Because I want Spring--I can't go for walks w/the little ones because it is tooo cold (and snowing)
When will it ever stop???
The "gummy" ones she got from Sunbeam class at church. :)
I filled this with dirt (from our land) for our Pack Meeting (Cub Scouts). We had a dinosaur dig (forgot to take the camera to pack meeting so no pictures) where they all used paintbrushes and uncovered skeleton dinos & dino eggs. Emmalee was thrilled to have the pool back--and it still has the dirt in it, although the pool is now in the yard, not in the truck.
The creek runs about 6 weeks during the year (and some years it hasn't' run at all). This is high, and although we have a fence by some of the creek, we don't have it by the dead end part of our road. The children have been really good about staying completely away from the creek.
Everyday when we are on our walk, we stop at the bridge by Grandpa's and throw rocks in (where it is safer). Thankfully it is way down again, and you can see the bottom.
I had to throw these photos in to show off Ethan's hairy legs new knee brace.
He will wear this ??? for I don't know how long. Plus, when he is playing sports, he will be wearing some brace--not sure if this is the one. He goes to town every Friday for a while to physical therapy, and has been faithfully doing his "homework" (exercises) 3 times a day--and icing the knee.
Cutie Benjamin with Uncle Skeeter. He was hungry, and so wasn't too happy at being away from his momma. We try to get pictures of the kids with their relatives when they visit, since we don't see them very often (& w/one of the children, I never got photos of them w/their grandma before she got sick & died unexpectedly). 
Now--this is the Emmalee I see often at my house. She has decided that since she is almost 4, she is going to go through her "terrible 2's". Most of our kids have gone through this stage at this age, but I miss her smile!!
And this one she didn't want anyone to see her at all. We had just taken out her 7 pony tails & her hair was wild! 
This is Cool Callum--wearing his "bling" & sunglasses that he found (then accidentally stepped on & taped them together). They are now in the garbage.
Uncle Skeeter was still at our house when I took these, and he gave him a "cool" name, but for the life of me I can't remember it (and everyone is in bed asleep or I would ask). I guess I'll have to post it later.
This is more like him--giggly. He laughs all the time. The other day the 2 boys got laughing so hard (and of course it was over boy stuff--"gas") that Callum started coughing and threw up all over the floor (yuck). 
Here is Ben "swimming" on the ground--this is the "pick-me-up please" swim. We call it the Superman (or Super-baby) pose.
"How come it didn't work--it always works! Come, on! Pick me up. You know you want to!!"
How can you resist that adorable face and those cute chubby legs?
Ahhh--it did work! I'm on my daddy's lap ;)
Some pictures of Benjamin--playing on Ethan's bed (while Ethan is "babysitting")
Ben has found his feet--and loves them!
Yum, yum!
Ethan--I thought you were babysitting--not playing on the Nintendo DS!!!
I don't like this snow at all
It was really so
Wow--I got my first award (thanks Jenny). I am honored, and a bit embarrassed too. I don't know why, but I guess it's "hard" for me to get recognition. Anyway, I really am happy. This should be fun. 
So off she went to see what happens next. Again, she comes and tells me, "Mom, the brat just took the daddy and the little mouse girl is sad because the brat came into her house."
He actually looks pretty scary to me. I guess we can call him a Brat Bat!The low temperature was still supposed to be around 35 (brrrr) but those brave crazy kids set up 2 tents, pulled out all the camping bedding, and carried most of the camping chairs to our backyard.
Brienna even invited a brave crazy friend to spend the night!
They had a blast, bundled up, piled on the blankets, and slept in the tents Thursday night, and Friday, and Saturday. Sunday came (another gorgeous day), and the kids begged to sleep in the tents again--on a school night.
I wasn't brave crazy about this idea, but reluctantly (and with stipulations of "If you guys stay up too late and/or have one fit about getting up in the morning, this will NEVER happen again!!!") agreed to let them try.
The actually went to bed better than when they are in their own beds. So they slept in the tents Sunday night, and then Monday they had to move them (so not to kill the brown "dead" grass), and then slept there Monday, and Tuesday night.
Zane was excited, thrilled, happy, overjoyed to be out in the tents. But thunderstorms were overhead Wednesday after school, so the tents came down & were "thrown" in the bedrooms--just as the first of 100 rain drops fell from the sky. It sprinkled just enough that we were soooo glad everything was inside!
Callum gave me the thumbs up to sleeping outside! But getting the sleeping bags, blankets, and tents folded, rolled up, and put away was another battle!
Grouse (the bird) Days are held every year in our town (since we have breeding & nesting sites nearby). This year a safari exhibit was brought in, and so we had to go and investigate. We were thinking there would be a few skins/furs to feel, and photos to look at , but were we wrong!!! I was so impressed with the display, I made Callum ride his bike home to get our camera!
Brienna & Benjamin by a Kodiak (I think that's what it was) bear.
Callum didn't want his picture taken this day--but finally agreed to 1 picture--by the bear :)
Brienna tried on the fox hat--there was a cloth lining. Emmalee decided it would be okay to try it on too.
Emmalee is cute--even as a red-head!
She wore this for about 5 minutes, and had me take about a dozen photos--so she could see herself in the "camera mirror". When she first tried it on, she wanted Callum to ride home and get a mirror so she could see herself :)
Brienna & Lindsay had to try the hat on Benjamin--"really girls, do you have to dress me up???"
Emmalee really wanted her picture by the lions, but was too scared to go by herself. Can you blame her? Look at the size of them from her perspective!!!!
The halls were lined with animals too--everyone had to pose for a picture by the zebra.
And this is a red deer behind Lindsay & Brienna.
Emmalee wasn't as nervous around this crocodile & his dinner--but Brienna is cautiously stepping over his tail to get a better look (& feel).
And since I am trying harder to have pictures with me in them, I had Brienna take a couple of me w/Ben--wow, this croc was huge!!!
Ben's getting big enough to sit in the stroller--as long as I have a blanket around him and the straps snapped snugly. Sometimes Emmalee is a little too "lovey" with him, and he lets her know!
Split time--and I don't see any bananas!
There was just enough of a breeze to make it a perfect day for flying the kites.
The boys went to the school football field and flew the kits there for a few hours! We had to go and get them at 8 o'clock on Saturday so we could force them into the tub!I say "overnight" because I will be coming home to nurse Benjamin and I won't camp out (unlike my brave crazy children).
I will come home for a few hours of sleep :)
