Now that Daddy is back home and the snow is gone, we got to make cupcakes for Daddy, sing to him, and help him blow out his candles.
It is always a bit of a struggle to get all three of them to look in the same direction and smile. After I took the picture below, I told BBC he needed to open his eyes more...
...so, he did. Good grief.
I finally got one, and then they helped Daddy with his candles. Many happy returns to my hero this weekend - he came home!
I posted a lot of the snow pictures outside, so here are few photos of what we did when we were warming up inside.
One morning I made buttermilk pancakes from scratch before we went out to play in the snow - they rushed to gobble them up just to get outside, but at least I got to have one and they are one of my favorites for breakfast!
Here is our friend, S, helping the kids make bottlecap catterpillars.
I can't count the number of times the kids completely stripped their beds of all blankets, quilts, pillows and stuffed animals to build forts, beds, castles, towns, sleep parties, etc... Here is E in one of his custom creations.
They also used their headlamps a bit more, and one day they got out their sunglasses to wear with them (they got this idea from Daddy when he put on his sunglasses one day when they all chased him around the house with their headlamps and so he put on his shades to be able to ward off their bright lights!). I have to smile at my little girl with her slippers and bath robe and necklace, plus her extra flashlight...
BBC has been having fun watching a movie on the portable DVD player on the bed in his room, just for a change. Here he and E are watching Cars 2 together.
They get out all of the cars - check out this line up.
Then, another day, BBC sorted the cars on his own into sections. Here is is showing me how he had decided which cars went together.
Obviously, all the Lightnings were together (I cannot begin to explain how or why we have so many of these red cars...).
Then he told me this is the "Bad Guy Aisle" with the bad spy cars.
He asked me if he could leave the cars out like this in his room, "so I can admire my work, Mom."
I posted on Wednesday, and now it is Friday. Daddy got home an hour ago, and he brought the kids stuffed alligators from New Orleans and so he was an instant hit.
In between then and now, there was Thursday. They had forecasted the temperatures would rise and the snow would turn to rain on Thursday, but the temperature seemed pretty much the same as the day before...and it snowed...A LOT...all day long. We got easily another 3 inches on top of the 3 or 4 we got on Wednesday.
So here we are, heading out on the sled again on Thursday. I told the kids I would pull them until we got to the hill, and then if they walked up the long hill to Thriftway, I would pull them super fast all the way back down. So, with a few gummy fruit bribes, they agreed.
At the starting line:
Here is the view from my vantage point:
At the bottom of the hill, they got out of the sled and the adventure begins. First, they climbed this small snow mountain.
And here is BBC making a snow angel - he made one on Wednesday on his back and did not like the snow on his neck, so he modified the move to avoid wet neck syndrome.
Then BBC started a true expedition-style climb, encouraging A and E to "mountain climb" with him...and so they did.
Miss A likes to carry things, and likes to do things all by herself, so she insisted on pulling the sled a good portion of the way up the hill.
How I wish I could have managed to take a picture of the kids as I ran as fast as a 40-year-old mother can run carrying two small bags of groceries and pulling over 100 pounds of offspring in a sled behind her. And I wish I could have recorded their laughter and giggles as they traveled two full city blocks with wind and snow flying.
Back at home, the snow had layers of crunchy snow from the day before with fluffy newly fallen snow on top...and the boys wanted to have another snow ball fight. But they wanted to find huge chunks of ice like this one and then tried to throw them at me:
And then BBC decided he wanted to take apart the snowman so he could throw the head at me - the biggest snowball EVER! He threw it once, then E picked it up to take his turn. I'm glad they don't have too much muscle to put behind all of that snow.
And once again (yes, many parts of Thursday felt exactly like a repeat of Wednesday...) A went inside when she got cold, then decided a few minutes after she was inside that it looked like the boys and I were having too much fun without her, so she got herself all bundled up again and re-joined us outside. Here is the climber turned into a snow slide and they had a blast flying down the bumpy slide and landing in a pile of snow at the bottom.
So, then came Friday. As I made some coffee and the kids watched a Scooby Doo episode once again, it appeared that things looked exactly the same outside. But by the time we had breakfast and got dressed and then got coats and mittens on, it had started to rain.
So, quick like bunnies, we took the sled out for one final hurrah! This picture totally makes me laugh. E looks just DONE with the whole snow thing. A decided to change things up and turn around in the sled - she always finds ways to make things more fun and she is usually my happy one. We did the big hill again, as the rain started to fall more steadily.
Then, on our way back to the house, I asked the kids to walk and get some more exercise because I anticipated we would be inside for the duration of this slushy icy rain-on-top-of-lots-of-snow day. E basically flat out refused, and melted down, insisting that he had to ride and could not walk. So, his sister said she would give him a ride. And she did. Wow, the power of twins. BBC lent a not-so-helping hand for about 20 seconds then let A do it on her own - she likes it better that way anyway.
This one also cracks me up, because she is telling him, "E, cross your legs! Then I can pull you better!" He is utterly thrilled that he got exactly what he wanted.
