"We'll name him Frosty..."

We got outside to play this afternoon, while huge white flakes tumbled out of the sky. Although the wind is a little brisk, the temperature is not bad. Snowballs were hurled, angels were created and a snowman took life. Claire decided his name would be Frosty, and gave him a huge kiss after he was completed. Landon was more interested in knocking him down, which we deterred by having him throw snowballs at the tree. There are several inches on the ground, and since this is probably the only significant snow we'll see this year I told the kiddos to catch some on their tongues to remember the taste. I got the "our mother has gone off the deep end" look, and then they both enjoyed a cool taste of winter! With the snowman complete and frozen fingers and cheeks, we decided we'd had enough and came in to cuddle under warm blankets and await the Shurtz family to arrive.

A Long Day...

So, we woke up this morning to snow..which is beautiful, but also means Arkansas shuts down! I mean, you'd think it was the end of the world! Actually, I think the roads really are pretty bad and it continues to snow as I write, which isn't a good sign for getting out today! We are supposed to have friends come visit today, and Claire is beside herself that they will not be able to make it. She just has to see her boyfriend, Jackson, and there is no more waiting! She won't eat, won't watch TV, won't draw, "I'm watching the snow to see what happens". Well, hopefully I'll be able to post some good snow play pics later. If Landon had his way, we'd be out in it with our jammies on making snow balls and "little snowmen". He even had to call Gram this morning to let her know his "plans" (because snowball making happened there over Christmas). I hope all stay safe in this winter weather.

A new cousin

In case you haven't ever linked over the Hooper family blog from ours, I wanted to say "YEA" because Ling is having a baby girl in June! We are so excited for them, and just to put a fun spin on it, here's what the kiddos had to say when I told them the news of girl on the way...
Claire: "I knew it was girl. So did Lucy." (very nonchalant and knowing)
Landon: (Wide-eyed and a little scared) "Ling have baby in her tummy?"
Anyway, congratulations to Hoopy, Ling and Lucy! Oh, and Ribby too, as Claire is dictating over my shoulder!

ALSO...
Claire and Landon climbed into my bed this morning (Landon at 1:00am, and Claire 8:00am) and we watched Disney Playhouse while we cuddled. It was lovely, because Landon kept me up all night. Anyway, our discussion revolved around Daddy going to work, how you learn to drive a car, how does Mickey get on TV, and what is inside corn? You see how that all fits together?

Some Interesting Tidbits

So things have been pretty normal around here lately. We've played, gone to school, and caught a cold. Life's been good for the most part. I love it when I can say that and not put a sarcastic remark behind it! Here are some things that were "cute" that happened this week...
*Landon has learned his bathroom step stool is portable, and takes it everywhere he needs to reach things in the house; and the garage. I couldn't find my little munchkin the other day, and low and behold, he's in the garage, standing on his stool at Daddy's work bench, "fixing" things. He had a drill, hammer, wrench and several other tools and he was working on a roll of duct tape. Darling, as long as he doesn't fix my truck, or anything else more valuable or less replaceable!
*Claire learned about outer space this week at school. She came home more talkative than ever...such things as: Do you know the name of the littlest planet way out in outer space? It's Pluto, like Mickey's dog!! (We're Mickey Mouse Clubhouse watchers in this house). She told me the sun was the biggest star, and that it is always shining, just not on us. That God made the Earth our home because it has water, and in her opinion, the stars are the prettiest thing God has made. Now, I don't know about you, but a 4-year-old talking about such things seems odd, but nonetheless, impressive! We love Ms. Betty (Claire's teacher), because she knows that such things are interesting to our children and can somehow make the information memorable.
*Also, Geoff had an exciting last evening. He got a super deal on new wheels for Momma's truck. I've never seen him so proud, and in awe of his beautiful new toy. Wait a second, shouldn't I be saying that about his children, or at least me? Well, you all know Geoff...I'm sure a picture will be on this blog soon. Don't get me wrong, I do like them...alot.
*As I proofread this, I realize how lucky I am to be able to write such wonderful things...and I am thanking God right now. I know that sounds mushy, but I'm feeling a bit sentimental...and you can never be too gracious.

Pics from the weekend

Weekend with Family

Our family made a trek up to Wichita this weekend because family was visiting from Virginia. Doris, Helen, Phyllis and Crazy Tommy were staying with Nana and Papa for a few days, and since we can't get it together to get to Virginia, we went a shorter distance instead. We had a blast catching up and watching the children rough up Tommy. The cousins were in true form being loud and rowdy, but had a ball! As soon as I get the chance to filter through pictures, I'll post some of the goodies. But for now, here are some memories from the weekend as discussed by our children:
*Crazy Tommy isn't just crazy, he's crazy silly! Let's have him to our house soon! (Claire)
*Helen play playdoh wit' me, Doris sing song wit' me, Phyllis play puzzles, Tommy be crazy! (Landon)
*I see Ribby-dog and Harley-dog 'gin tomorrow? (Landon)
*I miss everyone already (driving home, half asleep)...do you think they miss me? When are they leaving? I hope they have a good time...(Claire)

