All in a Days Work

We've been working. Nate has been putting in blood, sweat, and tears (cursing) into our floor. It started last Wednesday night with the start of a few boards.... and tonight we are have the foyer done and a few more boards to do in the bathroom. What an Accomplishment!!! I am not sure how much wood is actually on the floor.... most of it seems to end up in Nate's fingers. He is full of holes from all the splinters he has picked out each finger. Nate worked through the weekend non-stop. Wait, he did stop to help coach Bubba's basketball game and then back to work. Mommy trys to help when she can. I was helping schlep boards to dad for the floor, watching our rather rambunctious children, making breakfast, lunch and supper, and planning freezer meals for the month.


Lil Miss was content having her own little cooking show while Mommy was in front of the stove cooking a tasty new recipe. Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Shells.... three pans prepared and put in the freezer. {they looked so pretty} {de ja'vu .... working, working, working}
The kids were so gracious to play and keep in the basement or in the office for the last few days, but Sunday night they were getting a little pent up with energy. I was hearing "I am Bored!" "I did that yesterday" and "No more coloring please!" so much that I had to have an intervention of fun. I took the roll of blue painters tape and started to stick it to the carpet. My children's mouths dropped when mommy was making a mess on the floor. It was about 75% of the way through before they figured out what I was doing. Bubba raced up to his room and came down with a handful of matchbox cars to have races. There were some tears and cars began to "fly" to cross the finish line first. But it cured the boredom blues.
On Monday, Mommy was aching to do something productive. Cleaning was out because any dusting or sweeping would be useless to the dirty machine that is called my husband. So I headed down to the sewing machine Monday morning with Gigi and we worked side my side.
We took a mini break to take Lil Miss to her 15 month appointment. She faired well. Our little girl is 23.4 lbs. and 31.25" long. Growing and right on track!!
Tonight I snuck away from the construction for about 15 minutes to finish my third sewing project. It isn't hemmed yet, but I am anxious for Rosie to try it on tomorrow to see how it fits. I am proud with how the Sash Dress turned out. I LOVE LOVE the fabric. I plan on getting a pattern for a petticoat to put together and have her wear underneath to fill it out a little bit more. More to come.....

I feel pretty!!!

Okay if you are wondering, yes we are still working on the construction that is our house. Disarray is the word of the day around here. We did get the foyer painted this weekend and that was a HUGE undertaking, especially when my husband and I have to work together. Let's just say we bickered. I did keep telling him I can't read your mind... and he still would just assume I knew what he was thinking. He thought I was kidding when I told him to tell me every little step. UGH... men. But we got it done. It wasn't pretty at some points when I was precariously hanging onto the ladder, which was stretched maybe a tad little too far over the banister, to trim the ceiling. Teamwork, ugly teamwork, but teamwork nonetheless. I couldn't have done it by myself that is for sure. {Our living room -- crammed with all the stuff from the foyer, closet, bathroom, and dining room)

On Monday night I got my hair done by a beginner stylist. I suggest never doing this. Her training has only been what mommy has taught her and her only clients thus far have been her dolls. (poor barbie) Tugging, twisting, coloring (I chose blue AND purple) and 30 minutes later ......

..... I was ready to go grocery shopping. Maybe not, but it had kept Rosie entertained for a while. Taking much much patience and willpower, I successfully made it through my entire appointment with out getting up and walking away. She was not keen on advice how to do my hair because I did not have a "hair certificate." Green construction paper with crayon markings scribbled on it and her signature (which she is getting really good at in cursive) apparently accounts as a "hair certificate". She had thought of everything. I had tried to avoid her doing my hair by telling her I only let certified people work on my hair. No such luck when she came up with the flimsy green "certificate".

I don't know where I got these girly girls from, but mommy rarely leaves the house with makeup ON. Both my older girls were begging for makeup from Santa this year and Santa delivered for Rosie. Uncle Neil came through for Gigi, who got her first makeup set complete with press on nails. She was in heaven!! So Tuesday we got out her OWN makeup bag and had a little mani - pedi.

When we had her nails all done and her hair all fancy, she commented that because she looked so pretty today that we should go out for lunch. How can I argue with that?? So we went out for lunch. Her request was any place with mac and cheese, so we chose Chili's. The food was scrumptious and the girls did SOOOO good. Gigi was entertained by a game thingy at the table (it was actually hard to get her attention to even talk to her mommy) and Lil Miss was content coloring. They are just so grown up!

