It Snowed Again

The view from our front window

Usually by mid February we have had our fill of snow.  However, this year, this was the first KC snowfall to reach over an inch.  The kids were really excited that we had a decent amount outside.  I was less excited but can't complain since overall it has been a decent winter.

Daddy on sled duty.  The minute he started pulling Anna fell back and laid down the rest of the time

Most of the snow fell overnight on Sunday to Monday.  Monday morning when we woke up the roads were pretty covered.  It snowed off and on all day, so there was plenty on the ground when Zach got home from work for the kids to play in.

Look at that lower lip!

Showing off her new clothes.  We actually bought them months ago anticipating snow before now

This was Anna's first foray into the great whiteness!  Last time we have the little dusting she was already in bed.  At first she was less than thrilled to be stuffed into her snowsuit.  However, she quickly realized that she was getting new clothes, a new jacket, and getting to wear her favorite boots, so her mood improved considerably.

Bundled up Charlie

Cutest kids ever!

Charlie knew what was coming, so he was super excited.  Zach got out the two kid raft type thing we have to pull the kids on.  Anna was so bundled up that she just laid down in the front and hoped for the best.  She was really confused but seemed to enjoy it.  Charlie loved riding in the back.

Too many layers on for Anna to be able to sit up

Much better!

Mommy's turn to try pulling

After a bit we put Anna in the little blue seat type sled we have, and she liked that a lot.  I'm sure she was thrilled not to be stuck laying down anymore.  Zach spent a while pulling both of them, and then I took a turn for a minute.  The kids think Dad is way more fun and goes a lot faster, so my turn pulling did not last long thankfully.

The kids decided I wasn't very good.  In my defense I am pregnant!

Daddy teaching them how to make snowballs

When the kids got tired of sledding, we showed them how to make snowballs and throw them.  Charlie did great and thought it was really fun.  Anna was kind of confused and kept taking her snowballs and trying to smush them into the side of the house.  She thought she was funny, which made us laugh.

Charlie winding up to throw at the house

Anna just could not figure out what to do

After that we headed in, had dinner, then followed with a warm bath.  The best part of the night was the fact that both kids slept in the next day!

Outdoor Picnic

Despite the fact it is February, the weather until this week has been unseasonably warm.  Over the weekend Zach decided to take the kids out in the backyard to play.  I wisely chose to spend most of the time inside but popped out to see how things were going.  The kids were having a great time on the swing set and had a little snack at the picnic table.  They had so much fun spending some alone time with Daddy.

Poor girl was getting cold but did not want to go in

 

Valentine's Day!

The kids just loved Valentine's Day.  They did not quite get why it was a holiday, but they loved the idea that everyone was celebrating something.

 

iBaby Monitor

Anna playing with toys with her legs up on the crib

We just bought a new baby monitor the other day.  We have tried out all of the video monitors brands sold at Target, and none of them have been very good.  The picture quality is always terrible and there is lots of feedback on the sound.  In anticipation of Anna's move to a toddler bed and the upcoming baby, we decided we needed to find a really good video monitor to use.

Sitting up

Finally heading to sleep

Enter the iBaby.  I say it is iAmazing!  Best monitor out there by far.  I was a little skeptical of how good it would be just based on how others have performed.  However, this is an incredible monitor.  The picture quality is really clear.  The audio is crisp as well.  You can even plug a speaker into the monitor in the baby's room and talk back to the child.  Although, I'm really not sure that would ever be good!  Either they would be woken up when you forget to turn the feature off or they would go after the monitor and try to get it down.  At least that is how it would go with my kids.

She thinks it is so funny to put a blanket over her head and play peek a boo by herself

There are two parts of the monitor that are even better than what I listed above.  First, it downloads onto your iPhone or computer.  We have ours set to both mine and Zach's iPhones.  So, basically the monitor is always with us.  We can be at the movies and peek in on Anna when we get up to get a drink refill.  Zach can see her napping when he is at work.  Actually, he got on the other day to see if she was down, and he didn't see her in the crib.  So, he turned on the audio and heard me saying "Don't drink the water!"  I got a text reading "How's bath time going?"  Needless to say I was a little surprised!  The kids bathroom connects to Anna's room, and the audio feed could pick up our conversation.  Still not sure how I feel about his ability to spy on me from work...

