snow, SNOW and well, more sNoW!

I have been neglecting the blog a lot this winter season. The reason in three words: SNOW snow SnOw! We have been bogged down by the white stuff. In fact, we are one of just a few cities to have record breaking snow falls. I cannot tell you just how many times our drive way has been shoveled out...oh I long for a snow blower. I think I have shoveled close to 20 times and Aaron has done it at least 12 times. There is so much snow on the ground that Javin can no longer really play in it. He gets buried every time he tries to leave the nicely shoveled paths. Orissa really isn't fonnd of the wet white stuff, and every time we take her out in it, she lets us know just how she feels about that! We are expecting more snow this night...anywhere between 3 to seven more inches, and then more on thursday and possibly more on friday.

Oh there have been a few ups due to the snow. Aaron has been home more often the last couple of weeks. The boss has sent them all home early 3 times and even cancelled work one day. The kids are really loving having Daddy home so often. It will be hard to go back to regular length days when the winter finally abates. I have still been able to get my exercise on the days I can't make it to the gym. Shoveling snow is great cardio, as long as you don't have a weak heart=-D So, I have made a point of getting out and shoveling before Aaron has a chance.
During winters like this one, I am even more grateful to have a roof over my head and heat to keep my family warm. And really, I don't mind the snow, as long as I don't have to drive in it too much. In fact, I think it is so beautiful as it falls in those big fluffy flakes. Javin LOVES watching it, he says, "Ommy look, it no-wing, you see Ommy it no-wing. I yike the no!" Sometimes, we just sit at the living room picture window and watch the flakes fall. I love to see his eyes light up and a huge grin fills his face. The joys of being young, or watching your young ones experience life...there truly isn't any thing better than that!

Snow Day...and Time to Play!

I admit it, I was hoping for a winter snow storm. It just wasn't feeling like December here. I also love to see Javin play in the snow. He is as happy in the snow as he is in the pool. He was chomping at the bit to get out and play. I think that is why nap time didn't happen until oh right now (well, he fell asleep at 7pm and it is nearly 8pm). Javin just kept begging me to go play. "I wan go play in the no, my no, let's go play peees." With a plea such as that you can well guess my heart melted and I started getting him ready to romp around in the snow.
He gathered up all his snow gear...or all the gear he thought he needed. He first put on his boots and then brought me his mittens and coat. He left out the snow pants and his hat, but no worries, I remembered. After getting all his things ready he went and got Orissa's coat too.
Right after I finished bundling him and his sissy up Gracie woke up from nap screaming her head off. I rushed up stairs only to learn that there was a fly and it scared her. To ease her mind I told her that she could go out and play too. We quickly bundled her up and all four of us headed out into the winter wonderland. Oh, and the fun we had!
After about half an hour we were ready to go back in and get all warmed up. We made hot chocolate and "Campbells Cars Chicken soup". They were so happy to have "hot chaako".


Later in the afternoon, when Aaron was home from work we took Javin, Gracie and Livi out to play again (first time for Livi...she was still sleeping when we went out previously). This time Orissa was napping. I think they all had fun. Javin and Gracie made "no-men" and had a snow fight. I think Javin would have been happy to stay out all night.

I have come full circle! As a child I LOVED playing in the snow with my three pairs of socks on my hands for gloves, my three pairs of socks on my feet with shoes and bread bags on my feet to keep my feet dry. I would stay out there for hours, making tunnels in the drifts and having snowball fights with my brothers and sisters. Then I hit a certain age (oh, I think it was when I had to start driving on the snow covered roads) and I started to really loathe that white stuff. Sure it was fine for the mountains and those who went looking for it, but keep it out of my way. Now here I am, a mother of two children, one very adventurous boy and I find myself hoping for snow...wanting to enjoy the thrill of the first snow fall with my children.

The Sealing!

(This is a picture of the Spokane Temple!)
(Javin with his Da!)
For anyone who I have the pleasure of sharing my stories with who isn't a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I guess I need to give a bit of detail before I can tell my story. You see, we believe that Heavenly Father wants us (being everyone) to be able to live with Him and His Son, Jesus Christ of ever. That is why Jesus willingly died on the cross for us. We also believe that families can be together for ever. When we get married in the Temple, we are sealed for time and all eternity, not just until death do we part. When children are born into our families, we believe that they are part of our eternal family.
(Our happy little family in the Foyer of the Spokane Temple.)
We adopted our children, they didn't come to us through birth (I do believe they were born in my heart though), but we were able to have them sealed (a ceremony that attaches them to us forever, as if they had been born to us)to us last Saturday. It was a joyous occasion, a time for family and friends to gather and to celebrate the final touches of the adoption process for us. It has been a very LONG time coming (for Javin at least...Orissa's was pretty quick), and thanks be to God for our wonderful family. He has answered our prayers and given us two wonderful and precious children.
(Here we are outside, in front of the temple.)
Especially during this Christmas time, I love to reflect on the great Love that our Father in Heaven has for us, He sent his Only Begotten Son to Earth, knowing full well that He would freely give up His life for all of us. I am grateful for the Christmas season, a time set aside just for remembering the birth of the Savior. Not to be a grinch, but I really hope that this year we can all remember Him as we gather with our families.
(Orissa and her Mum, all matchy matchy!)
I must give credit to my sister, Carrie for taking the pictures for us!

