Something's Not Right...

Can you tell what it is?

Yep. Her pants are on backwards... Love that girl.

Playing in the Snow

We had a ton of fun playing in the snow with my family while they were here. The kids didn't get enough "snow time" sledding so we headed out for more the next day. They attempted to build a snowman but the snow was too dry so they settled for snow angels and pathetic snowballs. We even managed to get a few cute pictures of Kel and the Ladies before everyone was too hammered from the snow.

Gracie striking a pose.

Abby.... she reminds me of myself when I was her age. :)
Papa with Carter, Abby, and Addilyn.
Little Miss Addi-cakes.
Kel and the Ladies.
I love this one.

Carter Loses a Tooth

Last week while I was at a church meeting Carter decided he needed his tooth pulled. For some reason that kid is NOT scared to yank out his teeth. The first one was during sacrament meeting about a month ago. He leaned over to Bryan and said, "Dad, this loose tooth it REALLY bugging me. It needs to come out NOW." So, off to the bathroom they went where Bryan yanked it, got blood on his shirt, and used the excuse to go home and check the scores... I mean, change his shirt.

So, fast forward a few weeks and he needs the accompanying bottom tooth yanked. This is a time it comes in really handy to have a dentist for a dad. Bryan put topical anesthetic on his gums so he would be numb. I told him we should record it so we could send it to his mom. I'm glad he did since I missed the first (and now second) tooth coming out.

This video just cracks me up. I think it's so funny that it takes Dr. Daddy THREE tried to get the already-loose baby tooth out. And Carter didn't even wince. What a tough kid!

(Remember to scroll down and pause the music so you can hear the video.)

Sledding

A few weeks ago my parents came up to visit with Kelly and the Ladies. It was SO much fun to have them up here (and it made me realize just how small our apartment is. No house guests for us right now. (They were kind enough to get a hotel). The weekend was filled with games, shopping, TONS of junk food, and not enough sleep. The Ladies had never seen snow so they prayed and prayed and prayed for it to snow while they were here. Well, prayers answered. We got DUMPED ON. (It probably wasn't that bad but for us San Diego natives, it was considered "dumping".) Although it was pushing 10 degrees we took the kids sledding while Kelly was visiting Bryan at work (fun fun!). We had a BLAST! I don't know where any good sledding hills are so we just went to a neighborhood and went down a hill there. You would have thought those two little girls were born and raised in the snow the way they were cruising down the hill. It was hysterical. Can't say the same for my kids. We even got a few trains going so I could get in on the action.

Me, Carter, and Abby. We really got moving... and I ended up with a VERY snowy and cold tooshie.

Carter and Mommy. We lost Abby about 1/2 way down the hill.
Staypuff Marshmallow Preslee.
Carter coming down.
Addilyn holding on for dear life.
Gracie showing us what she's got.
Pre-sledding. At least the sun was out. Even with the sun, it was still SO cold!! (Abby, Addilyn, Gracie, and Carter.)

Wind Chill

This place it cold. Cold I can handle... wind chill.... that's what gets me. Colorado Springs has wind that takes your breath away. Like, completely away. Gone. No more air in your lungs. COLD. But, we are trying to make the most of it. Before a big storm blew in (and by that I'm not referring to my family, who showed up with the storm) we headed to the park. It was warm enough; at least 35 degrees (hey, "warm" is relative) so we gave it a go. We lasted promptly 5 minutes before we were all running for the car. Correction: Carter, Addilyn, and I were all running for the car. Preslee couldn't see where she was going because of her hat so she just wondered aimlessly until I grabbed her. All in all, we had fun listening to music to and from the park, taking a few pictures while we were there, and warming up with hot chocolate and marshmallows when we got home.

Sad Goodbyes

My wonderful in-laws were kind enough to help us move. Bryan's mom drove up with the kids and me (no small feat). She stayed and helped up unpack for nearly a week. She nursed us all back to health when we ALL caught the flu while she was here. (Quick side note: Carter got a bad case of diarrhea the morning we left, Preslee threw up all night long in the hotel in Albuquerque, Bryan got sick the night we got here, and Addilyn and I just got a little nauseated but no puking for us- phew!)

The rest (well, almost everyone) came up for Thanksgiving weekend (we moved here the weekend before) so we got to see most of Bryan's family. I love them. They are so fun. No drama. Everyone gets along. They are just such a breath of fresh air. I have a master plan to get them all to move here. Shhh. Don't tell.

My kids ADORE "Antimoni". Aunt Naomi has become one of their most favorite people in the world. They literally love her more than they love me (but I don't hold it against her; she IS pretty darn cute.) When they see her, they RUN, shrieking to her. All three of them. Preslee is no exception to this. They just love to be with her. Spend time with her. Talk to her. Tell her all about their days. Anything. Anything at all they can do with her, they will. And she returns the affection fully. My kids are TOTALLY her favorites! (That's right. I said it.)

But I digress. When it came time for Dru and Maureen to leave hearts were breaking all over the place. I knew it would be hard. My kids love all their grandparents (they are SO lucky to have 4 very interactive grandparents) but they are use to Dru and Maureen being around. They are use to seeing them at the very minimum once a week. Usually more than that. As they were putting on their coats to leave (to this day I can't believe my dear mother-in-law held it together) Addilyn hung onto her leg, sobbing "I don't want you to leave. Don't go! Don't go!" My heart broke into a million pieces. I can honestly say that was one of the few moments that I thought, "Are we doing the right thing?" Carter had his meltdown the night before when Grammie tucked him into bed. And Pres, well, I don't think she knew it was coming.

The Wyeth's have been so awesome about Skyping every Sunday. They get to see and talk to the kids on the computer. (And my kids get RIGHT up to the screen.) They have been emailed over a million videos from me... but I know it's not the same. We miss them so much and I know the bond they have with all three of my kids will never waiver or weaken. Plus, we have prayers daily for them to all move up here.... and prayers get answered. Maybe they should start packing. :)