Bribery... A Mother's Best Friend

The plan: Get the kids to deep clean all the areas we never get to... the end of the hall, their drawers, etc.,  AND do their normal chores.  All before dinnertime.  And NOT on a Saturday.

The reward:

And guess what?  It worked!  

The house looked amazing!  Best of all, we got to spend the night as a family partying--complete with games, treats, and pizza!  (Admittedly, I'm not as fond of Totino's pizza as I was in my childhood... but my kids needed to try a frozen pizza SOMETIME in their lives!)  ;)

Little Carrot Top

I was hoping her hair would go a deep red, but it looks like like we'll end up with a strawberry blond!

To the farm!!!

The best days in winter are those spent at the farm!  This one happened to be perfect... 20+ degrees, clear blue skies, and fresh powder!  I taught the munchkins how to cross-country ski.  They all did really well and we had an amazing time skiing, sledding, and snowboarding ALL day!  Some of us (who failed to put sunscreen on) even got a teeny bit burned!  All in all, it was a GREAT day!

Just getting the hang of it... forget those coats!!

Down we go... and fast too!  (The picture doesn't really do speed justice.)

Grandpa gave the boys a ride!

Trying to get UP the hill.  (Going DOWN is so much more fun)!

Unfortunately, James' need for speed ended with a few fantastic
wipeouts!  

Snacks on the hill.  Ellie got to sit on the sled and munch while the rest of us played!  She took a few sled runs with Daddy!

Winter is so fun!

We love sledding!  The only trouble is, the boys are usually going so fast...I hardly ever get a clear picture!

We

Rudolph and Olive

A few days ago, James was playing with puppets.  He said, "This is Rudolph and this is Olive."  I said, "That's WHO?"  "Olive.  You know--Olive the other reindeer!"  We laughed so hard!!!  I think that is a fitting introduction to James.

Just to shock you all...

Yes.  For those of you have been waiting YEARS for me to post... here you go!  However, since I decided to quit posting for questions about security and children, I will be changing all names.  So, for those of you who don't actually know us, these are assumed identities.  Sorry.  I just don't know how to go about it any other way!  And for those of you who DO know us--well, try to use the pseudo-identities if you comment!  Thanks!  I'll be posting pictures shortly... As for those identities...
1. Sam
2. Annie
3. Nathan
4. James
5. Ellie
Since those were some of the backup name options for the aforementioned, I feel it is still a good representation!  Here we go...

 Ellie.  Little doll.  Need I say more?  This child is adored beyond comprehension!

 Annie.  Super smart, super talented, and gorgeous to boot.

 Sisters.  These two absolutely LOVE playing with each other!  They really have a great time!

 Annie is always willing to teach E new things--like how to catch snowflakes on your tongue!

All of us as shepherds, wise men, etc.  Oh so fun...even if the pic is blurry!

I'll introduce the boys in another post!  After all, you should be proud I ACTUALLY posted.