Spring Break

The kids and I enjoyed Spring Break up at my parents'.  It was nice to get away, be spoiled by my parents, and have help with the little ones. Until about mid-May we don't see much of Andy, so it's always nice to have somewhere to go and to be spoiled. Grandma had to work, but Papa was around to entertain. He soon learned that once he emerged from his bedroom he was on duty. The girls either wanted some outdoor activity or Ian just wanted him to carry him around or play with him. We definitely kept Papa busy! We also enjoyed the evenings and weekend with Grandma. The girls always get so excited to go up and see what new toys have been collected for them to play with. The weather was pretty close to perfect while we were there. Our travel day up there was a bit chilly, but after that it warmed up nicely. We had lots of fun inside and outside. We even made it to Chuck E. Cheese one day. Here are some pictures of our adventures:

One day Papa offered to pay the girls a penny for each "pokey thing" they picked up. Rachel earned $1.17 and Audrey earned $0.84.

Counting with Misty and Ian helping:

One night we had a fire in Papa's fire pit and enjoyed roasted marshmallows. This is so my type of camping. We enjoyed a campfire, but went back into comfy beds. :)

Audrey with a mouthful:

The girls enjoyed making cookies with Grandma one day:

The next day we decorated them. This was the first time I'd ever let them do everything by themselves. I was impressed by their frosting skills. It goes to show, I should let them do more, more often. I'm usually just too worried about the mess. It's not like it was that hard to clean up and they probably decorated 25 cookies each and LOVED it!

There were also lots of tractor rides. Ian LOVES the tractor. 

And of course the girls do, too... What's not to love????

Love this view with four very special people to me:

On Saturday we went into town and played at a park. Everyone had fun. This blue tunnel was perfect. I covered one end, Grandma covered the other end, we had Ian trapped and happy, and we could just visit. The girls really enjoyed the merry-go-round.

Since Ian still isn't walking he spent a fair amount of time inside with me. He's at that hard stage where he won't sit on a blanket outside and it's hard to let him crawl around and ruin his shoes and pants. He still has plenty of fun inside and got into plenty of mischief as well...

Grandma's cupboards aren't as easy nor as comfortable to sit in:

 

We decided Ian needed to sport a helmet to protect him from potential falls (like when he climbs up on stools).

Ian really wanted Max to be his friend and Max doesn't really want to be anyone's friend... Misty really wanted to to be Ian's friend, but Misty's still a little too big for him. One day Max was being pretty good about Ian bothering him:

One morning I heard the girls chattering and this is what I found:

They are such good girls. Ian was sleeping in my bedroom, so I had told them that if they woke up before Ian and I to just play quietly until I came out. So sweet and so obedient! And then there's Ian. Not so obedient, but so CUTE and proud of himself!!!

 

Ian did spend a lot of time in the swing. When he wasn't on a tractor ride or a stroller ride, he was in the swing while he was outdoors..

We actually drove home on St. Patrick's Day. I knew the morning was going to be busy with loading up the kids and my parents heading to church. So, I asked my mom to make green, 4-leaf clover pancakes on Saturday, March 16th. The girls loved them!

I have to include a picture of the sunset on our last night there. Rachel was so excited about the colors in the sky and insisted on taking a picture with my phone. It's not the best picture quality, but you get the idea...

 

We enjoyed our little escape for Spring Break. One of these years Andy will have a job that will allow him to travel in March. It's such a nice time of year to travel. I'd like to make it to the Grand Canyon, Andy's never been. March would be an awesome time of year to do that. So, some March it will happen... For now we'll enjoy being able to spend time with Papa and Grandma Michaelson during Spring Break. (They can always join us when/if we ever make it to the Grand Canyon.) Thanks Mom and Dad, for making our week so enjoyable!

Morning Routines

I'm one of those lazy moms who rarely gets up and going before I have to. Usually we head to the gym in the morning anyways, so there's not much point to showering and getting ready before the kids get up. This being said, I often have company as I get ready for the day. Today Audrey had gymnastics. Friday is one of the days we don't make it to the gym, but I still don't get up before the kids and get ready. Audrey and Ian were both in the bathroom with me this morning as I got ready. Ian usually empties out the cupboards and Audrey usually plays somewhere else in the house. However, this morning she felt like she needed a shave:

She also needed some exercise while Ian observed. She wanted to build up some strength for her routines at gymnastics:

I love my Audrey!

