pirate day

It's no secret that Heidi loves school.  Due to the snow a few days were canceled and she was devastated.  They finally got to go back on Wednesday and it was pirate day.  She was so very, very thrilled.  They were learning about the letter X and went on a treasure hunt.  They did pirate crafts and played pirate games.  I love that the school has a facebook page where they post pictures and videos so I felt like I got to see her enjoy a few of the activities.  I am so happy with the school she attends. I love how they make every day so enjoyable and exciting and on top of that, she is learning a ton and starting to read!  Heidi was made for school and I love seeing her so happy when she gets home!

more fun in the snow

 We could tell by the temperatures that Monday would probably be our last day with snow.  After I did my workout for the day I told the girls to hurry and get their snow gear on.  It was nice because it was a little warmer than it had been a few days before.  We made snow angels, attempted to make a snowman, and played on the swing set.  It was a fun morning!  By the afternoon most of the snow was gone and poor Heidi was on the verge of tears.  It cracks me up because none of them showed this much interest in snow when we lived in Wyoming.  Everyone says we get snow at least once each winter, so maybe there will be another that comes before spring arrives.  I am a little relieved it is gone now so progress can continue on the house, but we made the most of it while it was here.  I like snow here much better because you know you won't be dealing with it for more than a week so it makes it a little more tolerable!

sledding

The first and second day we had the snow we used our cookie sheets to go down the little hill in our front yard.  Heidi could not get enough and would have stayed out sledding for hours if it had been possible.  Savanna wasn't that interested in trying, but I don't know if a lot of that was because she wasn't feeling so great.  Friday night Heidi asked, "Do you think one day we could get a real sled so we don't have to use a cookie sheet?"  It made me laugh.

Sunday her dream of sledding on a real sled came true.  Our church was cancelled because of the roads, which is really kind of funny, but also makes sense since a lot of people live way out on iced over country roads or steep driveways where they really can't get out.  The ice here is a whole different thing especially because of all the steep hills and every time it melts, it would freeze over again at night.  Our good friends invited us over to sled with them at their place and of course we gladly went!  Heidi and Caimbree had SO MUCH FUN!  Caimbree did not want to get off the sled.  She also got to ride back up the hill so that was extra time on the sled.  Savanna went down one time with our whole family but that was all she wanted to do.  She sat in the warm truck for a good portion of the time and was perfectly fine with that arrangement.  Maybe next year she will be more interested in sledding.  We will definitely have to get the girls a sled of their own so if we ever get this much snow again we can take advantage of it!

what's with all this white stuff?

 I was really hoping I would never see more than a skiff of snow since we moved to the south.  A cold snap came through and with it came a heap of snow.  By heap, I mean between 6-8 inches on top of about 2 inches of ice.  Everything shuts down here in these kind of conditions.  Jeff unfortunately had to go to work, but thankfully made it there and back safely.  The girls wanted to go outside so very badly all day.  Due to their coughs I really didn't think it was a good idea (mostly Savanna is who I was worried about).  Well, when Jeff got home from work the first thing he told the girls to do was get in their snow gear.  I'm such a stuffy pants apparently haha.  Thankfully Savanna only stayed out about 5 minutes and Caimbree maybe 7.  Heidi could have played with her dad all day.  Jeff had Heidi get some cookie sheets and they used them as sleds.  It was a very excited evening and Heidi is already planning what she and her dad will be playing in the morning.  I just wish they were feeling better so we could really make the most of it.  I also wish the house wasn't in the back of my mind!  They are almost done framing, but the roof isn't on so all of the snow and ice is sitting on the sub floor.  The builder ordered special sub floor that isn't supposed to warp, but I am still a little nervous...this is a lot more snow than they have ever had in this area.  These crazy winter storms seem to follow us wherever we go!

oh january

I've decided January is not my favorite month.  It seems to be the month we get the worst illnesses and the weather isn't usually very great.  This January Savanna seems to be the worst victim.  When I got home she had a fever and was diagnosed with strep. The fever won't go away and her breathing is very fast and she has a really nasty cough, which is just not typical of strep.  I am almost positive she has pneumonia but because of the weather we have been having, I am going to have to wait until Monday to get her checked out.  The doctor called in a different antibiotic when she wasn't responding to the first so I will switch her to that one and see what happens.  Poor little thing.  She is such a sweet little patient and hardly complains, which makes me feel even worse.  

Caimbree has had a little runny nose and cough, but mostly in the morning and no fever.  She has been so funny lately.  For some reason she thinks Savanna's bed is amazing and that it should be hers.  I really think she just wants to sleep in the same room as her sisters in a big girl bed.  She climbs into Savanna's bed every chance she gets and tucks herself in with a big smile on her face.  It is hilarious.  I am praying she doesn't get whatever Savanna is fighting.

Heidi has a cough and runny nose, but only in the morning...I have been wondering if she may even have allergies and not a cold.  It's a mystery, but I am getting really tired of her getting out of bed at 5:30 to blow her nose and cough for 20 minutes!  Today it snowed and she made herself a little desk area by her window where she was playing bank.  It was very cute and the perfect way to spend a day cooped up in the house!

playing superhero

 The girls asked my mom to make them superhero capes for Christmas.  I brought them home from the wedding and there have been 3 little superheros running around for the past few days!  They are having fun watching their capes fly when they run and they have been showing off a series of a "cool tricks".  Its pretty cute and it cracks me up that my little girly girls wanted capes!

the framing continues

 While I was gone, the framers finished framing the upstairs.  I was able to see the downstairs before I left and over the phone had reconfigured a bunch of things upstairs with our amazing builder.  I was so antsy to see it!  Jeff and the girls went and assured me it was great and took and sent me some pictures.  I was shocked when I got home and saw the progress!  Between Savanna being so sick and the nasty cold snap we are having I had to run in myself after Jeff was home to check it out.  I am thrilled with how it is all coming together and I am thinking we are going to love this house even more than our house in Lyman.