{She's a righty!}
On Wednesday we conquered another battle... baths. Lil Miss recently has not enjoyed bath time. We kick and scream and cry when even close to the tub. This usually is followed by quickly getting her hair wet and wiping down really fast and getting her out. Last night I was a mean mommy and made her stay in the tub awhile (holding on to her and managing to keep her from clawing her way out) and miraculously after about 5 minutes she actually started to play. YEAH!!! One thing to note is that she hates running water. If the faucet is on she freaks. So we filled the tub and kept her out until the water was in and that seems to be a tad better. She wasn't all crazy about the bathtub and never once sat down in the water but it is a baby step in the right direction. This happened all of a sudden. She used to love the water and baths and then about 3/ 4 months ago she wigged out and wanted nothing to do with it. I hope this is a start to a more calming bath experience from now on. Now we can all feel pretty and clean!!!

He's HOME!!!

Daddy is home.
There were lots of hugs.
Lots of catching up on sleep.
But he is home and life is back to normal.
{eating lunch in the car waiting for daddy's plane to land!}
The girls and I went to pick daddy up from the airport. He could have drove and parked at the airport, but I thought it would be good if the kids and I all last Sunday dropped him off to see the airport and see where he was going. SO, Friday morning me and the girls went to pick him up. This was also the morning it decided to have a snow storm, a beautiful large snow flake falling at just the right density to be absolutely breathtaking if you weren't having to drive in it. The girls and I swung through the panera drive thru and headed to the airport. We had ordered a sandwich for daddy too just in case he was hungry, and was mommy right? One of the first things he said after getting in the car, after saying hi and that he missed us, was that he was starving. Picture this wife whipping out a hot bacon Tuscan chicken sandwich and being the wife of the year. YEAH! A large Pepsi was also sitting there for him to enjoy. Nate went through a little temperature shock going from 90* in Sao Paulo to 9* in the Quad Cities.

{Daddy's plane landed!!!}

It wasn't 5 minutes that he was home before he was lacing up his boots to snow plow the driveway and sidewalk. Gigi didn't want him to leave so she bundled up and went out with him. She was a BIG helper.

Lil Miss and mommy stayed inside where it was warm.

Daddy returned just in time for a nice snow storm and at least 5 inches of snow.

{Gigi making a path through the grass}

{I was amazed out well she scooped the snow. It was the most perfect fluffy snow!!!}

{making up for lost time cuddling with daddy -- fuzzy picture from my iphone but so cute I couldn't pass it up!}
The two older kids couldn't wait to get home from school to hug daddy. On our way home from school, Bubba had big plans to ask daddy to play pig outside. I was the barer of bad news reminding him that the driveway was covered in snow and it would be impossible to bounce a basketball outside today. Mean mommy! The rest of the night we just cuddled in the basement relaxed. Daddy was so tired that he was talking and doesn't even remember. It was an early night for all of us.

{this is NOT fun... painting a foyer, UGH!}
Nate didn't rest up much getting into the projects around the house right away. Currently we are in the middle of painting the foyer before he installs the wood floor. We made a pack last night that all other projects we will higher professionals for. We are so over the home projects!!!

{got the supplies...not the motivation!}

{Lil miss now has her own doo rag to match her sisters, the girls didn't want to leave her out. She pulls it off quite nicely. The girls where these to bed to keep their hair nice overnight and to not touch the cotton pillowslips that dry out their hair. }

Yesterday we took a break to watch Bubba play basketball and see Rosie cheer at a 1st grade basketball game. They did a little half time show and cheered on the sidelines for the second half of the game. She did great and was all bubbly with energy like a cheerleader should be. This is new territory for mommy since I was a basketball girl, not a cheerleader kind of girl. She loves it though!!

