A Snow Day!!!

A group sled ride!

Although we were disappointed with the little bit of snow we got overnight, the kids didn't let that spoil their fun day out of school!  As soon as I was off of the treadmill we all bundled up and headed out for some sledding fun.  The snow wasn't sticky enough for snowballs or snowmen (which we were super sad about since the Edgerton family just gave us this awesome snowman kit) but the kids had a blast anyway.  One of the only perks to having a super steep driveway is that all of the neighborhood kids come over to sled.  At one point there were 12 kids on various sleds going down our driveway!  After about an hour of excitement, my kiddos were ready for some hot chocolate and TV time.

Loving the spiked hair

We've played cards, watched TV, and had lunch . . . now it's quiet time!  Whew!  We'll see what the afternoon holds and will all be watching the weather to see if school may be out tomorrow too??

This is what our afternoon held . . . some dress up and dancing!  WHERE IS DADDY??!!?!!

Our MLK Holiday

Preston enjoying his s'more!

Our holiday weekend festivities started on Sunday afternoon.  The Neal family invited us over for an afternoon of fun and dinner too!  Our kids had an absolute blast riding the roller coaster in their front yard and then down the hill.  They played and played and played until it got too cold and then everyone came in for a delicious dinner.  Preston asked if Ms. Julie could send me the recipe because it was "so yummy".  After dinner the kids had a dance party and then Julie and Charlie brought out the s'more maker for some inside homemade treats.  Of course Savannah and Preston LOVED that and ate plenty.

Today I wasn't quite brave enough to take the kids to Discovery Place by myself so while I was on the treadmill I told the kids to make a top 10 list of things they wanted to do today.  Preston then asked "so we're going to stay home all day?  and don't have to do any errands?"  When I said yes he said "this is the best day ever!"   I didn't realize errands were so bad, but I do generally have a lot of them. :) 

Here is their list.  We manged to get every single thing crossed off and then some.  We spent a lot of time outside after "rest" time since it was in the 60s this afternoon.  I also managed to squeeze in a nap for myself, organized a pantry shelf, cleaned the toaster oven, gathered a donate bag, fixed a blind and had time to make a casserole and catch up on e-mails.  It's amazing what I can get done when the car stays parked in the garage all day.  We all (well at least 3 of us) had a wonderful, restful day at home!!

Preston's Valentine for me that he made while I ran this morning

Upward Cheer 2014

Way to get some air Savannah!

Upward is off to a great start this year.  Today was Savannah's second game and her squad is having a blast!  They have wonderful coaches who love helping the girls learn new cheers . . . and they get into the games too!  Here are a few pictures from their game today.

Goodbye 2013 . . . Hello 2014

2013 was a great year for our family. 

We definitely have a lot to be thankful for . . . here are the top 10 highlights!

#10~ Dave was transferred to Town & Country Ford and he is still enjoying being back at Sonic
#9 ~ I started back in the classroom teaching part time at CCS.  We have all adjusted to a new normal
#8 ~ Savannah continues to love school, especially reading, and is rockin' the AR points
#7 ~ Preston LOVED his first real experience with soccer and was pretty good too. :)
#6 ~ Dave and I were able to vacation in Las Vegas together (my first time there and first time flying solo)
#5 ~ We officially became debt free in October!
#4 ~ We are very blessed to have been so healthy this past year
#3 ~ Preston made huge progress with his speech thanks to a great therapist
#2 ~ We were able to meet all of Dave's extended family from NJ for the first time on a vacation in the VA mountains.  What a wonderful weekend that was!!
#1 ~ Our family is so thankful to have such a great network of friends at our church. With no immediate family in town it is truly a blessing to have friends to call when you need something!

Looking ahead we are excited to see what God has planned for our family in 2014.  There truly is never a dull moment around here so I'll finish this post with a funny moment that already happened this year . . . a conversation that was overheard between my two kiddos while I was on the treadmill:

S: Welcome back to school Preston. We have a lot to catch up on, do you want to start with math?
P: Okay
S: We are going to learn about odd and even. Do you know anything about odd and even?
P: Yes
S: Well what do you know?
P: I don't know ABOUT them, but I know what they did
S: Huh??
P: They ate from the tree they weren't supposed to
S: What?
P: Adam and Eve, you know, they ate from that tree.

Hilarious!  Thank you Lord for the blessings you have given us.  We are truly grateful!