 It is so fun to watch everything come together and my favorite part is seeing the girls.  They are more excited than I ever imagined they would be. They talk about their rooms and the house constantly and are having a blast watching everything happen.  We are so very excited to go through this journey again!

michael's wedding

My baby brother got married last weekend.  It was a crazy time of year to travel to Idaho, but everything worked out and I am glad I was able to make it.  I am very, very happy for my little brother.  Gabby seems like his perfect match and I am glad they found each other.  I left early Friday morning and headed into a snowstorm.  The snow that day wasn't as bad as I thought it might be and the roads were okay.  My other brothers and I all met at the Salt Lake airport and rented a car to get to Idaho.  We stopped and visited my cousin Kevin and his wife on the way.  I love my cousins so much. That night there was a family dinner and I got to see most of my cousins, aunts, and uncles. I also got to meet Gabby and her family.  The food was great and it was just so much fun to catch up with people I haven't been able to visit with for awhile.

Saturday was the wedding. The weather was horrific and the roads were nasty.  Thankfully we made it to the wedding.  It was a beautiful ceremony and I loved seeing how happy my brother was.  That evening there was a nice dinner with the family from both sides.  We left super early Sunday morning.  My brother Eric and his wife Holly were on the same flight as me heading back to Nashville so that was nice.  I had such a nice time with family but I was excited to get back to the girls.  Savanna had a really high fever and sore throat (I took her to the doctor yesterday and she has strep).  Hopefully she will be on the mend soon.  We are all looking forward to having Michael and Gabby living in Detroit soon so we can hopefully see them a little more often.  The girls can't wait to meet their new aunt!

let the framing begin

I will add some more pictures to this post after I take them because the whole downstairs is now framed and the upstairs begins tomorrow.  The girls are way more excited than I even imagined.  They were so cute walking through tonight.  Heidi was excited to figure out where the windows and doors were and can't wait to see her room hopefully tomorrow.  The funny part was they have a fire going in the backyard to burn scrap wood.  Well, Savanna smelled it when we started up the driveway.  She said, "What's that smell?  Something's stinky.  Maybe someone tooted."  Gosh that girl cracks me up.  I never know what's going to come out of her mouth.  We are loving watching the house take shape!

my big girl

 These phone pictures are far from stellar, but this is the best I got of my Heidi girl after school today. She does so well at school and is such a great student.  I love how happy she is at school.  Today she passed off all of her sight words and got a prize that included a little trophy, a book, and some super cool star sunglasses.  It is bittersweet watching her grow and change so much.  She really is the sweetest little girl.  She is so helpful and is the best big sister.  Savanna and Caimbree adore Heidi and count on her to come up with all the fun games they play.  Heidi amazes me with how thoughtful she is. She gets a small treat at the end of the school day if she is good.  She never eats the treat herself.  As soon as she gets in the car she splits it between her sisters.  If she gets a treat at her dance class, she gives it to Savanna.  Today she also passed off her book and got to pick a prize from the treasure box.  I asked her what she chose and she got all excited and said, "Oh!  I picked a kazoo for Savanna!!  I know she has been really wanting one and there was one left!"  She kept telling me about how she was so happy she picked the kazoo because she loved seeing Savanna so happy playing it.  She is such a special girl and it's fun to see her continue to develop her personality.  We are so proud of our precious Heidi girl and can't imagine our lives without her sweet spirit in our home.

our first snow

 We had a very small amount of snow last night.  The girls were so happy to see a little white when they woke up this morning.  I actually think they were more excited and happy about this minuscule amount of snow than they were about any snow we ever had in Wyoming.  Watching them try to play in it was hilarious and adorable.  They were squealing and laughing and cheering.  I'm sure all of the neighbor's were awakened by their excitement.  The funniest part was watching them try to make a snow angel.  They had a funny little snowball fight and Heidi was laughing because Jeff threw some snow in her mouth.  I was very impressed at the snowman they were able to make by scraping the snow from the mat of the trampoline.  I was surprised they even got a carrot to stick!  It was a very exciting morning.  Now they are inside warming up and Savanna keeps opening the door to see if the snow is still there about five minutes.  We are thankful, at least for today, that we have the later church!

back in a routine

We have been so busy rushing around and doing things for the holidays I feel like I haven't had time to breathe and just enjoy day to day life for awhile.  This week Jeff went back to work and Heidi started dance again and starts school again tomorrow.  I decided to start a new routine of "mom school" in the mornings.  I am trying to work with Savanna on letters and learning to sit and pay attention for at least short periods of time.  They were excited for it today.  We worked on some letters for Savanna and colors for Caimbree.  Then we went and spent time jumping on the trampoline counting.  Then we came in and did some science experiments, had lunch, read a bunch of stories, and the little girls took a nap.  It was nice to just enjoy a low key day with the girls.  After naps the girls worked on their chores and helped me get dinner ready.  It really was a nice day and great way to start out the new year.  It was nice to have a break, but I am happy to be back in a routine!