We love watching her when she is supposed to be asleep

The other great thing is the panning feature on the iBaby.  On your iPhone you can swipe your finger across the screen and actually move the eye of the monitor in the bedroom.  So we can scope out all of Anna's room if she is up and roaming around.

Me checking out the iBaby monitor on my phone while putting her to sleep.  Love that you can take pictures from it.  Just wish they would add a video option too.

I would say this is some of the best money we have ever spent on baby gadgets!

It's a Wonderful Day for Best Friends

Playing on Mommy and Daddy's bed.  They thought it was funny to clap together

Zach and I have gotten so lucky with Charlie and Anna.  They truly are best friends.  Charlie tells us all the time that someday he is going to marry Anna like Daddy married Mommy.  It's so heartwarming that they enjoy each other's company so much.

Charlie buried Anna under some towels.  She couldn't stop laughing

At home the two kids do everything together.  They play dolls or superheroes, they build with Legos, they use the train table, or they just run after each other.  Most of the time they just laugh and laugh.  They really are pretty happy all of the time.  Although lately Anna has started showing her displeasure by pushing or pulling Charlie over.  He is so nice to her and lets her get him down before he comes and gets us.  We were working on teaching Anna to chill out a little!

Anna pulled the Pack n Play over on Charlie

Laying down in the living room.  Procrastinating on getting dressed

The other morning when the kids were playing Charlie started singing "It's a Wonderful Day for Best Friends."  He sang it all day long whenever he and Anna were doing anything.  It made me laugh.  I'm just hoping our next little baby fits in just as well with these two.

Train table in the basement

Snack time

Mom's Day

At the kids' morning school, the preschool grades do a Mom's Day once a year where moms can come and sit in for the morning.  Charlie had his Mom's Day a few days ago, and so I planned on being there from 9-11:30 with him.  It worked out great since he usually goes until noon, and Anna would be in school that whole time.

All the kids in Charlie's morning class

It started out with the moms getting there and the kids singing us a song.  Charlie was so proud to sing loudly, and he got a good portion of the song right!  Then the kids each stood up and announced their names and classroom "job" for the day.  Every other child mumbled their way through it because they were so shy, but Charlie was quite happy to loudly yell his name and job out for everyone to hear.  It got quite a laugh.

It was so cute listening to the kids trying to remember the song they learned

Trying to decide what project to work on

Next we did some arts and crafts.  Charlie used a bunch of heart shapes to make a silly person to hang in the classroom.  Then he wanted to snuggle in my lap and read books while other kids played.  

Making his heart person

Using scissors and glue by himself.  Getting to be a big kid

After that we had a little snack, and then we headed up to his music and movement class.  They have a teacher that works with the kids on making sure they are physically up to speed for their age.  Charlie had a blast doing all the dancing, jumping, and wiggling.  At the end we got up to dance with the kids, which they thought was so funny.

It's so hard to sit still!

Time to dance!!!

Showing off his amazing coordination.  The moms were actually stunned at how well he did on the obstacle course

At 11:30 we all headed out so the kids could eat lunch.  Luckily we live about 60 seconds away, so I headed home to grab a snack and then turned around and went back to get Charlie and Anna from school.  It was a lot of fun to see how Charlie spends his morning there and to get some alone time with him.  Charlie is really looking forward to the Dad's Night they have one evening next month where he gets to show off for Daddy.

Just hanging out with friends

So tired from all that hard work

Learning "I love you" in sign language.  Great way to end the day!

Favorite Disney Pictures

These two pictures were our favorite from our day at Disney.  Both were taken while meeting the princesses.