Snow Frenzy!

Since we have had one of the mildest winters I can remember, the last snow storm brought so much excitement.  Finally we could go to the mountains and enjoy the winter.  Max and I began the weekend with a drive up American Fork Canyon for a Bear Hollow field trip.  I thought Miss Molly had lost her mind when she decided to take 60 3-5 year old kids sledding.  I guess I should never doubt her because it was by far the most fun Max and I have ever had on a field trip.

We took Gracie in our car.  Max was totally jamming out to Michael Jackson the entire ride up.  She didn't know what to think about that!  I'm pretty sure she has no clue who Michael Jackson is.

Max was so excited to ride his sled.  I think he went up and down the hill nearly 15 times!

He even let me ride with him a couple times.

He only knocked down a few kids as he sped down the hill!

Miss Molly brought hot chocolate for everyone and Max discovered putting snow in his cup made the temperature just right.

Max looks pissed in this picture but I assure you he was not.  We had a blast together.  Being out in the fresh mountain air got me obsessed with going skiing.  It is my personal mission to teach my children how to ski.  Maybe it's the spirit of my Grandpa Karl pushing me.  On Saturday, Randy and I headed up to a second hand sporting good store to buy the kids ski's.  I also scored a new pair of boots and skis.

Max wasn't too excited about skiing until he tried the gear on.  He spent the rest of the night putting his boots on and snapping into his skis.  Hank was still a little unsure of the whole idea.

We headed up to Alta on Sunday afternoon to try them out.  Randy and I had no game plan.  Clearly, I need to work on my ski instruction skills!  I had no idea how much physical strength it takes to teach two small kids to ski.  We started on the rope tow but after a few failed attempts of getting up the hill we got on the lift.

Things got much better after that.  Hank is a natural.  I know with a little more instruction, he will take off.

Mino, wasn't quite sure what to make of the whole experience.  He had moments of loving it, as well as moments of complete break down.  

Hank loved it!  He had convinced himself that skiing was something he never wanted to try but quickly changed his mind after his first attempt.

Randy was on Max patrol and I took Hank-man.

As Hank and I rode up on the lift, the memories of Grandpa Karl on the ski hill came flooding to my mind.  I spent the entire ride up telling Hank stories about his great-grandpa on the slopes.  It made me a little teary seeing the boys decked out in their ski gear.  Grandpa would've loved to see that.  My goal for the day was to make sure they had fun.  Even though my ski instruction wasn't up to par, the kids had a good time and that's all that matters to me. 

Sam was well taken care of by Sarah, Jenni, and Grandpa Griff while we were enjoying the snow this week.  

Poor little buddy has been sick the last 2 days.  He's got a nasty cough, runny nose, and I'm sure and ear infection won't be too far away.  Watching a baby cough might be the most heart breaking thing ever.  He has his loving older brothers to thank for his illness.  I had all 3 boys in to see Dr.Weipert yesterday. 

Here are some pictures of Sam prior to his illness.  He is seriously chunking out.  He is busting out of his 3-6 month clothes as well as his size 2 diapers.  I love it!

He loves standing in the exersaucer.

We haven't really pushed the rice cereal eating yet.  He isn't having a problem putting on weight!

 

I watched Lennon for Jenni a few days ago and Sam was so happy to spend some quality time with his cousin.  She better watch out, he might roll over and crush her!

A Ride With Max

 Max is one of a kind.  His new truck gives him ample opportunities to entertain us all.  Around 2:15, he knows it's time to jump into his truck and pick Hank up from the bus stop.  The unusually warm temperatures this winter are ideal for a ride.  Hank offered to hold Sam on the way home.

 Sam wasn't sure what was going on!  Max insisted on stopping numerous times to fight bad guys.

 Our neighborhood is much safer with this stud constantly patrolling.

Jack came over the other day to experience the pure awesomeness of Max's ride.

Max tried to get Jack to wear a cape but Jack wasn't feeling it.  I love their expressions in this picture.  It captures the relationship these two have perfectly!

 Max was the leader at preschool this week so Little Bear hung out with us for a couple days.  Of course he had to sit shot gun in the truck.  Max cried when we had to take him back to school.

 I was in the shower one morning and Sam was taking a nap.  Max heard him crying so he decided to climb into the crib to put his binky in.  Sam was so excited to have his buddy keeping him company.  Maxi loves his baby brother so very much.  He is a really big help to me when Randy is at work and Hank is at school.

 I don't know if this is a sign of things to come....Max made a friend at Hank's basketball game and offered him a sip of his precious diet coke.

After this little boy sucked it down his brother came over and said he wasn't allowed to have coke!  Hopefully in the future, Max is only trying to corrupt his friends with coke instead of some other beverage. Max keeps me on my toes for sure!  Being his mother is definitely a wild ride. 

A Perfect Day

It was a typical Sunday morning...Max and Hank were competing non-stop for Randy's attention, I was playing with Sam, and not one of us had showered or gotten ready for the day.  Around 11, the dishes from breakfast still cluttered the kitchen, beds weren't made, laundry wasn't done and I had zero motivation to do anything.  Max came running upstairs and told me he had a great idea.  "Let's make a picnic and go the park for lunch" he excitedly said.  Yes, it is January but the weather didn't seem too atrocious, so I quickly made a picnic, got dressed, and we headed to the park.  Strangely we were the only crazy people there!   

 The chilling winds didn't stop us...no way!

 Hank packed every ball he could find.

He picked me to be on his team while we played basketball, football, and baseball.  We dominated Randy and Max.

 You may be thinking, where in is sweet little Sam?  He endured the elements in the comfort of his car seat.

 He stayed nice and snug while we ran around the park.  Hank was surprised I could run and throw a ball.  I think I may know where Hank got his competitive spirit.  Randy had to tell me to go easy on Max!

After our winter picnic we headed home and Sam and I took a luscious nap together.  I didn't even bother tending to the mess that was our house.  It felt so great.

Randy suggested going to Olive Garden for dinner and it sounded fantastic.  I couldn't break my lazy streak and actually make dinner.  Our kids love Olive Garden.

 Sam was a real problem as usual!  Look at this sweet little face.

 Here's another sweet little face.

Oh, and another sweet little face.  Man, my boys need their hair cut stat!  The kids were really well behaved at dinner.  Relaxing is not normally a word I use to describe going out to dinner with three small children but on this occasion it was.  After dinner, I ended the day by watching the Golden Globes with my mom, Kate and Sarah.  No boys allowed!  We watched all 3 hours of coverage, uninterrupted.  It felt great to spend time with my favorite girls.  It was a day filled with memories of the people I love the most.  I get so sick of my daily routine...it felt awesome to just let it go for a day.  I paid for it the next day, but for that one moment it was exactly what I needed.

Sam's Photo Shoot

Feast you eyes upon some seriously scrumptious pictures of my little Sam.

 Now with his adoring big brothers.

 By the time we were ready for the cousins to join the shoot, Sam had enough, and it was freaking cold!

Thanks to Brooke Jackson for capturing these precious images.