Snow Day

Some days, as a mom, are really hard.  Others are fantastic.  This was one of those "fantastic", amazing, wonderful days.  A couple weeks ago, St. Louis finally had a good snowfall.  By good I mean good enough to make a snowman.  People from Utah and Idaho would probably laugh at my definition of a "good snowfall" but it works for me. We hurried and ate breakfast as quickly as we could.  I tried desperately to get Daniel to sleep because I wanted to go out and play too.  ;-)  It seemed to take forever to get the kids in snow clothes.  Since we don't actually own any snow clothes, we just put two or three on of everything.  Two pants.  Two socks.  Two or three shirts.  Then there were the hats, gloves, scarves, and boots.  Finally, we were ready. 

It felt magical.  We just couldn't get enough of it.  Luckily, it wasn't too cold which made it all the more fun.  Anna plopped right down on the snow and started making snow angels.  Then we rolled some big balls for a snowman and decked him out in a hat and scarf.  Our neighbors headed down to the front of out complex where there is a big hill.  It's perfect for sledding.  Growing up in the South, we only had a few snowfalls that I can remember.   We would use lids of trashcans, toy boxes, or storage bins as sleds.  It doesn't work wonderfully but definitely good enough.  We still don't own a sled so we grabbed the lid of our toy box and took off.  Luckily, one of our neighbors did have a sled and was kind enough to let us go down a few runs. I felt like a kid all over again.  Everyone was having fun and laughing and smiling.  It was a wonderful morning.  I hope we get one more snowfall in before the winter ends.  I also hope that I never forget the morning I got to spend with my kids in the snow. 

This is our sweet little neighbor, Julieanne.  We adore her!

There she goes.  She giggled the whole time.  ;-)

LOVE her!

We don't have any boy beanies.  This is a beanie I got at a BYU game for free when I was in college.  I had to keep pulling it up from off his eyes.  Other than that, it worked out pretty well.  He sure looked cute in it. 

We've been singing the BYU fight song for their bedtime song every night.  Watching them say the "rah rah rah rah rah!" part at the end is the cutest thing.  I'll post a video of it soon. 

Ta-dah!

The snow was perfect for Andrew because he could throw it all he wanted and it didn't get him messy or hurt anyone else.  Maybe it should snow more....

Sledding on the lid.  They loved it. 

Here's the real sled.  It was so, so fun. 

Even falling off was fun for these sweet girls. 

Here's my sweet neighbor Jenna and her daughter. 

Anna learned the art of rolling down the hill.  She loved it.

I turned my brightness up on my camera, apparently way too high.  Oops!  But look at that little face.  Still darling. 

Here is my other neighbor with two of her boys.  I am so lucky to be sandwiched between these girls.  They're so wonderful and a big help to me everyday. 

Little Sam.  He and Andrew are buds. 

I even got to go down with the kids.  I could do it all day. 

When we finally went inside, I got some warm treats for the kids and let them watch a fun movie so they could rest.  It was just a perfect morning. 

Dan in Real Life

For the record, we only call our little man Daniel, not Dan. I love this double drool drip.  I just can't get enough of this little man.  He is my little sweetheart!  This is mainly just a picture post of Daniel so enjoy.

 I literally squish his legs all day long.  Can you blame me?

 Daniel is our centerpiece at dinner every night.  He loves his bumbo, and we love to eat hands free.  We plop him in the middle of our table, and he just soaks it all in.  Daniel has really taken a liking to his big sister.  He LOVES her.  Anna can get Daniel to laugh better than anyone.  Seriously!  It's darling.  They already have a great connection.  I love it. 

 I was worried about how it would be cooking and getting everything ready before Josh gets home and having three kids.  It has surprisingly been fine.  Daniel is definitely not the one making me want to pull out my hair.  He just sits in the corner in his little seat and watches me cook.  I love to talk to him or sing while we cook together.  It's fun.  I know it will only be a matter of time before he gets too squirmy to put on the counter.  I'm sure the task of getting dinner ready will get much harder then.  Until that day though, I'll enjoy hanging out with my little man in the kitchen. 

 When Daniel is tired, there is no stopping his sleeping.  He'll just fall asleep anywhere.  It's changed a little since we let him cry it out.  This was taken several weeks ago.  I sure am going to miss the little baby phase.  There are few things that I love more than snuggling with my little bundle of joy.  As a mom, it's the best. 

 This is Daniel's little friend Lizzie. Isn't she gorgeous?  They are just a couple of months apart.  We loved having a little play date with them a few weeks back.  She's a doll. 