Therapy to help a Traumatized Brain

The brain is a fascinating thing. I could never be in the medical field because blood and pain freak me out, but I am fascinated by the brain and how it works. People have amnesia and lose their memories or even selective amnesia -- I couldn't imagine living life with a black hole where memories should be. And then there are those who have such a bad traumatic past who wish they had selective amnesia. My daughter is one of those. Our three oldest had a pretty rough childhood before they came into our family. They lost two major caretakers who had raised them, both leaving suddenly. So much loss has touched their little lives and especially our oldest Rosie, who has memories of it all. I can't imagine being in her place losing everything you loved and being placed in someone else's care. Someone who looks different, talks different, smells different, and that person whisks you away to a house that is strange and not "home". She had a right to feel unsafe and scared. But now after three years her brain is still in self preservation mode. She is just trying to survive the only way she knows how and that comes out as defiance and disruptive behavior to any passer by. But it really is the only way she knows how to express herself. As a mother you just want to protect them and take their pain away but for her we need to address these issues or things aren't gonig to get any better. Its no secret for those of us who know us personally that Rosie and I's relationship has its ups and downs. I just can't make her happy. She knew how to push my buttons and I didn't have the tools or knowledge on how to help "us". There are many a nights I go to bed crying thinking that I don't know what to do. I perceived this behavior as a defiant attitude put towards me and that it was all behavioral. While she was lashing out at me and stomping her feet and slamming doors, I was fearful for the girl she was becoming. I would give her things to help, but that didn't help. I would give her attention, but that was only temporary until I helped Gigi tie her shoe and Rosie would be upset again. So many times she would get me to my breaking point and I would find myself yelling at her... hating every word that was coming out of my mouth. And for those of you who judge.... I never thought I would be that mom. I can't for the life of me remember my mom yelling at me that's not how I was raised and there I was standing in front of my daughter yelling regretting it with every word spoken. Overwhelmed and knowing that our little battle back and forth was going no where, I called for help.... healing for both of us is on its way!

This past weekend Rosie and I went back to our adoption agency to go through a little bit of "therapy" to help start to heal her brain. All that behavior, the hoarding of food, the lashing out, the failure to communicate (are you singing Guns and Roses in your head now?) it was the only way she knew how to survive and communicate. Her survival skills before coming into our lives had taught her what she needed to survive. Now that she has us her brain hasn't learned how to let someone else take care of her and depend on a mom and dad. Her brain defiantly needs to heal and she needs to learn how to express herself especially when she is "deregulated" (nervous, anxious, scared, mad, etc.). When she gets anxious it comes out in anger or hurtful words in which I had perceived as behavioural issues and likely addressed accordingly by lecturing her (to no avail) or putting her in timeout or punishing her by taking things/privileges away. My parenting is just what I had learned from my childhood, remembering how I was parented or witnessing how my brother and sister in law raised their children. Parenting is something that you just acquire from watching people do it "right" or watching people do it "wrong". Those who you see doing it wrong you make a mental note not to do that! But every child is different. I had no clue growing up and watching someone parent being childless myself, it was easy to make a comment like "can you believe what she is doing?" or "Can't they quiet their child?" or my favorite "Can you believe her mom let her go out in that?" I take responsibility for spreading my "parenting wisdom" a few times before I had kids. I was so naive. You have no clue the history/relationship/style in which that other parent is making their family work...... okay sorry for the rant. So learning alot of knowledge about the traumatized brain from our GREAT adoption agency director was so enlightening. It was so encouraging and overwhelming at the same time. Rosie received a "toolbox" of items that she can use to help regulate and work through problems she has. My biggest concern now is using these tools in a healing way and having the time to really give Rosie the attention she needs. Sadly her brain isn't going to heal overnight and I am still learning alot and need to realize everyday that Rosie is just trying to survive with the skills that she has. It is my goal now to give her new skills to handle situations so that she can be happy.

I know this blog is a little more personal than I planned it, but I just felt the need to put my thoughts out there. If anyone can learn what to do or what not to do than I have served a purpose. Parenting is not easy. You can't read a book and get all the answers, trust me I have read hundreds of books and that has never solved the problem. It is hard to admit that things aren't perfect behind the scenes, but it is so much more important for my kids to be safe, than what other people think. Every mothers wish is that their children feel safe and loved. I have modified this wish to ask for the gift of my daughter's healing. I don't want her past to define her, I want the past to make her stronger. This may take time, years maybe, but I am doing my best to help her and will do anything for her. I think when you are waiting to adopt you don't anticipate some of the battles you have to go through. When you give birth and that percious pink bundle is placed in yoru arms you feel that they are a piece of you instantly. For me and Rosie that "moment" wasn't right away. It took her 13 days to even say the word "mom" and even then I don't think she totally understood what that meant. 46 days in from our placement I remember when she hugged me for the first time without me asking for a hug and that was a priceless moment. God placed her in my life and she has been one of my biggest blessings I only hope that I can give her what she needs.