It did rain the rest of the day, so now the local news is talking about flooding as the snow and rain need someplace to go. BBC went on a play date for the afternoon, which was nice for everyone involved. The minivan is dead as a door nail, so tomorrow we will tackle the revival of the family-mobile and put the sled back in the shed. Heavy sigh from a tired mommy...
Sunday: Daddy leaves for New Orleans for a business conference for the week. A dusting of snow falls. The kids have fun at the play ground making tracks in the snow as it falls.
Monday: MLK Day. No School. I use a vacation day at work but still work. Playdate with friends at our place in the morning. Trip to store to get E some snow boots that fit because his got too small. All snow is melted.
Tuesday: Even though all snow is melted, public schools open 2 hours late. (That is 10:50 am for the non-Seattle elementary school parents who may be reading this.) At about 11:30 am, public schools begin to worry about pending snow predictions so they close 2 hours early. (That is 1:00 pm for anyone who is wondering.) I go to work at the office for 2 hours. I work for 2 hours from 9 pm to 11 pm. I sleep for what feels like only 2 hours. It was a 2 hour kind of day.
Wednesday: School is cancelled. SNOW DAY (photos below). I work from home and take breaks to put wet coats in the drier for round after round of play time for the kids in the snow. Thank goodness for neighborhood babysitting help :)
Thursday: School is, once again, cancelled. Mommy is tired before the day even arrives.
Friday: Daddy comes home, and nothing else matters.
Big snow flakes begin to fall on Sunday afternoon...
It was fun to make tracks with their bikes and scooters and the snow fell quickly.
Sunday's dusting was still enough fun for Seattle kids to go out and play in the white stuff.
But Wednesday morning's snowfall was serious enough for snowmen and sledding. Here is A's snowman - she wanted it to wear underwear and socks, and have a pink button nose.
They played in the climber and all over the yard, scooping snow and carrying snow and trying to make snow balls with mittens that are just a bit too big to allow their hands to do what they want...
A 9-year-old friend from the neighborhood offered to come be a Mommy's Helper to me this morning and play with the kids while I got some work done - here she is building a snow fort with the boys. She had ski pants - my kids are all wearing rain pants over their jeans, because I have invested in good rain pants for all kids at all times/sizes and have never invested in snow gear in any size for the once-annual snow fall we get here.
Here BBC is playing with the neighbor next door and he is showing him the line of snowballs he threw on the roof over the back fence.
After lunch and naptime, I took the kids on a ride and pushed them down some small slopes on our block - anything else would have risked possible traffic involvement or a too-long walk to other locations.
After sledding in the afternoon, we had a good snowball fight in the front yard, all 4 of us. Then A got cold and wanted to go inside. The boys and I continued the snowballs in the back yard, and also threw together this snowman.
Miss A saw us out the window building the snowman, so she proceeded to get her coat and ALL of her other outdoor wear back on (all by herself), and come back outside with us, so she could put a hat on the snowman :)
We stayed out until dusk, but BBC wanted to stay out until it was "all dark, black skies, Mom!!" The wind was gusty, though, and dinner called, so he came in. Three cheers for snow!
Today is Daddy's special day - Happy Birthday, Daddy! Last night we went out for dinner, Daddy's choice. He picked sushi. We invited the kids along, but they politely declined claiming they don't like "swooshi" (as they used to call it). It made for a lovely, quiet and peaceful dining experience at Red Fin downtown before seeing the new Sherlock Holmes movie.
He had to take an early flight today for a week in New Orleans for business, so we decided we would make cupcakes and sing to him when he gets home at the end of the week. To be completely honest, I decided it...because I couldn't figure out how to bake the cupcakes and cool and frost them and still be ready to sing before 11:30 am and after a trip to the park in the morning where we were looking for enough snow to make snow balls (which we did not find, but there is a possibility of snow in the weather forecast for the next couple of days here).
About a week ago, one night after he got home from another business trip, Daddy curled up to watch Scooby Doo with A and E (and tickle them, of course). Scooby Doo is insanely popular around here, which is a mystery to me (no pun intended) considering my two boys can get a little spooked sometimes. But they all agree on it, and anything all three of them can agree on lately is a good thing around here.
Last weekend we hosted BBC's friend, I, for a sleepover. Here are the boys playing at the park on the morning after the sleepover - it was a cold but sunny day!
I has a Great Dane named Atlas, and here are A and E saying hello to him.
Also last weekend, we went to the Apple store to pick up the Christmas gift that Daddy got me - a new iPhone. While I was getting my new phone all set up (for nearly an hour!), the kids happily played games on the iPad tablets in the store. They pick up on the games and things so quickly - Miss A made a very nice picture using a drawing game where she picked the colors and drew with her fingers. Oh, I am really liking my new cell phone - thanks, honey.
Here is me with my mama - we had a great time together this past week (although truth be told, we were not together much since I was at my office most of the time working...ugh).
