Bonfire in the Snow???

Yay!! The ice/snow has moved out of the area and we were lucky...the worst of it skipped us this time and we made it through with our power intact even though the roads were a mess! Well, we have been waiting and waiting to burn all of our boxes that have been accumulating on our back porch and since everything was buried under the ice and snow (no chance of catching anything on fire luckily), we hauled everything outside for a bonfire in the snow! The kids LOVE to make bonfires and they really got a kick out of playing outside in the snow and having a spot to warm up at. Let me tell ya, it was really, really cold! I finally got Nicholas to sleep and ran outside for a few minutes to partake in the fun...I think i won that first round of snowball fights! lol I was only able to catch a few pictures of our time outside unfortunately. It was so cold that my camera wasn't wanting to work properly and me being the blonde that I am was trying to check my batteries and ended up dropping them in the snow. Oops!! Well after that the camera definitely wasn't working! So, here are the very few pics that I was able to snap before my little flubber. We had a good time....snowball fights, snow angels, a bonfire, and topped it all off with mugs of delicious hot cocoa!


Nicholas was content to sleep away while we all went out to play:-)
Getting all bundled up for the cold

He kind of reminded me of Randy from A Christmas Story..."I can't put my arms down"!! haha
Ian also got all bundled up for the cold...can't go out without your warm bib overalls, ya know?
At least the boxes burned...guess the brush will have to wait til another time. :-)
Trevor gathering up a snowball...

Got ya!!! Ian is getting alot better at his aim! haha
Then of course, Dad got out his "shield" and the battle was on!
Trevor's little icy hands....he was ready to go inside at this point.

What's the Deal??

Okay, once again my last post is underlined despite my efforts to change it...and this one is not...what's the deal with that?? It seems that my computer likes to rebel against me sometimes!

70 Degrees Before the Big Freeze

Okay, I was feeling the need for a spot of warmth in this cold weather so I decided to post some pictures from our day outside just a day or two before the winter storm hit. It was wacky weather as usual for us here in good 'ole Missouri....70degrees in the middle of January and a winter storm moving into the area. We decided to take advantage of the nice weather and spent the afternoon outside. The kids definitely were in need of outside time and did lots of running to work off their excess energy. We've also started a family game night and have been busy teaching the kids how to play their new games they got for Christmas. I must say that our boys are definitely competitive and when it's game time..."it's on like Donkey Kong" as their father would say! lol Here are some pictures of our latest fun......well fun in the sun at least!


Ben (the brown mutt) is our newest addition...Donovan rescued him when someone dumped him at the river... Ian named him after Ben10 the cartoon.....Cletis just had a birthday and is working on his 10th year now!

Nicky was just happy chillin' out in his stroller
4-wheeling fun!
Trev was really trying to get away but Ian had him caught!
A fierce game of Pirate's Cove....arrr, matey!
Yes I do realize Christmas is over but Ian refuses to let me pack away his Santa hat and even likes to wear it to bed...silly boy:-P
ARrrrr...give me all your treasure!
Just a little chunky monkey to brighten your day....he's getting so big now!

***Just a little update*** We just found out that Donovan will get to keep his job! Yay!! They have layed off 24 of their 38 employees and he is basically going to be foreman now. Luckily for us, he has made himself pretty indispensable to his company. His hours will be cut unfortunately but at least he's still employed! So for now I won't have to return to work but we'll definitely have to tighten the purse strings. Best of luck and lots of prayers to those that are still being affected by our worsening economy......

One of Those Weeks....

It's just been one of those weeks for us....nothing seems to go right and everything that can, does go wrong....and the week is just beginning! As everyone knows, our economy is in a pretty rough spot and it seems like we can't turn on the tv or listen to the radio without reminders of how dire things are getting to be in places. Unfortunately for us, the recession has hit close to home. I have been a stay-at-home Mom for 4 years now and have loved every minute of it. Okay, loved might not be the entire truth but it has definitely been worth it for sure! My wonderful husband has dutifully been at work every morning at 6 am to support his family and he's done a fine job of it too! Money is tight at times and we don't get to go on fancy vacations or even go out to eat except for those special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries, but we've made ends meet week after week, month after month and year after year. Well, it seems that times are about to get even harder around here. Donovan's company has decided to layoff half of their employees...it's a small company of about 40 employees total so half of their workstaff is a significant amount. They are trying to prolong the inevitable for everyone by first cutting hours. That's rough but not as rough as completely losing a job. Now his crazy boss (and I literally mean that man IS crazy) is entertaining the idea of keeping 12 of his full-time staff and working them on a rotating schedule every 3 months!! WTH!! I've never heard of anything like that before...."you, you, and you are going to work full time for 3 months and then be off work for 3 months"......how in the heck do they expect people to support their families for the 3 months they're not working?? Unemployment is available but you definitely don't make enough off it to pay all your bills and put food on the table and gas in the car. So, it seems that my time at home may unfortunately be coming to an end. I'm hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. Keep your fingers crossed for me and say a little prayer that things will turn out okay...we're pretty freaked out about this right now and the thought of leaving my babies to go to work again just makes me want to bawl!
Then there is the ice storm moving through the area. All I can think is "oh no, not again"! The last few years have all been marked by storms that have moved through and taken out our power....for days and days at a time. Luckily we NOW have a generator but I'm hoping and hoping we don't have to use it. Last time this happened we were without power for 8 long days and I'm not sure I'm prepared to do it again with an infant. I'm hoping and praying not only for us, but for all of our friends and families that they stay safe and warm during this time as roads and power poles get slicker and icier. For now we're good...just enjoying a "no school" day and keeping each other entertained.
Okay, now that I've vented and griped I'm going to go play some Wii with my boys...I never can beat them in the MarioKart but it is a really fun game! Wish me luck...nothing worse than being beat repeatedly by a 4 year old who is many years from driving! lol Hope everyone stays warm and cozy, jobs in place, and all with the lights on!