I learned so much and I don't think we even touched the surface of her traumatized brain, but I will keep working and researching until I am blue in the face to make my daughter happy. A mother's love is stronger than anything and I plan on showing Rosie that!!! I may have been doing it all wrong before, but now I can change and be the mommy that she needs.
I hope to write more about Rosie's tools and share more about the traumatized brain,but let me see how these things go. We have been using some of the regulatory techniques for 5 days now and I see improvement.. but this is going to be a long process. It's amazing how easy it is to traumatize a brain but how long it will take to heal. The good news is that it can heal.

Shortbreads, Tag A Longs, and Samoas

Oh yes I know they aren't called Samoas anymore they are called caramel melt something or other but they will always be samoas in my heart. We are selling Girl Scout Cookies! I say this with mustered enthusiasm since I love that my daughter is doing something that she loves (Daisys) but I HATE with a passion selling things. Rosie has 100 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies to sell... 100. For a first year Daisy who hasn't done this before (and her mom who will have to help her through this every step of the way) this is a daunting task. I have tried to use the reasoning with Nate that your daughter is in Girl Scouts because she wants to be like you because you were in boy scouts... but he doesn't seem to buy it. He also has great experience of selling door to door with selling popcorn all those years through cub scouts, boy scouts and eagle scouts... that is alot of know how on how to sell door to door. Mommy has no experience. I grew up living in the country where our closest neighbors were not right next door where you could walk your little red wagon to sell some goodies. I had to do some mileage with that little red wagon if I wanted to sell something. So my mother let us sell to relatives and that was that. {I am writing this blog so my husband who reads this will feel sorry for his wife and come to my rescue and be the Cookie Selling Machine at our house} Our little girl is excited though. She took her first order via Skype tonight and she is stoked. We haven't even gotten the cookies yet and she wants to call everyone we know. Her type A extroverted personality will come in handy later in life, but this mommy is not excited going door to door to sell cookies. I am even nervous to stand at the road while she goes ring the doorbell. I am such a coward!! :-) My big motivation though is that her troop has set a goal of selling 100 boxes each and I really want her to achieve her goal and not have mommy and daddy buy the last 50 boxes. That would not be good for our new year diets!! So wish us luck on this endeavor and I will keep you posted on how this goes. I feel like she has 19 boxes sold already, that is about 20% so we are a 1/4 of the way there. (I have checked my math and think that I am accurate on this statement. :-) In addition to selling door to door not being my forte, math isn't either! LOL) So Girl Scouts Unite and let the cookie temptations begin.

Lots of willpower will be needed in the next month and 1/2 to stay away from the samoas.......

Occupado

I am still chuckling. You know there are just some things that kids say that are so darn cute!! Tonight we were skyping daddy (YEAH) and each of the kids had a turn talking to him. We learned from the previous nights that if everyone is in the same room trying to talk to daddy on the computer that daddy can't hear a word. So one at a time they came in to say Hi. At the end all three girls were on my lap saying their goodbyes
Me: "We will see you in two more days, you look very tired I will let you go. Lil Miss only wants to be held right now so I need to go find something to keep her occupied because she wants the computer and my phone and she can't play with those."
Rosie: "Mom why are you talking about the bathroom?
Me: "Huh? What do you mean?" (I was clearly stumped to what she meant... I am sure I was looking at her with a horribly weird confused look -- one I am trying to replicate to the computer right now for no apparent reason... yes, yes I am Lame!)
Rosie: Occupied means someone is using the bathroom and she isn't in the bathroom."
Me : (stifling a giggle) "Honey, Yes it does mean that someone is in the bathroom BUT it also means to keep someone busy, like your baby sister."
Rosie: "Oh, we use that word at school when someone is using the restroom and we have to wait."
Daddy -- laughing from Brazil -- "Yes honey you are actually correct it does mean someone is in the bathroom." (for those of you who know Nate well -- he DID use the word ACTUALLY -- on side note our oldest daughter has taken to overuse the word TECHNICALLY to correct us as well. Like father, Like Daughter)
Me: " That is one I need to write down!"

Oh the joys of a child's brain and the craziness of the English language where a word has multiple meanings. The has definitely put a smile on my face after a kind of blah Wednesday. Happy Wednesday everyone!!! LOL

It's true, you make our day better

Me and the kids are coping.
Wii games.
Lots of UNO games.
Popcorn for supper.
Many books to read.
20 minutes in the snow.
1 hour warming up after being in the snow.
Endless amount of coloring.
Mommy getting work done..... ZERO.
Missing daddy tons!

