Snow Fun

Saturday morning we woke up to about 2 inches of snow, and the boys couldn't wait to go outside and play in it! They chased each other around, had a snowball fight with neighbors, and did a little sledding. 

Our Backyard Winter Wonderland

Making snow angels

This kid ate so much snow- ha! Every time I looked he had another bite of snow in his mouth. 

Our Long Weekend

Our long weekend began with a birthday party for Caleb's buddy, JJ, at My Gym. JJ had an awesome Lego Iron Man theme, and the boys had a blast playing with their friends. (Luke likes to think he is in first grade, and thankfully, all of Caleb's first are really sweet to him and let him tag along.)

Saturday Caleb went to his buddy Jackson's party and then went home with the Dursts afterward. We decided that what happens at the Dursts, stays at the Dursts. Or not really. ;)

Ice cream after church- yum! 

Sunday night the boys camped out in the playroom for the first time. I think we may see sleeping bags in there many, many more times over the years. 

Sunny and mid 50s...Yeah! 

Luke was thrilled to play in his sandbox for the first time in what seems like forever. Unfortunately he decided to fill his pockets with sand (my little hoarder!) and we are still finding sand places it shouldn't be.

The first package arrived!! 

The boys have been so excited to get their first package from Marshma and Papa, and have been checking the mailbox since the day they left. Ha! We are already missing them so much and can't wait for April to get here!

Speech

Early last fall, a note came home about a speech competition at school. Caleb decided that he wanted to participate, and worked at memorizing a poem. The first week back from Christmas break, Caleb recited his poem for his class. Then, last Friday, he said his speech for the judges, elementary aged students, and parents. 

Before the competition

(I was a nervous wreck for him but he was cool as a cucumber!)

  

Caleb did a fantastic job reciting his poem about boats. He was loud, spoke clearly, and was even animated.

We are so proud of him! To speak so well (at the age of 6!) in front of so many people...I couldn't have done that! He was actually invited to represent his school at a statewide competition in Frankfort in March, and regardless of if he chooses to participate or not, we couldn't be more proud. :)

Gymnastics

Last week Luke started a weekly gymnastics class and loved it! While he seemed to enjoy the structured part of the class, the "free time to explore" the gym was probably his favorite. 

He learned to walk up the wall and flip over the bar,

took two turns on the zip line,

"Hey Mom! Look at me !"

and practiced walking on the beam.

Recently...

Last weekend Creed and Caleb (and Grandma Kathy) went to WV to ski for a few days. That meant that I got some serious Luke and Mommy time. We watched movies and cuddled, and there were lots of play "school" and play "office."

At first, little brother wasn't too happy that he didn't get to go to WV with Caleb, hence his expression here.

That face lasted only a split second, thankfully!

Luke was actually thrilled because with Creed and Caleb gone, it was finally time for him to get to sleep with Mommy. This was the first time he has slept in our bed (since he was like 5 days only) and he did great! And, I loved snuggling with him too!!!

On Saturday we went to a gym to celebrate cousin Reagan's birthday. Every single picture I took of Luke is blurry since he was constantly in action. He was a hot, sweaty, happy mess!

Happy Birthday, Reagan!

Because... sometimes...you just need Oreo ice cream with a brownies, whip cream, and sprinkles.

Our dining room was recently converted into an army battle scene. You should have heard the sound effects coming from in there. Quite realistic!

 Luke's favorite Star Wars ABC book...

Because how many times does this happen? ;)

He always says "L is for Luke! That's my page!"

More Fun at Christmas

We love having family stay with us the week of Christmas. It makes things so much more fun!

This year, Hallie Girl got in on the wresting matches.

She also enjoyed snacks that were "accidentally" dropped. 

The boys got the flying Hot Wheels car/plane thing and Uncle Drew took them outside to figure it out.

It actually worked great and went really high on a full charge, but it was a slightly windy day, so we spent some time getting it out of trees. :)

Indoor crazy sand is actually really messy and should probably stay outdoors. ;)

Caleb loves his Wii, and while Hallie wasn't allowed on the couch, this is how I found them one evening. 

Our House Divided

We went to Marshma and Papa's house to watch the big game. At least some of us were happy with the outcome. :)

Hallie went on lots of walks over Christmas week, and practiced her duck hunting skills in the open lots at the back of our neighborhood.

Wrestling matches with Uncle Matt are always lots of fun. This is one of the reasons that my boys play rough. (The other two reasons are called Uncle Drew and Uncle Luke.)

 We waited until Saturday evening to open presents at Marshma and Papa's so Bennett could be there. He is just too precious!

Fireman Luke

The boys loved their air hockey table, although it causes serious arguments. Luke doesn't keep score right (big surprise) and that drives Caleb crazy (again, big surprise.) Ha!

The new set of Tinkertoys was a huge hit. The boys love them! I love hearing the stories they create about the things they make. I think Luke's was some kind of machine that keeps lava away. :)