While she and Uncle C were here in town, we dragged them to the usual Seattle kid-places including the train at Seattle Center where the little ones worked with the conductor.
We also stopped at the Children's Museum where Daddy and the boys built with the little Legos and Grandma and A used the bigger Legos.
A and E also had fun in the newly renovated construction room.
The kids are sad that Christmas is over and I am beginning to put away the decoarations, and actually they are trying to convince me that it really isn't over because it has not snowed yet!! They will be over the moon if we get any of the white stuff this winter. Wishing everyone a Happy 2012!
Twas the night before Christmas, and young E insisted that reindeer eat carrots *and* apples, so we left cookies and milk for Santa, carrots and apples for the reindeer, and BBC decided to give Santa one of his Peeps. He asked me if Santa likes Peeps, and when I did not know, he decided to find out. (In the morning, a bite was taken but the Peep was left on the plate - more for BBC next year, I guess.)
We opened the only presents that were already under the tree (and had been absolutely torturing BBC, who wanted to open them so badly in the days leading up to Christmas that it seemed to hurt him to have to wait) on Christmas Eve - books from Auntie R. They are a hit every time. Auntie R is the greatest!
Daddy got on the computer to see where Santa was. He found that Santa was already in downtown Seattle at the Columbia Tower - Quick!!! Lights out and into bed!! It totally worked. They crawled into the sheets and stayed put until morning.
Santa left these new stuffed animals. The big yellow one is Pikachu, from Pokemon madness that has invaded our home recently. The polar bears were gifts when A and E were born that I have been saving for them.
Some things were peeking out of the very full stockings - a Tinkerbell for A, Ash the Pokemon trainer figure for BBC, and a fireman figure for E.
On Christmas morning, the kids came downstairs to get us out of bed before checking out the living room (in fact, the zipper on A's pajamas were bothering her for some reason, so she dressed herself completely in the dark before she came to wake us up). Here are the boys and some of their new toys, a submarine and a space shuttle with launch pad:
A got Tinkerbell things, and a purple airplane, and some princess things...nice that at least the boys are not fighting over her things as well as their own!
BBC likes Pikachu, and seems okay that Santa did not bring him a video game this year.
One of the surprise hits hidden in the stockings were Lego headlamps for each of the kids. They love them - BBC wears his to help read books at night, and they all wore them today for an afternoon walk in the rain to the grocery store with Daddy and Grandma and C. Below A is wearing hers and opening her present from Cousin T in Ottawa - thanks, and Merry Christmas to all our family and friends far and near!
and here is what we are doing to get into the holiday spirit. Last week A and E were in a concert with their music teacher at preschool. E insisted on wearing his baseball hat, he tried to sit on top of one of his friends, and I didn't see him singing much. A is on the far left, and she sang her heart out in her pink dress with her tights and leg warmers. Fun times.
We built our gingerbread house this weekend, and really missed Auntie M and Uncle S with their extra hands and good dose of patience last year. BBC did the most decorating, and A did the most eating. E managed to walk the line between them and look pretty darn cute doing it. At the end the boys smiled nicely for a picture and everyone did a cheer when they were done decorating/eating.
Tonight we headed downtown to the piers and looked at the walkway of lights. A insisted (she insisted on quite a few things today, starting at 6:20 am when she woke up) on bringing her lovey and a blanket for her lovey to see the lights. Not to be left out, E brought his Tigger, which is perfect for this time of year because he has a bell inside of him that works great for adding sound effects if one is singing Jingle Bells. E declared his favorite one of the lights was the helicopter.
When we got home, our neighbors had left a plate of gingerbread cookies for us - they were fresh and so yummy!
A and E also brought home some decorations they made at school, including these oranges with cloves that we hung in the kitchen.
And last but not least, here is our Elf on the Shelf, hanging out today by our doorbell on top of a picture frame. He moves around because each night he leaves and tells Santa whether or not the kids have been good, and when he returns he picks a new spot. They have fun looking for him in the mornings, but I must say I have not seen much difference in general behavior even when we remind them the elf is watching them. These are the days we remember...I know *I* will not forget both the joy and wonder as well as the mayhem and disorganized chaos that comes with our little ones.
This year I wanted to do something a little different with our tree. We have a perpetual tree, and this year Daddy was home the night we put it up, so he helped open each branch and spread the branches much more evenly than I usually take time to do. So, the kids and I were left with the fun part - hanging the ornaments.
I wanted to do something more kid-friendly this year, because last year the ornaments that all 3 of them liked the most were the brightly colored felt ornaments that my friend, K, got them as gifts when they were small. And I liked them because nothing breaks or has sharp edges. We also got some colored candy canes (the real ones) as well as some candy ornaments, because what kids doesn't dream of sugarcanes and candy at the holidays? Wouldn't you know it, this was the year when the kids decided they were not in the mood to decorate the tree with me so I did most of it anyway - figures.
So, here are some pics of our jewel-toned and heavy-on-the-candy tree for our house full of kids:
...about Seattle at Christmas is the tree of lights on the top of the Space Needle.
