Grandma Has Been Here

While Chad and I were in Key West my Mom came in to watch the boys.  She disobeyed all of the rules while she was here.  She kept the boys home from school most days, they went to McDonalds, the got presents for no reason and they skipped naps.  Then she went and did something REALLY against the rules…she showed me up.  My Mom happened to be here the days leading up to Valentine's Day.  Nolan had instructions from school to bring in a decorated box.  My Mom, of course, volunteered to "help" him make the box.  I told her there was shoe box in my room and some stickers and construction paper in the closet.  When I helped Nolan make his box last year we wrapped it in red paper threw some stickers on it and were on our way.  This is NOT what happened this year.  I came home to find a 3D Superhero atop a perfectly wrapped box with Nolan's name displayed prominently across the top.  I mean seriously!  But then I thought back to my childhood and it all made sense.  I believe I had some stellar Valentine boxes of my own growing up.  There was  a robot, a slot machine (not sure that was appropriate) and of course a full fledged New Kids On The Block box one year.  So I guess this is what I have to live up to now…thanks Mom.   

Key West

Chad and I were able to get away last week and spent a few days down in Key West.  Yes, this was technically a "business" trip for Chad but we didn't let a few mornings of meetings interfere with our fun!  In my opinion we had the perfect little vacation, the exact right amount of "partying" "relaxing" and "adventure seeking".  We spent one day exploring the city, one day on a private beach, one day on an all day excursion (jet skiing, snorkeling, kayaks, drinking) and the final day trying to find the perfect souvenirs for the boys (landed on some cheap pirate dress up stuff, perfect yes?).  I did Chad a solid on this trip and left my big camera at home as to not annoy him with my little hobby.  To show his gratitude every once in a while he would humor me with a cell phone selfie, and I was satisfied.  Here is a glimpse at our little trip...

Cabin Fever

Well since we are experiencing a little bit of Cabin Fever in this house we thought we might as well make S'Mores!  Nolan treated me to a nice little snack, he even broke out the grill to warm the mallow just right.  He's a thinker that one!  Don't fret that it is approximately 15 degrees outside and he still feels a shirt is optional.  He's tough, what can I say?

And then he stole my S'More and the fun was all over…looks guilty doesn't he?

Payton Turns One…like 3 months ago

I'm done making excuses, I'm busy.  And though working on pictures and blogging is one of my favorite past times, it's a total time sucker and has been put on the back burner lately.  Hell, it's not even on the stove most of the time anymore.  Add that to the yucky weather we have been having and the fact that we haven't done anything blog worthy in a month or two…that leaves me silent in the blog world.  But then I realized I never shared Payton's First Birthday Party.  Don't worry, I supplied the pictures to Lori a while back, but I never actually posted them.  And these are definitely worth sharing.  You see Payton's party was less like a first birthday and more like a wedding reception!  It was over the top nice with every little detail taken care of.  Lori and Mike were celebrating a very special little girl and all the obstacles she has overcome.  Payton's first birthday was fit for a princess, and that's just what she is.  Happy Birthday Payton, your Mom and Dad really out did themselves for this party which only means they have to top it every year right?  Here's to many many more years of extravagant birthday parties, now I just pray I will always make the invite list!

 I have to give a shout out to Lori here because I was SUPER impressed she had a camera with her AND she used it.  Now, I'm willing to bet those pictures are still on the camera and have not been printed or used in any fashion BUT the pictures exist nonetheless!

Not sure if I have ever mentioned it here but Bennett is obsessed with petting the heads of babies.  Every time there is a baby he runs over and pets their head.  Quinn happens to have a nice bald head, perfect for petting, so on this particular evening you could find Bennett by her side quite often with his grubby little fingers on her head…sorry Quinn.

 Some of the babies were tired and needed a nap.  There wasn't exactly a great spot for napping in the middle of all the chaos but we did a little improvising.  Snug as a bug in a rug...

And this is a look of a Mom that just threw a stellar birthday party and is ready to celebrate!  Drink it up Lori, you have about 300 days to prepare for her second birthday!

Lost Footage

I stumbled upon a memory card today and realized I never downloaded it.  What a shame, I mean these could be the pictures that define my life.  The image that will make me famous.  Or they are just a few more of the million pictures I took of the kids over the holidays.  The first option seems a lot more exciting though.  Either way this is what I found.

The ONE picture I took on Thanksgiving.  The boys, like usual, wanted nothing to do with a posed picture so I had to be sneaky and I caught them while they were both on the swing-set that day.  

Then a few days later we "decked the halls" a little bit.  The boys were very interested this year in "helping".  I use that term VERY loosely.  You'll see below what their help got me, a tree so heavy in one spot it almost fell over.  Believe it or not, I left it this way as I thought it was kind of adorable.  Chad, the party pooper, is actually the one that "fixed" the boy's masterpiece.  He obviously didn't see their vision.

Simon, our Elf on the Shelf, came back to visit this year.  He found a new spot in the house ALMOST every night.  One day he got blocked in by the snow, so he couldn't move ;)

We also celebrated Christmas with my parents a few days after Christmas.  They came in and stayed with us for a few days and played a lot of legos and a million games of Guess Who. They are troopers those two.

 See, wouldn't it have been sad if these pictures never got uncovered?  What ever would we have done if we didn't have the pleasure of seeing that Lego Clown…he's a gem that clown, a real gem.  That's probably the picture that will make me famous.