{Daddy and Me time}

Daddy has been gone for less than 48 hours but he is truly missed. We got to skype him last night and you could immediately see that Rosie was affected. She didn't want to come close and was quiet for a long time after we got off the computer. For a girl who has seen so much loss in such a young life she doesn't like when either Nate or I are gone for a long time. As much as she says it out loud that Dad will be back in 5 days, that doesn't mean her brain comprehends that he isn't gone for good... or that he didn't leave her for good. So by using skype and seeing Dad that is HUGE. So we tried to stay busy to not think about that too much. Before Nate left he showed the kids on a map where he was going and how long it was going to take. They got to see him pack his bags and we all drove him to the airport on Sunday. I had big plans to get lots of things done this week while he was gone, but I fogot it is alot harder when you are the only grown up in a house full of kids who need supervision. So I am lowering my expectations of what I can get done and focusing on not losing my mind! ;-) With expectations lowered I actually feel good about how the house looks (considering) and the few tasks I have been able to accomplish like completely cleaning the bathrooms from top to bottom, to organizing the girls bedroom closets. Woohoo!!!

The girls were outside playing on Sunday as soon as we got back from dropping Daddy off at the airport. Bubba after looking outside decided to stay inside where it was warm. The girls were jumping off the deck into the snow making all kinds of acrobatic moves. It was quite entertaining! When you have lots of padding and snow to break your fall it is amazing how free you can feel falling.
{making snow angels}

{hanging out with friends} On Friday night we got to see some friends for dinner. Being a Stay at Home Mom brings new meaning to seeing friends on the weekends. It is so appreciative when I get to see friends and have adult conversations and NOT argue over who is touching who, or who got more milk in their cup. The older kids stayed entertained with tic tac toe, so it truly was a pleasant night! Lil Miss and Olivia are only a few months apart so it will be fun for them to grow up with close friends like that.

After cleaning Rosie's room last week... it seems like I could do that everyday the way that girl can destroy a room, and we found some things she forgot she had. The big jar of beads was unearthed and they got busy making jewelry. The kids were adorned with bracelets, necklaces, rings, and anklets. Quite the look!

{the happy dance}
Mommy even joined in the wii playing over the weekend. This is Bubba and Gigi's happy dance after beating mommy. Video games are daddy's forte NOT mommy's.

Yesterday we made homemade pizza rolls, an idea I found on pinterest. They were awesome and the kids loved them. Next time I will have to make two batches though because we ran out of them way to fast. Nothing could be easier with pillsbury cresent rolls, turkey pepperoni, and 1/2 a mozzarella stick cheese. This is going to be a go to recipe espeically since it took only 12 minutes to make! YEAH! Got to love that!!
{new game of hide and seek}
Lil Miss is into the game of Hide and Seek. I will catch her peering around furniture to find me until I notice her and then the game starts. Also another game is stealing mommy's phone. This has become a new hobby of hers.

MOM: "Lil Miss, what are you doing? Is that my phone?"

"you mean this silly old thing? I think you are confused, this is MINE." Our little girl has learned the word MINE. Along with Momma, Dada, Dodger, baba (bottle) she now says MINE!

"I think you better go find something else to go use Momma because I ain't giving this back!!! Try to take it away from this adorable face." Yes yes she was mocking me and until she figured out how to delete my apps it was hers. Then came the tears..... Then it was on to tease another member of the household.

{Lil Miss and Dodger are becoming more of friends... here they are sharing food or maybe dodger was just taking it out of her hand.. not sure which!}

Dodger is the source of Lil Miss's attention alot. She has recently started to pet him. This is strongly encouraged by me because her other ways of playing with him involved sitting on him, pulling his tail or trying to touch his eyeballs. Fun games I am sure, but Dodger probley prefers petting as well! So as you can see we are surviving with out Daddy here... but it sure is easier with him here giving me a hand. Hurry back soon!!

Old Man Winter has come...

The kids and I have been enjoying this unusually warm January we have been having. I think all of the Quad Cities have! Yesterday when I was dropping the kids off at school there were many kids who didn't even have coats on and one of the dads picking up his kid had shorts on! Unbelievable!! But of course my kids went to school with their winter coats on and we made sure their gloves and hats were in their backpack. Yes, I am one of those moms, over protective and no fun. {Cruising in Bubba's new rip rider, and yes that is a snow white dress she is wearing. We are often found with a Tiana or Snow White Dressed little girl running errands or playing outside. Is it really worse than some of the outfits mom's put their kids in?? :-) }
Although the kids have been sad about the inability to make even one snow angel this year or no snowflakes to mash together in a snowball, they have been getting their vitamin D outdoors in the sunshine up until now.

