paint rocks, but they ended up painting the trees, firewood, and water tap. Needless to say by the end of the trip we had a lovely campsite.

First Tooth

Well it finally happened. Hallie joined the ranks of millions of other first graders with cute toothless smiles. To be honest it caught both Chris and myself by surprise. Her tooth wasn't even loose. On Sunday night at about 10 Hallie got out of bed to tell us something.

I was annoyed, and before she could get a word out I told her to get her little behind back into bed. Of course it is always the times that I get the angriest that the kids have a legitimate excuse to get out bed. She turned around and grinned at me and I noticed that she was sporting a toothless grin. I cried for about an hour that night. I know it is lame but what happened to my little baby. She is growing way way too fast!

The rest of the evening was spent digging through coat pockets, couches, purses you name it.

Did I mention that it wasn't even loose!?!

Lets just say that the tooth fairy was caught a little off guard.

Easter Egg Hunt

It was the annual Elk Ridge Easter Egg Hunt. It was FREEZING outside but, that didn't deter the kids any. Within 2 minutes they managed to find all the eggs.

Soccer Chick

My little girl is on her first soccer team. I am so proud. Some of my best childhood memories were on the soccer field and it has been so fun to see Hallie play. They play 3 on 3 with 4 quarters that last 15 minutes. 3 on 3 means a lot of running, but Hallie never gave up she kept on running. She is a fierce little soccer player and a good runner just like her Dad.

Hallie an her friend Lucy.

Brooklyn was a good little cheerleader and cheered Go Hallie Go at the top of her lungs the entire time. It was really cute!

I LOVE A GOOD PINATA

The past few weeks have been what we call in our family, birthday row. We have had 4 birthdays in our family in 2 weeks. My brother Ben's was the last, and so to not let on that we are all running out of birthday steam, I purchase a pinata to liven things up. I am the only one with kids in my family, and although the kids liked it, it was for the adults too, but if you are going to do a pinata you have to do it right.

So here is a list of my pinata pet peeves.

Pinata breaking is for the older ones, gathering the candy is for the kids.

I am all for letting the kiddies hit at it a couple of times, but pinatas are only fun if they are demolished and the candy can go flying in a million different directions.

If for some reason the pinata falls off of the rope, and the candy has not flown all over the place, then you tape it and try again. I HATE IT when people pick it up and dump it in a pile on the ground, it is lame

Whats up with all of the different candy rules. Honestly, what are the chances your eye is going to get poked out by a flying sucker.

So about 50 comments from people walking by, and 100 swings later it finally shattered into a million pieces and yes much to my and the kids delight, the candy flew everywhere.

And those are the rules for a good pinata. I am kind of embarassed for writing so much about pinatas. It is a little on the nerdy side, but oh well I am just keeping it real.