Snow Days

I enjoy a good snow and if I have things to keep the kids busy with our extra time at home is usually pretty fun. This week we had three snow days which meant I had to find something to keep the kids occupied with or they would fight all day!

Thankfully the boys love to be outside and will brave most Iowa weather. Amelia is more of a "fair weather" gal but will join in on the fun if the whole family is outside.

We won a Wii last winter that didn't get much use until we got Super Mario Brothers and MX vs. ATV for Christmas. Now it's become a fun family time for us during cold winter evenings and snow days!

Amelia brought home a marshmallow igloo from school and Elijah thought it was the best thing EVER! This was another fun and easy craft for them to make on a snow day!

Wal-Mart always has gingerbread houses 75% off after Christmas and for a couple bucks the kids have an easy project to keep them busy for a while. Hmmm, looks like we're missing a few pieces of candy. No doubt that Anton saw a few others snitching candy throughout the day! :)

Mark has been teaching Ethan how to clear the driveway with his skidloader. We don't have livestock to take care up and thought this would be something he could learn to have a little responsibility. I agreed this would be fine on one condition, they have to rake all the gravel out of the grass this spring. :)

The other kids stuck in the house to watch the snow removal lesson.

We attempted another snow day project, making suckers. I found two recipes, one using the stove top and a candy thermometer and the other the microwave. I opted for the "easy" microwave one. Our first batch was going great and I was very pleased, until Amelia asks if it's supposed to be tuning orange. NO ITS NOT! So the first batch ended up a smoking mess that I dumped in the grass. Our second attempt went better, but we didn't quite hit the hardball stage so they got a little soft when you ate them. Overall the kids enjoyed them which is what counts, but next time we'll use a thermometer!

Our last winter day craft was doing paper mache` the kids hadn't tried this and loved the goopy mess they got to play with! We made our own paste out of flour and water which was easy and worked well. We did have a little boil over while making the "paste" when I left to change Anton's diaper, but other than that it was a success! The kids will paint their creations soon!

January Pictures

We've had a good start to 2011! Below are a few random pictures of the kids from the past couple weeks. We're thankful everyone has been healthy and well this winter!

The kids love being pulled on their sleds. Normally, I like to pull them behind the 4-wheeler so I can see them, but it doesn't like to start for me. The Ranger works fine and Elijah keeps an eye on them for me. Believe me, he lets me know if someone falls off!

Anton likes climbing in cupboards anytime he gets a chance. In this picture he's inspecting daddy's "professional" pumping job. ;)

Elijah loves to pretend that he's riding a motorcycle. He runs a figure eight around our house making engine noises as loud as he can. In this picture he found a pair of Amelia's old sunglasses, which are his " racing goggles".

We got the kids a portable DVD player for Christmas. Amelia didn't like her brothers bothering her while she was watching a movie, so she found a cozy spot under Mark's desk to hide.

Elijah, I can still see you! You'll notice that Elijah doesn't seem dressed appropriately for the season. For whatever reason he thinks he doesn't need to wear clothes.

Amelia what a cute baby you have!

Well there's a good place to hide while you eat candy you aren't supposed to have!

Mark's Phone Pics

You probably won't find Mark hauling a camera around taking pictures, that's my job. :) But occasionally he does take pictures or videos with his cell phone. Recently we put them on the computer so I thought I would post a few. Some of them are a few years old so I'll put the date with the picture when possible.

Ethan around age 4 showing his "mud buddy" creation.

Amelia around age 3 eating supper.

Heading into the OB Dept. to have Anton. Wow, I was big! 2/11/10

Someone got the tractor stuck putting on anhydrous. :)

Spring of 2009.

Another view of the situation.

Mark helped sand bag around the water treatment plant during the floods, I think this was the spring of 2008.

9/19/09 Amelia and I painting the barn from the skid loader bucket. I'm around 5 months pregnant with Anton in this picture.

6/5/10 - Six years ago our pond was overloaded with little bass. We decided to stock the pond with bluegill and a few other fish so that the bass would have something to eat and hopefully grow. It worked we now have some nice sized fish in our pond!

My Personal favorite. :) 9/16/2010

Mark had to dig a guys skid loader out of the mud with his track-hoe. I think someone should have called for help long before this point! :)

Winter Fun

I know there are lots of people out there who complain about our cold weather. But Iowa winters just aren't fun unless you have snow and ice to play in! I'm so thankful to live in an area with four distinct seasons! Some of the kids' favorite winter weather activities are being pulled behind the 4-wheeler or Ranger on sleds, building snow forts and tunnels and ice riding on the pond. Mark put ice screws in Ethan's dirt bike tires and he's having a blast! He loves to be apart of what the big guys are doing!

After spending 40 minutes getting all four kids bundled up and driving over to Grandma's, this is the sight I saw. The guys just finishing up for the day. Bummer we just missed watching them!

Ethan zipping around the pond.

Amelia likes to get in on the fun too!

Amelia's 3-wheeler died, so Grandpa gave her a push back. It's a 1983 model so I'm not sure how much life it has left! :)

Anton isn't too fond of his snow clothes, and for good reason. Every time I set the poor kid down he tipped right over. :(

A boy happy to be outside enjoying the weather!

Christmas 2010

It's been a busy week filled with cooking, cleaning, family get-togethers and church services! It seems we've been in and out of the truck all week, and this week looks to be much of the same! We're very thankful to have most of our family close, so that we can see everyone during the holidays!

Dressed and ready for the Sunday School Program at church.

Amelia couldn't wait to wear this pretty dress from Grandma VDB!

Do you have enough help opening your present Anton?

Ethan loved putting his Lego combine together!

So glad my kids aren't the only ones that do this! :)

We love you Logan!

Amelia likes dressing up dolls, and had fun making a little closet out of a box for all of these dresses.

Alex sporting his new John Deere fur hat!

I think he "accidentally" left it at my house. So if you join us for some sledding sometime soon you may find me wearing this furry hat! :)

Horsing Around

Here are a few pictures of the kids entertaining themselves. We only have a couple days left until school is out for Christmas break and I will get to do a little more entertaining! Ethan is especially looking forward to a break from school! He is very excited to help Mark and be outside! We also have several Christmas gatherings planned, a overnight hotel stay in IA City, a birthday party and hopefully lots of outdoor fun in the snow or at least on the ice!

Amelia proudly showing me her snowball.

Amelia & Ethan thought it was hilarious to throw little snow balls on the roof. They would watch them roll down, getting bigger and bigger before falling off the edge.

I love you my sweetness! Kiss, Kiss :) Anton LOVES cats and I think they love him too!

I'm not sure why our kids like to play on the stairway, but they do. Now that Anton climbs the steps I have to keep an extra watchful eye on them!

Anton at 10 months

It seems like the more kids you have, the faster they grow up! At least that's the way it feels in our family, Anton is 10 months old already! He continues to grow and grow, and is quickly catching up with Eljiah. I'm guessing he's around 22 lbs already!

Balls of any size are a favorite for Anton. He especially loves to play catch!

He loves to eat! But the poor guy is gumming everything, still no teeth!

Anton is my first kid to ever mess with the Christmas tree. He knocked it over once right after I got it set up and twice the next morning after it was decorated. I tied to the ceiling with a bungee cord that I hooked to a plant hook.

We have 5 cats and Anton loves them! He's even started kissing pictures of the kitties in this book. It's SO cute!

He's an outdoor kid for sure! Most kids will bring you shoes to show you they want to go outside. Anton just tries to put on a hat. :)

What a mess maker! Pulling out bags, emptying out drawers and cupboards, unrolling the toilet paper, dumping toys out of the toy box..... to name a few. :)