The Mirrors

One of my most favorite things about our home are these mirrors. Andy's closet has mirror sliding doors in our master bathroom. It's kind of funny that I have come to LOVE this feature so much. It's not like I gave the mirror sliding closet doors a second thought when deciding to purchase our home. But Ian and Rachel have both spent HOURS in front of these mirrors as babies. Poor Audrey missed out since we were in Amsterdam and I remember really wanting my mirrors then... Once they are actually awake (about 2 weeks old), I plop my babies in the bouncy chair in front of these mirrors while I get ready in the morning. They discover themselves and don't feel like they are abandoned. They talk to themselves, watch themselves kick their legs and bounce, sometimes cry, and sometimes they even fall asleep. About a month ago Ian was so proud of himself to be able to walk along the mirrors, so I had to grab a picture. Such a cutie!!!

Rodeo Day

The Houston Rodeo is a pretty big deal. Spring Break is scheduled when the rodeo is here. Today was Rodeo Day at school, so Rachel got to dress up like a cowgirl. And of course, Audrey had to join in. Such cute Texan cowgirls we have!

Silly Girls

We have some silly girls. They love to play! Today after school the girls were having so much fun. There were lots of giggles and this is how I found them:

I took a picture and sent it to their daddy. They then asked me to take another one for him and they quickly covered their faces:

 

I love how well they play with one another. They do have rough moments, but the good moments far outweigh the rough ones. These girls are lucky to have one another and it's my hope and prayer that they will always have one another. I am learning, as I have observed them through the years, what a blessing a sister can be. They are definitely blessed!

Papa & Grandma Smith Visit Texas

Andy's parents came to visit us this month for about 10 days. The kids LOVED having them here. We enjoyed spending time with them and making new memories with them. While they were here we tried to go on some fun adventures. We also enjoyed just spending time together at our house or the Mackay's. It was a very nice visit!

The second day they were here, Rachel had early dismissal for parent/teacher conferences. So, I ducked out of an actual in-person conference and we took advantage of Rachel being out of school by 11 AM and headed to the zoo. The weather was a little bit chilly, but we still had plenty of fun. Here are some pictures of our zoo visit:

Ian and Landon being pulled around in the wagon by Papa:

The five Texas cousins:

Papa also got to pull the three big kids around:

Ian checking out the animals:

The Petting Zoo:

Our three gophers:

After spending quite a few hours in the zoo we took a train ride around Hermann Park. I love this picture of these three:

Ian and Landon on the train:

One afternoon we went to a neighborhood park. At one time everyone, but Landon (who was sleeping in the car with Aunt Natalie) were being pushed by Papa and Grandma:

Ian LOVES the swing:

On Saturday, when Criag and Andy could actually join us, we headed to Kemah Boardwalk. Andy and I had gone years ago when we first moved to Texas. We just had dinner and I remember not being that impressed. So, I wasn't sure what to expect... But we LOVED it. The kids had a lot of fun and we had great coupon deals. We got there just in time for lunch. So, we ate some lunch and then headed in to ride the rides. We spent the rest of the day just having fun! Here are some pictures of our fun there:

Everyone loved the carousel ride:

Big  Ferris Wheel:

Little Ferris Wheel:

Airplane ride with Daddy:

This monkey ride ended up becoming a favorite. The kids went on it again and again and again. At first, Rachel didn't want to go on it, so just Audrey and Chase went. And then Rachel got brave and tried it and LOVED it. Nothing like a little peer pressure, especially from 4 year-olds...

Excited about the train ride:

On our last full day with the grandparents we decided to go to the Children's Museum after school. The kids had lots of fun at the grocery store, playing veterinarian, at the restaurant, painting, and lots more... The museum is always fun and with more adults it's even better! Natalie and I were able to take the babies to the baby section while the grandparents played with the big kids. Here are a few pictures:

Being artists:

The rock wall:

Ian checking out the baby chicks with Papa:

The three monkeys:

Our time with Papa and Grandma Smith flew by too quickly. We had so much fun with them! We love when they have a chance to visit. And we love the memories that we make. Our children are so blessed to have grandparents in their lives.

Lizard Catcher

Today was another beautiful January day. The girls were enjoying playing in the backyard when I heard some screams of excitement. Rachel was so excited to show me the lizard she had caught:

And is was a very friendly lizard. A bit of the tail fell off, but you can't really tell in the picture. Audrey was quite amazed at how the tail was still wiggling on the ground. The girls had fun playing with the lizard for about 10 minutes and then they let him go. Fun times!