{Bubba is determined to learn his rip stick}
Dedication is one term Bubba understands. He gets in a groove and from then on no one can convince him to do anything else. Before Christmas it was basketball, basketball, basketball. When it was warm enough he was out there shooting baskets and playing pig with whoever will play. Now it is the new rip stick he got from Christmas. Everyday he gets on it (okay he hasn't mastered getting on it yet, so he tries) and dreams of ripsticking (is that a word?). Along with this is the failure to understand that it will take a long time, maybe months, to figure this thing out. Mommy trying to show him how to do it is also out of the question. I tried while holding onto Rosetta and let's just say we hope there is not a youtube video showing how poorly I did! He catches onto other things so fast that it is very hard for him to understand why he can't get this. He gets extremely frustrated. It takes alot of patience to tell him to just practice and he will get better and better. The January weather has helped him be able to get out on it because once the winter really hits the rip stick will have to be put up for awhile.

So yesterday the kids jumped into the van after school talking about getting their snow pants out for tommorrow and being ready for the snow. Looking at the thermometer in the van reading 52* I was a bit skeptical but agreed to the kids that "yes, if it snows I will pack up your snow pants and boots to take to school to play in the snow." All the while thinking in my head that they are crazy! Because it was such a beautiful day and to keep the house clean until daddy got home (so that he would see that I DID do something today!) I surprised the kids by driving to the park to play. I was not the only parent who had this idea. The place was packed with screaming kids and parents enjoying a little sunshine. {Rosie helping push Lil Miss on the swing}

{did I mention screaming kids? I meant my kids were screaming ;-) }

{Can you tell we were having a good time?}

{Lil miss spent most of the time in the swing soaking it all in.. when I put her down to play she kept taking off for a large black lab that was on a leash}

{faster, bubba!!!}

My kids have become such great swingers... it was only yesterday that I would have to rush between three kids on swings to keep all of them equal or we would have a fit. Many days of "push me mommy!" "No, push me mommy!" "Mom, Bubba is higher than me, push me now!" Great workout for mommy! I really can appreciate the power of them pushing themselves now.

{making a birthday sign for daddy!!!}

{Lil miss got in on the action}

{time out to play with the puppy.... she instantly starts giggling as soon as he comes near}

{Not sure if she is a lefty or a righty... so we use both hands!}

{she wanted to draw on herself more than the paper... hence the no pants rule while coloring}

Last night was Daddy's birthday. I had the camera out to take pictures of Daddy blowing out the candles and opening up his gifts... but Daddy said NO PICTURES! So sadly we will not have a photo collage of our birthday celebration last night. Daddy was not feeling good at all with cold chills and overall yucky feeling so I did not get him angry by picking up my Nikon and clicking a few shots. We did enjoy a wonderfully delicious ice cream cake from Coldstone and pretty much relaxed all night. Daddy was wrapped in a blanket on the couch looking pretty miserable. We hope he gets better soon before he has to travel next week out!!

Then this morning (didn't mommy look foolish) we woke up to SNOW!!! Finally our winter wonderland that we have been waiting for. It wasn't more than 2 minutes that Rosie was out of bed before she saw the snow and then the whole house was up. I have never seen my kids (mostly Rosie who doddles in the morning taking ever minute of our get ready time to prepare for school -- while still forgetting stuff, like her glasses this morning!) move so fast through getting dressed, eating breakfast, brushing teeth, hair, and all the regular morning rituals so that they would have enough time before school to play. If only they could move this fast everyday without mommy nagging them... that would be bliss!!

{Lil miss was not so sure about joining in on the snow fun... she took one step out into the wind and snow and hightailed it back into the garage where it was a little warmer}

They had 15 minutes to play outside before we had to head off to school. Mommy was chilled to the bone and I was only outside about 2 minutes to capture a few shots. I believe Lil Miss has wind burn on her cheeks from walking outside to the van. It was COLD!! The snow is still falling as I write the blog this morning.

{waiting patiently for her warm water}

The best thing about playing outside in the snow is the HOT CHOCOLATE!!

Moments after this shot she had jumped off the deck to only land on her back and start making snow angels. My back yard is covered in snow angels... I am not complaining! ;-)

{yummy hot cocoa}

{the aftermath of playing out in the snow}

{I think this girl only wanted to play out in the snow to GET the hot cocoa!}

SO now we are sitting in the warm house with the fireplace on all nice and toasty. I hope you find some warm place to relax today too!!!