Livin' and Learnin"

With small children in the house there is always something new, some one is learning a new trick. I don't suppose it is always the kids doing the learning either...but that is for a different post. Over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, both Javin and Orissa learned a couple of new tricks.

For those who know Javin, the fact that he is a water baby. He LOVES to spend time in the water...the bath tub, the shower, mud puddles and of course, swimming pools, so the fact that his new trick has to do with water might not be too big of a surprise. Drum roll please...he learned that with a water noodle tucked under his arms he could go anywhere he wants and not have to have Mommy or Daddy pull him there. Javin was having such a blast chasing us around the pool. We had a HARD time getting him to give up his new mode of water transport. It was so cool to see him realize he was in charge, something he is always trying to be in!

Orissa has learned to nod her head on demand and to blow spit bubbles. Let me just tell you, it is SO cute to watch her nod her head with a huge smile on her face. now when I nod at her she smiles broadly and nods enthusiastically back! And the spit bubbles are SO cute. Who would have thought spit could be so cute, but in this instance it is true!
I have a lot of fun watching them grow and learn. We are all livin' and learnin' and I wouldn't have it any other way!

You want me to do what with that?

Ok, so now that I am watching Clanky and Momica's girls, the blog really REALLY has taken a back seat. We have been having a ton of fun and playing lots and lots.
Yesterday was one of those really fun days. It helped that Megan and Shaylee Bugs came over too. We pulled out the sugar cookie dough and frosting. The plan had been to make THanksgiving cookies, BUT no one still had any of their thanksgiving decorations out. So we just made lots of different colors of frosting and let them all have at it. I think they all had fun.
I do however wonder how children learn the phrase "I can't do it." so quickly. Gracie kept saying she couldn't spread the frosting, she couldn't put the sprinkles on, and she couldn't squeezed the tubes of decorating frosting. Only seh could and with encouragement she finally figured it out. This wasn't Javin or Shaylee's first time so they dug right in and had a blast. Livia was VERY hesitant to even touch the stuff. After Shaylee came over and started to take over her cookie, she finally decided that it would be OK to try.




After the cookie decorating (and eating) we pulled out the long forgotten finger paint and let them make so beautiful art pieces. That was quite funny to watch. None of the children had ever played with paint before and they were very resistant to put their hands in it. Well, the girls were anyway. Javin thought it was GREAT! Mommy let him, no encouraged him to get all messy. I think he thought he was in heaven. By the end of art time, he had paint EVERYWHERE! Grace hardly got messy at all, and was chomping at the bit to get all clean. Livia wasn't into the painting, or the cleaning, and Shaylee was loving the mess making, and only resisted the clean up a bit!
Fun was had by all, you know Megan and I just couldn't resist making our shared of mess!

The Sippy Cup Battle!

Orissa battled hard to reach her goal...Javin's cup full of Sunny D!

Orissa and the Sippy Cup! from Ryanne Leavitt on Vimeo.

Word(ful) Wednesday: No Box Too Small!

I can't remember a time since Javin has been able to move around the house on his own, when he wasn't crawling into boxes and using them as a house or a car or the store or what ever. The other day we got some movies in the mail. They came is a smallish box, and I was thinking there wasn't much I was going to use it for. Before I could whip out the trusty box knife to break it down to fit in the recycle bin, Javin had it prepped for take off. I think he said it was his train. I watched in amazement as my nearly 3 year old folded himself into the "train engine" and prepared to leave the station. All the while I was thinking, "there is no way he is going to be able to fit in that tiny box! It's going to rip down the side for sure." I was proven wrong and boy was he excited to have his own "train". Of course that meant one of us had to help the engine down the tracks...and really, who can resist when he looks up with those big brown eyes and says, "I wann go round and round, peese Mommy!"


I have yet to see a box in my house that hasn't been tried on for size, some haven't survived and others have become regularly played with imagination outlets!
For more Word full wednesday stories go see Angie.