How sweet they look when they sleep

I love my kids I really do, but sometimes they drive me crazy. I don't know if it's because we have to spend so much time in doors due to this interesting winter weather we have been having this year or if it's just because of their ages but they have been really wound up and some what difficult.

Sam has taken to telling us No to everything that we tell him to do and is very rough with his sister at times. I think he really has missed the days he wasn't able to go to school because of the snow. He always seems like he is in a better mood when he has time away from all of us.

Sophia has gotten to be very sassy and I don't mean that in a good way. She likes to hit, push, head butt, and pull hair. She refuses to use words and instead points and screams. I remember Sam doing this too so I'm pretty sure it's an age thing and the fact that she has a brother who is just as rough.

We decided it was time for Sophia to move to a bigger bed. The crib was just not safe for her anymore and so we purchased a sweet little Disney Princess toddler bed for her. She didn't care for it at first but is slowly warming up to it. In fact she put herself to bed last night because she was so tired.

Since we got her a new bed we decided to revamp her room a little bit and decided it was only fair to do a little bit in Sam's room too. With some moving of furniture, a purchase of a used dresser for Sophia's room, and a couple posters the kids have rooms that reflect them. Sam has a Cars theme and Sophia has the princess room. Both kids rooms look good and only need a few smallish touches (new blanket for Sam's bed, a new lamp for Sophia's room and some refreshing on her dresser) and I'll be happy with how they look.

The kids seem to be responding well to the updates and it has helped the moods to have some special things being done for them. I'm trying to keep upbeat that the kids moods will continue to improve and that we can have more fun and less pulling hair and screaming. :) Here's to hoping that Spring arrives soon so we can spend some time outside playing too.

Making the best of a snow day

We have been lucky enough to have Todd home for 2 whole days! We've also managed to have snow days both days so the kids are getting to hang out with Todd too. Our first snow day did not go so well. Sophia was a monster the whole time and we spent most of the day being frustrated and not getting to really do anything. Today though has been a different story. Todd and I decided to have a plan. :)

The plan was that he would head out to run some quick errands with Sophia and I would get to hang out with Sam. We would each get some quality time with one of the kids and then the kids would color while Todd made lunch and I got a workout in. After that Sophia got a nap and the boys played video games. After Sophia got a nap we headed out for a bit. I needed to get out of the house. We headed out to Kohls and then we stopped by Goodwill (where I scored a new shirt, a pair of sandals, 4 Neil Gaiman books, and an ab roller all for $20!). After getting back we had a lovely dinner that Todd made and now we are putting the kids to bed so Todd and I can try and watch one of many new movies that we got from Christmas that we haven't had time to watch yet.


It's been a good day and has gone more smoothly than yesterday did. I'm thinking the kids are just as tired of these snow days as I am. Sadly for them school is already canceled for Wed. So tomorrow I'll have to come up with a plan of action since Todd wont be here to help since he has to go back to work.

Sophia loves to color.

Sophia and Daddy after coming in from the snow to run errands.

Sam buidling a playdough tower.

Rolling the dough

Sam and I made a playdough person.

The boys playing video games

Story time before bed

Cuddles and hugs with Mommy before bed. :)

Valentines and all it's goodies

The day started rough. Sophia woke everyone up screaming. We aren't sure why. Then She proceeded to get sick in her bed later on during a time out (for hitting her brother) and Sam falling and hitting his head. Not off to a good start at all. Since Todd worked so late last night he didn't have time to pick up a gift for me and I had a frustrating time yesterday trying to go and see him at work and getting stuck in traffic for 2hours on Nicholasville Road! Anyways tried to make the best of it and after we got Sophia settled Todd took Sam out for a quick trip to the store before he headed off for work (a double). It's been ok day. Didn't make it to church because of all the chaos around Sophia getting sick. Honestly Sophia has been terrible all day (moody and sick). I'm just thankful that they are watching Wall-E now without killing each other. The best gift of the day I think will be when the kids go to bed and the house is quiet for a bit. lol.

Todd picked up some adorable Disney princess hair clips for Sophia who has outgrown her baby hair clips. Todd said her pjs made her look like a candy heart because of the colors. lol.

