Austin gets his Bear

Tonight at the Blue and Gold Banquet, Austin received his Bear award. He was so excited to get his award a little before his birthday. Now we can have time to work on all the many electives they have. We are so proud of him and his desire to do it.

Valentines Day

Valentines Day at our house always starts with a big breakfast of waffles, strawberries and whip cream. This year we topped it off with a little bacon and orange julius. The kids got there valentine from Mom and Dad and were off to have a fun day at school. I had a busy day of prep for our big restaurant plans. The kids and I came up with a plan to surprise Lowell for Valentine's Day. We gave him a card in the morning that said he had a dinner reservation at 5:30. Little did he know the reservation was right here at home. When he came home from work Austin took his coat and sat us at our candlelit table (in our room) where they proceeded to serve us our meal. Austin did a great job of being the waiter. He was so proper and even came up with wearing his suit coat to look nice. Halle was in the kitchen getting it all ready. (yes Mom I trained them so they would not burn themselves.-Lowell had the same concern). Halle had also helped me make a menu and sign for our restaurant. They called it Ricardos, which was one of their previous restaurant names during their creative play. It was so nice to sit alone and in almost peace and quiet and enjoy a meal with my favorite man. The kids loved doing it and even cleaned the dishes up and put them away. We then shared dessert together and watched a fun movie together. There is nothing better than spending the day with the ones you love.

Kodak Moment

So the other day Berkeley was eating and I captured the perfect poo face. I think it explains it all.

Berkeley and all her new things

I can't believe how little ones change so much. Berkeley is now eight months old and cute as ever. She has learned to say.... Mum, mum. She also loves to take her baths. She will splash herself uncontrollably. She loves her baby food and would get rid of the whole nursing gig. I will be glad when we can have cows milk. She loves to do a bitter beer smile that just makes you laugh. She gives a stare down that reminds me of her sister. She has started to sleep on her belly and I love it because she is sleeping so much better. Why does it make such a difference?!?!? She laughs when we laugh and thinks she is so funny. She LOVES her binky. There is no way I can get rid of that anytime soon. We are still waiting for that first tooth to break through..it seems like I keep saying anyday now but no it hasn't happened but is taking FOREVER. But best of all she has a smile that will melt your heart. She is such a happy little girl and brings so much joy to our crazy lives. I have to keep reminding myself to sit and enjoy her as a little one.

Sickness

I can't remember a time that sickness has knocked out my whole family. This week I had Austin, Halle, Jett and Lowell home sick for three days. They all started with a fever, chills, cough and aches. It was nice to get it all at once and be done with it. Thank goodness that Berkeley and I never received the junk. We have been lucky. I think I am ready for Spring.

Teeth Issues

Well, we have had a interesting week with teeth. Halle has had her front teeth loose for a long time and they started to move and look TERRIBLE. I have pictures to prove the look. I want to share the stages with you. After weeks of begging to pull her teeth out, it finally sunk in that we could do it or should I really be honest and say that she got sick of us calling her a beaver. (I know rude huh, coming from her family.) So she let me wrap floss around her tooth. One came out one night and then the next night we did the other one. She is now toothless but looks so much better. She realizes that having them out feels so much better then trying to eat around them.

The Beaver look.

The Pirate Look.

Toothless.

A trip to Jackson over Christmas Break

We have these great friends that have a luxurious cabin (house) in Jackson Hole. They called us at the last minute and invited us to go up and spend the new year with them. Lowell took the Austin and Halle skiing one day at the Jackson Hole ski resort while I stayed behind with the little ones. They had a blast even though it was cold.
The next day we decided that we would go to the rec center and let the kids swim. Jackson has a great rec center with indoor slides and shallow water for the little ones. We had a blast swimming and playing in the water. I couldn't believe how warm the water was, in fact, you wondered if you should be worried.
We rang in the new year with blow horns, confetti poppers and tiaras. We played the its midnight but really 9 for the little ones. We had a great time relaxing, playing games, eating good food and sharing great company.
A side note... the scenery on the way to Jackson was beautiful. We sure live in a great place. If you have never had a chance to see the tetons in the winter you should do it.