Slow Winter Days...

I haven't been feeling well the last few weeks and the days have been very low key and cozy. We don't tend to go out much in January and February, between the bitter cold and lack of things to do, and the the flu raging about, we prefer to be a bit sick of each other and cozy at home, then a bit sick of each other and sick and miserable as well! We've been enjoying long cozy days of reading, listening to Adventures in Oddysey, playing with toys and watching movies. School has been pretty low key as well, lots of Reading Rainbow, books, youtube videos, coloring painting, and very little book work. It is our last year of not having to log school days and we're living it up! :)

Lots of fun and sweet moments to enjoy...Because I haven't been feeling very well Pip has been my sidekick...She snuggles right up and keeps me company and I have so been enjoying all her sweet little toddler ways.

She created this superhero get up...A cape, a winter hat, pearls, and a wand! Suuuuuper Pip!

We've been trying out some new movies too...We recently all watched Tarzan together for the first time and the kids LOVED it!!

 And while I rest Daddy Joy holds down the fort... He and Roo have lots of fun together...Roo set up her transformers helping them bake bread. :) That child LOVES Transformers, she carries them around the house transforming and playing out some serious adventures. These 2 are her newest ones she received for her Birthday a few weeks ago...

This kid LOVES to build and design things.

 

And snuggle. She's been shortening her nap down to about 30-40 minutes a day, she comes down half asleep and upset and falls back to sleep...some times with me...Some times alone..

and she falls back to sleep for the rest of her normal nap time...

I can't believe this baby will be THREE in a few days! We've been joking that it feels like she should have had her Birthday several weeks ago already, and we think of her as three...But now it is actually happening and it is hard to believe!

Birthday!

I cannot believe Roo is 7!

It has been 7 years since this was taken...

6 years since we celebrated this..

5 years since this sweet face turned 2....

4 since this quirky kid was 3...

 

3 years since we celebrated 4!

And 2 since her Puppy party turning 5!

On her actual 5th Birthday.

And then there was 6! Six was an incredible year!

She got a big 20" bike this past spring...

She grew in beauty and spunk...

It was such a pleasure to watch her grow and mature and see relationships with siblings grow and change as well...

She started dance classes and she and her sisters were endlessly entertained by putting together shows for us at home...

She went to the beach and saw new faces and places...

She got to enjoy some of the best and simplest pleasure in life...

She developed a new interest and love for science, we have so enjoyed hearing all the things she has learned and discovered!

She is learning to read and she loves to take cozy quiet times. There is some thing special about some one who enjoys sitting out on the front porch and watching the night sky...Or to read to their pumpkins, both are awesome...

Just a favorite Roo picture

This one too!

She loves to work on things and she is growing so tall!

And now She is 7... She was given some accessories for her new American Girl doll...

 She also was given another Transformer and a Magic School Bus Human Body Science kit

 It was a low key Birthday...We decided to move bedrooms around and so we were busy making the new arrangements most of the afternoon. But Daddy Joy made her a cake and we had a fun cozy dinner of sloppy Joes and cake. :)

We don't do "friend parties" except for special years (5, 10, 13....) But we still want to do some thing to celebrate. So today (the 2nd) I took her and one of her BFF's out for a skating date. They had so much fun skating and afterwards we had cake back at the house and they played with her new Transformers. 

RJ and her friend P (who is 1 month older) P's family doesn't like her picture on the internet so I opted to star it out. :)

Zipping around the rink! They had traffic cones for new skaters to hold on to and push around, they worked surprisingly well!

Happy Birthday Roo Girl! We're so very very glad you're part of our world and we love watching you grow!!

Christmas 2014

Christmas Vacation is just moving too quickly! Ryan has been off since Christmas Eve and we've been enjoying slow restful days.

Christmas Eve we decided to go ahead and attend the family Christmas party at my Aunt's house. We had kind of sworn it off because it = crazy wound up kids at bedtime and the last year we went Pip screeeeeeamed the entire 2 hour ride home...It really is only 50 minutes, but that night it also snowed several inches while we were at the party and it was a torturous and agonizing crawl home. But this year they were bigger, and we decided we would go. We had a lot of fun seeing family and the kids wore their fancy Christmas dresses and had a blast.

I have pictures from that night some where but I need to dig them up.

For now...Christmas Morning...

The Family Tree Christmas Eve...

This sweet baby just slept and slept after bouncing off the walls until past 10 the night before! We had to wake her up and even then it took some work. She is not an early riser....But still, this is probably the last year of her childhood that she'll sleep in on Christmas morning...A little bitter sweet.

Waiting to go down and see the tree and presents.

More waiting

Listening to Daddy read Luke 2 before presets.

I don't have any pictures of picture opening. Daddy Joy took tons of video and we'll be getting that up on the blog soon!

Christmas gift highlights

Roo: recieved a REAL BIG American Girl Doll (Isabell), a new awesome Transformer set (Optimus Prime and Grimlock), a music box from Great Grandma and Grandpa C, and a really cool movie maker Goldiblox set from Uncle Shane
Friendly: Recieved an Elsa Doll (Frozen), a really cool reel and spin Goldiblox set, a music box (both from people above), and  a giant Lego set.
Pip recieved a American Girl Bitty baby, a music box, some new favorite books from Uncle Shane).
We also recieved a YEAR ZOO pass to the big zoo an hour away from my Sisters K and C I wish we could go WITH them some time, but we'll definitely send pictures.  I can't wait to go (we were hoping to this break but some things came up that made it a not-good idea right now). Looking forward to TONS of trips this summer with the kids and as many weekend morning trips as we can squeeze in this winter/spring!
Animals are a huge part of our school this year and the girls can't wait to go!
It was a really big "gift" Christmas and we feel so blessed and thankful to the family, they made it so special!

And now we move onto a certain Birthday Child...7! Can you believe it?