Sam finally got his King and Doc cars that he didn't have. He was very excited about this.

My gift to myself. :) Dark Chocolate and a movie. Don't worry I'll share with Todd and he can even watch the movie if he wants too.

Todd loves Rice Krispy Treats so I decided to make a batch for him. We haven't done a lot of treats in awhile so he was pretty thrilled to see these this morning.

The kids made some pictures for Daddy and I put them in frames and hung them by his side of the bed.

Found a little something sitting on my Elliptical machine when I got on to workout today. Todd picked up Princess Bride on dvd and card for me. :)

He also got me these beautiful roses and carnation flowers.

Sam's first school Valentines Day Party

Sam had his first Valentines Day Class party today. Parents were allowed to come in and help out and see the kids so Todd went (I went to the Christmas party and thought we should each try to go to a class function if we could). Todd said that the kids were loaded up with sweets. cupcakes, cookies, candy, and chips plus the fruit juice boxes that we sent for the class. Wowza that's a lot of sugar for kids who probably aren't use to getting that much. Todd said Sam's eyes were huge and he ate as fast as he could since he never gets all that. We don't do a lot of candy and stuff like that around here. Anyways Todd said they had a great time. At the end of the party each kid went home with their box (cereal boxes covered in paper) with all their valentines and goodies from their classmates. Here is Sam's loot that he got today. He was very excited about the pencils and stickers and asked for a candy treat but laughed as soon as he said it since he knew he wasn't going to get any more sweets.

On a side note we had some mcdonalds for dinner tonight. We rarely get mcds so it was a nice treat for the kids (and for me not to cook since I'm not feeling well at all). Nothing say's Happy Valentines Day like fast food and heart burn later. lol.

snow day crafts

It's snowing and I was tired of watching cartoons so I had the kids do some creative stuff. First up we spent some time painting and then some coloring. We also did a little valentine's day project for Todd from the kids.

Something to hoot about

While I was over at my family's house on Sunday to celebrate my dad's birthday I spied an owl pillow downstairs in the basement. I LOVE Owls. I've always been fasinated by them and adore them. Anyways I saw this pillow and asked my mom about it. Turns out it was a pillow that she made that was no longer in good conditon. It was falling apart and she wasn't sure what to do with it and was probably going to throw it out. I asked if I could have it and she gave it to me. Today I pulled apart the pillow and took the owl that she lovingly made and put him into a picture frame. He now resides next to my beside and couldn't be more perfect for the space. Most of all I'm glad I was able to rescue something that was handmade and loved by someone that I love.

What we are up to.

It's been busy around here. It's always busy though. Anyways here is what everyone is up to for those that are wondering.

Nikki:
-I've been working on purging unneeded items from the house and my closet. I've gotten rid of tons of clothes.
-I've been working out a min. of 15 mins a day on my elliptical machine and am feeling great!
-Read the book Unwind by Neal Schusterman. Wow! What a read. It's a thought provoking book.
-Pre-ordered New Moon on dvd :)
-Reading the Bible daily. I'm using the Read the Bible in a year program.

Todd:
-working at Saul Good like regular. The 2nd Saul Good location is opening in April and at the moment it looks like Todd will be going out there to help with the opening.
-Took care of a car problem we were having. The avalon wouldn't start and so we had to have some things to figure out in order for that to get fixed. Luckly for us it wound up being a simple fix (a battery cable had to be replaced).

Sam and Sophia:
-Sam and I just put together his class valentines today. He didn't have school because of the winter storm.
-Sam has been showing lots of independence and has made a huge effort in doing things on his own. It's nice to see him act like the big boy that I know he is. :)
-Sam and Sophia fight non stop. Pulling hair, pushing, biting. It never ends. It gets to be very frustrating for everyone. They can't play nice together but they refuse to play seperately.
-Sophia is very clumsy. I think she thinks she's faster than she is and often trips over her own feet, falls, etc.
-Sophia loves the movie Tinkerbell. I think I've seen it more than 500 times. lol.

I'll try and get some recent pictures of the kids up soon I've been a little lacking with the picture taking and it seems the kids have grown so much in jsut a month.