One Step Closer

 Big news in the Lee household.  Josh just proposed his dissertation last week.  Yay!  I wish I could have been a fly on the wall and seen him in action.  He said it went well.  We plan to be finished next year and this is just one step closer, a big step.  We were all so proud of him.  PhDs sure are a lot of hard work.  If you know Josh, you know he's a hard worker.  This program has stretched him and made him an even harder worker.  He wakes up at 5:40 every day to start his day, comes home by 5:30, plays with the kids for a couple of hours, then on many nights spends the rest of his awake time working on his research as we watch TV or whatnot.  He works a lot on Saturdays too.  If anyone deserves a PhD, it's this guy.  I'm so proud of all he does and his example of determination.  It's going to be a happy day when he walks across that stage. 
The kids knew it was a big day for Daddy.  They surprised him with some candy and a note that they all signed with a tracing of their hand.  They were screaming when he got home to hurry and open his "present".  They are so sweet with their daddy. 

 

Anna Turns 4!!

 Our sweet Anna celebrated her 4th birthday this past month.  Oh, she was so excited.  Andrew couldn't be more upset that it wasn't HIS birthday.  We loved celebrating her all day long.  She truly is the sweetest, most thoughtful little girl I've ever known.  The other night at dinner, I said something about my food being too hot and it burned my finger.  Josh was in the kitchen doing something at the sink and Anna went up to him to ask for a towel.  He asked what she needed it for and she responded, "So that Mommy doesn't burn her hands."  I thought it was so sweet.

On Saturday, Josh wasn't feeling well, so I let him sleep in.  I told Anna and she suggested we make him breakfast in bed.  I let her choose what we'd make to surprise him.  She wanted to make him cream of wheat and orange juice.  We brought it to him on a tray, and she spent breakfast time in bed with her daddy.  It was so sweet.

We love this little princess so much.  And let me tell you, she truly is a princess.  I wanted a girly girl, and I got the ultimate one.  She loves everything pink, pretty, clean, and organized.  She begs me to take her shopping and loves to twirl in the dressing room in her clothes.  She's a little mommy, always taking care of everyone.  She's always trying to do the right thing.  She doesn't have a rebellious streak in her at all.  She loves to be complimented on her good qualities.  She thrives in her preschool class.  She impresses us with her sweet prayers.  We love her.  Happy Birthday Anna!

The other above picture is her at breakfast with her "4" pancake.  The kids discovered how delicious strawberries and whipped cream are on pancakes.  So, we went all out and gave her the full sha-bang.  On our birthdays, we generally go out to eat.  Anna was smart enough to remember this tradition and asked where we were going out to eat.  We told her she could pick and of course, she picks McDonald's.  I'm not really a fast food fan but anything for the princess. 

 Could she possibly look any happier?  Love her!

 Me and the boys. 

 Love, love, love him.

 Anna also got celebrated at her school.  We sent in cupcakes and she got to make and wear the birthday crown all day.  She loved it. 

 My pictures are out of order, (urg blogger!).  This is how we spent her birthday morning.  We sent her on a scavenger hunt to find her presents.  There is no one, and I mean no one, who loves a scavenger hunt more than this girl. She loved it.  We ended up in the kitchen where her presents were.  We got all of her presents at a consignment sale for super, super cheap.  I don't know if I could ever buy toys at full cost.  It was a win win all around.

 Cute little easel. 

 Princess dishes from Granny and Grandpa. 

 We found this darling doll house at the sale.  She loved it.  A few weeks later, our friends gave us a princess castle that's even bigger than this one.  She told Josh, "Daddy, I like my doll house but I LOVE my princess castle even better!".  Cool. 

 Doesn't he look cute. 

We had a very small birthday party for Anna.  We just made some cake and cupcakes and sang.  That was about it, but it meant the world to Anna.  I'm a big believer in keeping things simple.  Simple is best.  Lots of decorating and such is awesome but the parents get more out of it than the kids, at least at this age.  Perhaps when she's older I'll be whistling a different tune.  Here are some pics from her get together.

Oh, no one loves this girl like me.  So glad she's mine. 

Waiting for friends to come over....

Singing "Happy Birthday". 

Blowing out her candles.  She loved her birthday, and I loved celebrating with her. 

Anna also started primary this year.  She missed it last year by less than two weeks.  So, she's the oldest in her class and LOVING it!  Her teacher is Sister Jones, and she adores her.  This is her on her first day of primary.  Not really in the smiling mood....

I found this little blazer that my friend Danica gave to us a while ago.  I forgot we had it.  I'm so glad I found it before Andrew grew out of it.  I think it's darling.  He loves to wear his jacket "like Daddy".  We have church at 12:30 and he's begging me to put it on by 8:00.  He likes to be like his dad.  I think he looks so cute.

Whew, you made it to the end.  ;-)