Keeping Busy

We've been lucky around here lately and the weather has been great for playing outside. Even with a little winter chill in the air, we were able to bundle up and go for walks, ride on bikes and scooters and even see our neighbors and play with them! However, it became quite cold (it is winter!) and so here are a few things that kept us busy when we couldn't go outside.
* Guitar Hero (a video game that helps you feel like a rock star) has become a family favorite, especially before bed.
* Landon enjoys painting, mostly on himself, but some gets on the paper! This picture was his most recent artistic endeavour. He's also exploring the world of scissors, because "Sissy snip paper, I big boy, I do too!"
* Claire made an "I Can Read" book. She drew pictures or found pictures of her favorite things, and then mommy wrote their names on the pages. This idea came from a Kindergarten prep calendar (Yes, my little baby girl will go to KG next year, boo hoo). Some of the pages included Princess, Barney, Harley and of course, High School Musical.
PS: The sleeping arrangements did NOT work, at least one night was peaceful!

Sleeping Buddies

As some of you might know, Landon has never been a great sleeper. We are often up several times a night trying to coax him back to sleep. Last night, Geoff went to get fitted for his CPAP (at least someone will be getting good sleep now!), so I had both kiddos in bed with me. As they were getting sleepy, I asked them if they wanted to sleep together tonight, instead of with Mommy. You'd think I'd offered to stay up all night! They both slept in Landon's bed, all night. Yes, ALL NIGHT! Mommy could hardly believe it, and they both woke up happy and rested and ready to go. Maybe we've found a solution to our ongoing lack of sleep...

A couple goodies...

Really quickly, I wanted to jot these down because if I don't, I'll forget to blog it later:
*Claire put Landon down for a nap, without even asking or being told. She had asked me to look something up on the computer; minutes later it was quiet in my house, which can only mean one thing: TROUBLE! But surprising, it meant my daughter had crawled into Landon's bed and was cuddling him saying "I'll stay right here by you till you fall asleep". It was darling, and she was very proud of herself when she emerged from his room.
*Landon got his hair cut the other evening at a salon. (Sorry Gram, we could not wait any longer, it was getting in his ears!) Anyway, he's been saying it for a while, but when the hairstylist put gel in his hair and combed it, he grinned at himself in the mirror and said the famous words "handsome boy".
*Claire was not up unusually early this morning, but I heard her making banging noises in the kitchen after awhile. I got up to see what she was doing and the sweetheart had her bathroom stool at the counter taking the coffee maker apart. When asked what she was doing? "I'm making daddy breakfast in bed!"
*Landon likes to talk about his day and tomorrow after his story at night. He asks several times "what do tomorrow?", until he's satisified with the answer. Tonight, he wanted mama to sing a song, so I sang, and sang, and sang. Although it was a clever stalling tactic, he knows the majority of the words to Twinkle Twinkle, Working on the Railroad and is learning Elmo's World. Even though I was exhausted and hoarse, it made me proud to hear my baby sing!

The Agony of Defeat...

Okay all you Jayhawk fans, we can take it...at least for this season. For those of you who haven't kept up with BCS Bowl games, there have been some upsets this week. And now the Hokies are added to the "upset" list. They lost last night to KU, an interesting twist on this whole messed up college football season. Jayhawks played a good game, and Virginia Tech just couldn't keep up. However, we had fun at the Daniel house cheering them on! Here are some quotes heard during last night's game:

*Don't we want the red and blue team to fall down a lot? (Claire)

*Touchdown for Hokies!! No?...raspberry, raspberry, raspberry. (Landon)

*Hold em, Hold em, Don't let them score (Mommy and Claire, with arm motions)

*Hokie bird stay home this game. (Landon, Hokie must have not wanted to watch this game because they didn't show the him on TV, just the Hawk)

By the second half, everyone was in Mommy and Daddy's bed and the kiddos were asleep by the middle of the third quarter (that should tell you how the Hokies were doing). Anyway, here are some other tidbits from our house:

* During Landon's Gymboree class yesterday, he was making pizza with his classmates. As they were getting ready to eat their "pizza", Landon started blowing on it and informed the teacher that "it too hot, help me blow".

*Claire has decided she is now the owner of "Nail Beauty", a nail salon. But beware, glitter is always the last coat before you have the option of "flowers on your big toe or little finger".

Happy New Year!

We hope everyone had a safe and happy new year's eve and day! I cannot believe that 2008 is here! We hosted a party with neighbors and new friends last night. It was so much fun to ring in the new year with families close to us! The kiddos were invited and also had a blast. All of the children in attendance, including mine, stayed up until at least midnight! Now, they were not all ecstatic about it...but everyone was generally really good and the adults were impressed. We of course were too busy to take pictures, which I regreted this morning, but the memories will last regardless. Here are a few thoughts as we start the new year:
* My family, near and far, are to be cherished and loved everyday. Even when I feel like Cinderella, I know that they ask for things from the bottom of their hearts!
* Claire and Landon want nothing more than for it to be Christmas forever. Questions and sadness abounded as the tree came down and the "boring" house starts to return to normal.
* I understand now why my parents were always anxiously awaiting the start of school after the holidays...siblings can be distructive towards each other after being around each other for several weeks...nonstop. (Thank goodness for a New Year's party when I was allowed a few drinks!) Oh yes, they are perfect angels, everyone says so...
* We are blessed to have such wonderful family and friends. Thanks for the fun, and may it get even better in 2008!