Fun Family Time

Today church was cancelled due to the snow. That concept is really strange to me being an Idaho girl. I mean it snows an inch or so and they even cancel school here. It is going to take some getting used to I guess. But honestly today it was a welcomed break. Don't take that wrong or anything but this pregnant mommy was glad she didn't have to sit in a dress and try to keep her knees together for 3 straight hours. I mean come on, you've been there... It is really hard to sit pretty when there is a giant bowling ball permanently attached to your belly.

So today we took advantage of the extra time and spent it as a family outside playing in the snow. The kids had lots of fun sledding with daddy on our "mini hill" of a backyard. It is perfect for our kids. It isn't too sloped so I don't have to worry about any bumps or bruises. And I had fun snapping pictures all morning.

So a little sledding and a little snowmen building after. Dan had the fun idea of creating a
3 Little Pigs scene in our new Lil Tikes log cabin. It was complete with the big bad wolf!

 notice the only way to zip up my coat is to unzip the side pockets

It was a fun morning and I always enjoy watching Dan play with the kids. Even if sometimes it can get a little out of hand. For example...

Before

And After

Don't worry he didn't really hit him with that giant ball. He just got a little snow down his shirt.

But all in all a fun time with the family. Here are a few more shots from the morning...I had a hard time narrowing them down to the best ones. There were a lot of fun ones.

 

Snow Day Refreshment

Nothing beats hot cocoa after a day in the snow!

I just love my babies rosie cheeks and matted down hair!

What a yummy treat! Mom don't for get the "smarshmallows."

Snow Day!

We finally are seeing a bit of "real" winter here in Washington. Today the kids woke up to the magic white fluff! They were so excited! I woke up to the sound of, "Mommy, Mommy! It snowed outside! Can we go play in it?" So after breakfast we all bundled up and went out  for a bit. We built two snowmen, made snow angels, and attempted making a mini sledding hill in our back yard. And let me tell you that is NOT and easy feat at 9 month pregnant!

I went in after a bit and the kids stayed out there til lunch! They had so much fun! I just love snow days!

And trust me there was more snow than is pictured here. We just rolled it up into the snowmen and that's why the grass is showing. We're expecting more tonight.

Ethan's 1st Real Salon Haircut

 Today after dropping Kiera off at preschool I decided to take Ethan out for a special Mommy/Son date. He has never been inside a salon before since I am usually the one who cuts his hair. But today I thought it would be fun to do something special. Plus, I needed a haircut too so why not.

Here's the before shot

He did SO good! Way better than he does for me. And he was so cute. He talked to the hairdresser the entire time. You could tell she enjoyed herself too. He even told her that when he was done he could cut and brush her hair. Too bad she didn't go for that one.

Here's a couple shots of the process. . .

I told her to leave it long on the top otherwise it will stick straight up. It was also reassuring that I wasn't the only one who has trouble blending in the sides with this kids hair. The hairdresser said it was because his hair was so fine that you can see every line. And she showed me a couple tricks. 

After the cut, Ethan got a sucker for being such a big boy and then he got to watch mommy get hers done. He even got to help when it came time to blow dry. He brushed one side of mommy's head while she dried the other. It was a fun little date for the two of us. And the service was wonderful! We'll be going back for sure!

Ethan really likes his cut too. He told the stylist that he wanted Buzz Lightyear hair. So I told her that meant he wanted it spiked in the front. What a cutie!

After our haircuts we ended our date with a McDonald's happy meal. I love spending one-on-one time with my little boy!

I still can't believe he is already 3!

Kiera Photo shoot

My little girl loves having her picture taken these days. She wants a picture of everything so I am going to grasp these opportunities and milk them for all they're worth! Besides it gives me a chance to play with my camera.

This was by far my favorite!

I think the sun was a bit too bright in this one but lately I love her little attitude and tilt of the head she gives me when I am taking her picture.

Happy 3rd Birthday Ethan!

I don't have a whole lot of time to sit and write out an entire post but just wanted to share some pictures from Ethan's little B-day party we had last night. I will get around to writing more soon. 

Happy Valentine's Day! Freezer Paper T's

This Valentine's Day I thought it would be fun to give freezer paper stenciling a try. I have had the roll of freezer paper sitting in my craft room ever since before our move in November.

I saw some t-shirts done with the Sillouette machine on some iron on vinyl a little while ago. I however don't have one and figured I could do the same with a stencil. So, I sketched up my own pictures on some paper and then traced it onto the freezer paper. (I did use the one t-shirt I saw as a reference. I can't remember what blog it was on so if it was yours let me know and I will give you credit)

Next I took my exact-o knife and cut the shapes out. I then ironed the stencils (with the waxy side down) onto the shirts and let the kids help me paint the stencils. I will say that I guided their little hands for the entire process but they still had fun.

I should have started this project a day or two earlier since the paint had to dry for 24 hours before it was ready to be heat set. But they got to wear them to bed Valentine's Day night anyway.

 

 Kiera was so funny while taking her pictures 

she kept posing in different positions. Such a little Diva.

Ethan's 3rd Birthday Cake

My baby boy is turning 3 this coming week! He is pretty excited. One thing I like doing is making my kid's birthday cake special. However sometimes letting them choose creates a lot more work than I would have planned on my own.

This year while browsing ideas on the internet my son Ethan walked in and saw a few pictures on the screen. He said "I want that one!" And ever since then I wasn't able to talk him into anything else. So this year Buzz Lightyear Spaceship it is!

I love the way it turned out. Not too bad for going off a picture eh?!

Here's the site I got the idea from.
You should check it out. There are some really cool cakes on there!