imaginations running wild

I love the fact that Ashley is so imaginative. What I love even more is that she is teaching Coleman to be imaginative. He soaks up every opportunity to play her games with her. I am so happy that she is willing to let her baby brother be her playmate most everyday. On this particular day they raided the hat and mitten bin, added a few necessary accessories like goggles, and wa-la -you have these two very silly sledding snow dogs. yes, they were barking and riding their sleds (rubbermaid lids) and having all sorts of fun.

All chances are not lost.....

I always thought I would never forget all the cute little things my kids said. Sadly, I did. When I began to realize that I was forgetting, I told myself to write them down. Sadly, I wasn't very good at that either. I have a few things here and there, but definitely not the record I desire. Occasionally Josh and I get reminiscing and try to remember things they said or the unique way they said things when they began talking. We smile and laugh and love the memories that come, but I know there is so much we've forgotten. I tell myself that all chances are not lost. While the kids are growing up quickly, in reality, they are still little and I should still record the things they say. What would I give for records of things I said, even if it was when I was 9 and not 2? I'd give a lot that is for sure. So, my goal is to record more of the things all my children say, even the big ones! And, I have another chance with the words of a new talker in my little Coleman. So, no more chances missed, I am going to start...TODAY! As of today, Coleman is 2 years 4 months. He is stringing words together and has quite a good vocabulary, full of words he learns from books and songs as well as picking up all the things said by all the big people he lives with. Some of my favorite little phrases are:

darn it
let's do it
okay, sure
i am (always said when he is NOT!!)
zip it (in reference to his coat)
What? (usually repeated at least 5x)
I freezing ( said when he is outside and at bedtime when he wants all his covers over him just so)

of course as I sit here I am drawing a blank. Perhaps I will have to edit this post and add more as they come to me. Why am I surprised I can't remember from years past? I can't even recall today!!

BRRRR

What is the definition of cold? I'll tell you. It is when school is cancelled, not due to snow but because it is just too cold! Yesterday the 22nd of January, our school district was closed because it was -20! That is right, negative 20!! At my house that is exactly what our thermometer read, other places were -30! that my friends is cold! How thankful I am for a nice warm house! The kids and I just stayed in all day and enjoyed the day off.

Feeling Blessed

Just a quick update on my mom... for those of you who didn't know, my mom had surgery today to remove both of her kidneys. She has polycystic kidney disease (PKD) and her kidneys were no longer functioning. SHe has been on dialysis for about 5 weeks. She will now wait approx. a month to heal from this surgery before receiving a kidney transplant. Her donor will be Josh. Yes, you read right. Josh is a very close match to her and is willing to give one up! As for today, she just finished surgery and the dr. reported that all went well. The dr. said she was easy to operate on - being skinny helped see well in there. He removed both kidneys laparoscopically. They were each the size of nerf footballs! A little big in her little body! We feel so blessed that the surgery went well. I'll keep you updated.

Ashley and Snow

Ashley wasn't up for the tackle football game, but she didn't want to be stuck inside either! She let her imagination run wild as she made snow angels (always adding a snowball for their head!!) , snow cakes, and was all sorts of animals as well. She never even seems to get cold.

Snow Football

Justin and Mitchel took advantage of a day off from school and enjoyed a game of football in the snow. The snow in South Dakota was always wet - perfect for snowballs and snowmen, but not powder soft for hard tackles! I love watching and hearing them having fun together.

"I sleep good"

My best mornings are when Coleman greets me at his door and says "I sleep good"!

boots

Coleman has become obsessed with his snow boots! They are not just snow boots to him - they have become his everyday shoes! I think he is most thrilled that he can put them on ( and take them off) all by himself! Josh was outside grilling and Coleman could hear the neighbors snowmobile so he ran and got his boots so he could go and check it all out!

a 1000 words....

Many people comment on the amount of pictures I have on my computer.... okay so 15,000 pictures is a lot, but I LOVE the fact that I capture images like these - definitely worth a thousand words at least to me!

the wonder of SNOW

I love how Coleman is in awe of the snow! When the snow gets on his boots he looks so surprised. If anyone is outside, he runs to grab his boots and coat. He often doesn't last long in the cold, but he is always up for a few minutes of amazement.....

Okay, so I have been feeling left out... am I the only girl these days without a blog?? I think I might be, so I've jumped on board and I am going to see how it goes. I'd love to try and capture with word and photograph our everyday moments that make life special to me....