Sledding

This past week has been warm and the grass is now visible (yay!), but a few weeks ago this is what it looked like outside. You can't really see the whole view--it was a LOT of snow. This is next to our condo--a nice small hill. Last time we went, the kids were petrified. We went on a huge hill with jumps and everything, so I don't blame them. A was willing to do it this time, but Z mostly shivered and looked cute. They lasted about 30 min. Then we went swimming at Silverlake's indoor pool to warm up. :)

February Snow

This year we didn't have much snow for Christmas, but plenty this past month. We got at least a foot in just a few days one week! School closed and everyone declared to be "snowed in". Here's a glimpse into the creativity my kids have had being stuck indoors so much. They are very good at entertaining themselves lately--it's hilarious to watch.
A makes her own "house" as she calls it, and does story time with us. She also loves to do my hair with clips, as you'll see below. She took the photos of me herself. What a photographer in the making!

We. Love. Silverlake.

Monday we went to the newly opened outdoor waterpark at Silverlake. It was raining a bit but still in the 70's. We're crazy, but it was so worth it...no lines, no crowds.

The frog slide. I hit my head on the top and have a huge goose egg on my forehead.

Open wide!

These lily pads took me back to when I was a kid. And those water slides in the background? Fantastic!! The thrill of feeling young again. :)

A cold boy, ready to go home.

We love Silverlake and are so excited to go all summer long!

Memorial Day Weekend

We had a fabulous weekend! We went to the Miami Whitewater Forest in Ohio with our friends the Olsens. It was extremely humid, but that didn't stop us from havin' fun. We had a BBQ...

Discovered more flowers...

Played a little croquet.Zach hung out with his girlfriend in boy fashion, tantalizing and teasing her. She showed him who's boss. :)

Oh, wow, did these kids have energy!

This picture was taken by Ms. K Olsen, age 5. Not bad!

We got cooled off just a bit after the BBQ.

Or maybe more than a bit.

Then we had a little chocolate on the way home. Notice how it's on his foot too. :) Good times!

Learning to Ride

We've had such nice weather lately--in the 80s! Although, the weather's not so good for me right now, since I'm running my 10k on Saturday. I've been running on the treadmill since that's the only way I can fit in my workouts w/ the kids, but I ran outdoors for the first time yesterday. (gulp--FIRST time) It's so completely different. The scorching heat, no iPod (out of batteries at the time), and so many inclines made it VERY challenging! I may not be able to run the whole race, but hopefully running with good friends and having the crowd cheering me on will help.

Anyway, back to the kids. Santa got Aubrey a bike for Christmas and she's been using it indoors until now. She's got it pretty much figured out!

Go Aubrey, go!

Of course Zach had to ride his truck too.

We love having fun in the sun!

Thank you

I'm feeling much better. I woke up today feeling refreshed. Having new days to make goals and start over feels so good...and your comments sure help me out!

I just got called to be primary chorister. If any of you have some tips or resources, send them my way PLEASE. This is my first time and although I'm fine once I'm teaching on Sunday, I freak out all week worrying about what to do/how to do it. New callings do that to me. :)

The kids have a new toy from IKEA...an art easel. We really have no where to put it but I couldn't resist! Aubrey always wants me to color for her, and since we've gotten this she's been coloring herself and LOVING it. And Zachary too, of course.

Zach did the scribbles near the bottom, and Aubrey did the circles.

We have to keep an ey on Zach because he tends to eat the chalk. Art easels aren't exactly meant for 1 year olds...

December--Cincinnat Zoo

It's catch-up time! We were invited to go to the zoo with some friends to see the Festival of Lights. It was freezing cold but so fun. If we stay here the next few years, we're getting passes for sure.

Kylee, Aubrey, and Makayla playing in the sled

These three are about the same age. They need to play more often--they were having a blast!

Our family by the huge tree

Mrs. Santa read a story to us. I love Aubrey's "trying-to-smile-but-shy" look.

Boy was he glad to get out of the stroller!

Zach did pretty well with Santa.

So did Aubrey. "I want princess toys" was the theme for this year.

The carousel! Aubrey went twice and--despite almost falling off the entire ride--loved it.

Week happenings

What a fun, busy week! Doug, despite starting school last week, watched the kids for me 3 nights in a row--so sweet!

On Tuesday, Becky and I went to see Emma at the Cincinnati Playhouse. Doug did the copywork for the music this past summer, so we got some free tickets. It's supposed to go on Broadway soon. I really enjoyed the show, and the great company!

Wednesday I had YW's and we visited inactives. I made these delicious peanut butter bars.

The YW helped me discover the spider hiding in my rearview mirror all month. It would make a HUGE web every morning--should've taken a picture. They tried to kill it, but long story short--Doug killed it for me 2 days later. CREEPY.

Thursday I went to a Tastefully Simple party. It's all about buying a mix and adding a few simple ingredients, but it tastes like restaurant quality food. I really want to buy their seasonings.

Saturday was the Relief Society broadcast. I especially enjoyed President Uchtdorf's talk. It was so uplifting. It made me think of you, Natasia, and all you're going through. Hope things are looking up for you.

Sunday I was SOO excited to try these Cafe Rio recipes.

I posted them HERE. I have seen a whole bunch of different recipes floating around, but the ones I tried tasted very similar to the restaurant. There were a lot of dishes to do afterward, but it was delicious and definitely worth it.

Then I made this Peach Berry Crisp for dessert with our home teachers, the Roarks.

And good news...I got my story back from my teacher, and she said I outdid myself! I'm going to make a few changes and then send it in to The Friend. Someday, perhaps, I'll get published...but whatever the case, I've come a long way and I enjoy writing.

Now it's off to the gym for me. Have to balance all that cooking somehow! Have a good week everybody.