Are We in Sherwood Forest??

Last year marked the first time that Ian was able to go hunting with his Daddy. Now, Donovan is an avid hunter and will "bag & tag" anything that he can and now Ian is really getting into the hunting spirit....and yes we eat what they get! Well, Ian received his very own hunting gear for Christmas which included new outerwear and his very own bow! Yesterday was such a nice day that after school all my boys headed outside for a little archery lesson. As I was in the house trying to settle down a crabby baby, Donovan comes running inside and tells me to bundle up Nicky and come outside because I HAVE to see how Ian was doing shooting his bow. So, out we went to witness our young Robin Hood at work and I have to say that I am soooo proud of him! They both wanted me to see the "pattern" that Ian had already shot and I was pretty impressed with his results (definitely better than what I can do with a bow, I'm a little challenged in the archery division). Ian was on a role though and really wanted me to see him in action. It was great! His Daddy has done a fine job helping to guide him through the steps and he was beaming with pride over Ian's accomplishments. Here are a few pics of our little man showing his Momma how Robin Hood would do it! :-)


This was his first round of shots...not too bad...and yes, he made his own target too!


Nicholas and Daddy watching from the sidelines

Are you watching, Mom??
Lining up his shot very carefully.....

Ready, Aim....
FIRE!!!
Pretty darn good for a 6 year old!!
Wow!! He hit the bullseye!!! Watch out Bambi, our little bowhunter will be on the loose soon! :-P

You Want Me to Eat What???

I'm sure that's what my little man was thinking when we first introduced eating from a spoon. I mean, after you've had nothing but breastmilk for almost 5 months why ruin a good thing? haha Well we've recently tackled the art of eating real food. Our first few attempts went something like this:

I'm supposed to eat what? With what??? (I love this picture...cracks me up)
Okay....in we go..............
Attempt #1...... Oh my....what a face! :-)
Attempt #2 ....and out it goes! haha
Much happier without the cereal & spoon! :-P
This picture will help to explain the next one....notice how he's really trying to fit both of those little hands in his mouth at the same time? Well, next we try some carrots for dinner.......this is the result after a bite of carrots and hands in mouth........
Hmmm....guessing carrots aren't a favorite yet?? haha I know it looks like I'm painting the poor kid orange! He actually likes carrots now and we now keep extra wet wipes in easy reach!!!

*I have no idea why the beginning of this post is underlined...I've tried to change it and I must not be as smart as the computer because it's not working for me. Of course, the rest of it is fine...go figure! haha

Better Late than Never....

I know this is kind of late coming, but better late than never! We had a great Christmas this year and a pretty quiet New Year's. We had several celebrations to attend this year and it was hectic and wonderful as usual. We started it all off on Christmas Eve with the Stahl side and it was great! The boys are really into helping with handing out of the gifts (they had been practicing for a few weeks :-D) and were even more eager to rip into some gifts...which they did with great speed! lol We then headed home for the usual Christmas Eve festivities....after consulting with his Daddy, Ian put out the cookies and chocolate milk for Santa (of course Dad knew that Santa loves cookies and chocolate milk) which also included a note that said "Cookies for Santa...NO Dads allowed!" Well, Santa must have felt bad for Dad because he happened to leave him just one cookie. lol Ian was so sure Christmas morning that Santa had come that he swears he saw tracks in the driveway that HAD to be from Santa Claus. He was so sure of it that he almost had me convinced! We then headed to Seneca to spend Christmas with my Grandparents and we had a great time! Then on to Mom's house for yet another round of merriment....whew! We not only ended up with great gifts and full bellies for Christmas...but we also got a nasty flu bug too! We spent a quiet New Year's Eve at home since all 3 of the boys were very sick with a bug, and it got a little scary as far as little Nicholas is concerned. Luckily though, we made it through it and everyone seems to be back on the healthy bus yet again.
Okay, now that I have written a novel for you to read, I have some pictures to show you....yes, quite a few of them, but I tried to include some from each day. Part of my New Year's resolutions.....to blog more often!! We'll see how it pans out! haha

They waited as long as they could....then the ripping commenced!
The cutest little gift around:-)

Trevor kept sneaking cookies.....

Ian was sooo excited about his GlowBoard
Nicky and his Poppy had a few good laughs together

All the boys got remote control cars and had to test them out right away of course!

Christmas morning...Ian was trying to convince Trevor that there were tracks outside :-)
Showing off their new pjs
Merry Christmas everyone!!!!

Trevor checking out his tool bench from Santa
My little deer hunter got a new bow...now he's got the tools to hunt with Daddy!
Trevor taking a break from presents at Nan & Pop

Nicholas loves to laugh with his Mammy