hands on children's museum

natalie was out of school on monday, so i wanted to do something special with the kids. we've never been to this museum before, and i knew the kids would love it. i was right :)

working the cash register

and

shopping

in the grocery store room

natalie's turn at the register

dressing up as firefighters and playing on the firetruck:

riding in the police car:

there was a lot more to play with, but these were their favorites.

the park! (again)

we just love this new park so much -- i feel like we are there all the time! that's fine by me though. and the kids certainly aren't complaining...

playdate with heather, logan and lauren this week:

why do kids find mulch so fascinating???
cute, natalie... i'm sure lauren appreciates that :)

the park is less than 5 min. down the road from our house and has an awesome equipment set up, but there is just one thing i wish they had... BATHROOMS! okay, also maybe one more shady tree, too. although the temps are still mild, when the sun is blaring down on you, it tends to feel like a mid-summer florida day, which is: unpleasantly HOT.

weekend pics

these pictures are from this great new park we discovered. it was so awesome that we went back the very next day with our bikes. the weather was absolutely perfect this past weekend. in the 60's gorgeous and sunny. of course beautiful weather like that doesn't last long these days. the temps dropped drastically and we were thrown right back into our miserably cold winter. i can't say that i am looking forward to the heat of the summer, but i sure can't wait for spring!

natalie asked me to take pics of her on top of the "rock" that she climbed because she felt like Princess Ariel (disney mermaid)

i swear this boy is going to be a future chef. every time i'm in the kitchen, he's right there beside me--or behind me, with his stool, insisting and ready to help. as frustrating as that can be for someone like myself, a self-proclaimed Miss Independent in the kitchen, i do my best to show him patience. not only is it great bonding time for us, i also find that i enjoy explaining things to him about what we're doing -- it makes me feel like i'm on a cook show :)

so currently we (with the exception of little russell) are fighting off nasty colds. it must be the radical and numerous weather changes here in jacksonville because so many people i know are sick as well, including my poor friend heather who has can't seem to shake off a month long cold. it's hard getting rid of germs when you have kids who bring them home and then you end up passing them back and forth, etc. etc... SO ANNOYING.

i really need to get back into the habit of updating this blog more often. there has been a lot going on that is almost too involved so i didn't feel like mentioning in on here but i do miss making my updates. and i hope you have missed them too :)

well, i'm off to watch some olympics and then to try and get some rest -- this cold is really doing a number on me.

love to all!

valentine's day...

-- after enjoying our romantic homemade chinese rice/beef broccoli valentine's dinner, we devoured this red velvet cake with cream cheese icing valentine's desert

...here's hoping your valentine's day was just as simple and sweet as ours :)

tooth #2

random photos

saturday was a rainy day. instead of staying couped up at the house, we took a trip to the mall. both natalie and daddy needed haircuts so we got that out of the way...

before:

after:
(3 inches cut off, making it SO much easier to brush now!)

she was happy to get her hair cut, by the way

sunday was a cold day. after church that morning, we wanted to take the kids to the park but thought it might be too cold to enjoy it. instead we decided to start a fire and make some hot chocolate. the kids love drinking a cup of hot chocolate and they sit in the black chair right next to the fireplace to really enjoy the moment.

watching the fire:

russell using his new yankees towel tonight:

(thanks grandma & grandpa!)

and here he is wanting to take it off LOL

HAPPY MONDAY EVERYONE!

friday, january 29th

also known as, my better half's birthday :)

that day natalie's class was bringing their Letter "P" week to a close by celebrating with a Pajama Party and making Pancakes. she was beyond excited and was looking forward to this day all week. here are some pics i took before i dropped her off at school...

while natalie was in school, i met up with russ at church downtown and then we grabbed lunch at one of our favorite sandwich shops. little russell was excited to see his daddy for lunch and enjoyed having his mommy and daddy all to himself.

waiting for lunch:

that night my family came over for some cake and to celebrate russ's birthday.

russell attacking titi celena:

singing happy birthday:

the birthday boy--err--old man

little russell is an expert at fixing his daddy's cup of coffee: natalie enjoying her cake: