Reid vs. Fireball

Reid is stubborn. Bigtime. I don't know if it's a boy thing, a second child thing, a inherited thing, a cleft thing, or a little of all of the above. He will not give in to any situation without a fight. And this is a fight, I think he may have lost. Brian was eating a fireball. Reid wanted it sooo badly. He threw this down and out fit about wanting to eat this fireball. So, Brian put him in his high chair and gave him the fireball to try. Now, being the stubborn little one that Reid is, he was not going to give in and lead on that this fireball was too much for him. So, here is how the challenge went.

Oh, and nevermind the "Jingle Bells" in the background. It's totally typical!

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A little bit of innocence

This little, sweet face is one of innocence, right? ( at least some of the time)

Well, that is until he gets his hands on my sitter's husband. Poor George has been forced to wear blankets over his head to please my little tough guy. I think I see a "little biker" in Reid's trick or treating future sometime!

My morning good-bye

As I left our sitter's house the other day, the kids all lined up at the window so I could give my usual "honk" goodbye. It was a really nice morning, and the kids were all so cute standing in a lineup, that my sitter had to snap this picture. Can you see her reflection in the window? I just love these four kids. It's nice to know that I will always be sent off by Holden, Ellie, Lauren, and Reid. What a great way to start my day!

Cabin fever unleashed...

We have had our share of snowy, cold, icy, bitter weather. I think everyone here feels like we have about had enough! The poor kids have not had much opportunity to play outside because it has just been so cold. Well, we have had a little break here. We actually saw the sun this week, and the temps have actually reached the 50 degree mark. It's been heaven, and as you will see, the kids were so glad to be outside.

Reid saying, "SUNSHINE!!!!" As I said, it has been a long time since we have seen it!

Ellie got out the sidewalk chalk and some shades, and she was ready to roll!

Some cool shades always make the work seem fun, right? Reid was shoveling the yard into the clear driveway. You know...always a helper!

Of course, roller skating is ALWAYS a good choice on a sunny day. Even with lots of snow still on the ground.

My movie star.

I wonder.....

...who got a hold of my camera last night????

Vacation loves

We spent a wonderful week in Florida spending time with my mom, brother, and sister in law which was so nice. We were blessed to have had the chance to go, and we know that. We made some very special memories together, but definitely missed the presence of Dad. Florida was his home away from home, and more than once I found myself thinking of all the fun that we had there vacationing with Dad near our side. This trip was difficult at times, but we all feel lucky to have made some new memories. In no particular order....here are some of our vacation loves from the week....

We loved spending time with my mom. (just about as much as she loved spending time with us!)

The kids loved feeding the seagulls from our balcony. I wonder if all the other vacationers loved this????

Ellie loved dreaming of swimming in that pool below our townhouse. Too cold to even dip our feet in!

We loved taking Ellie to Disney for a day and enjoyed a Mickey ice cream treat.

Ellie and Daddy loved the 3-D show we saw. I loved seeing them in matching fashionable glassses!

Ellie loved "driving" for the first time. She belly-laughed the entire time.

We loved the magic of Disney World. Brian and I turned into 5 year olds, too!

We loved spending time with Aunt Carol and Unlce Kevin.....(sorry Kev....no pic of you???)

We loved feeding the giraffes at the Tampa Zoo. Reid loved the cracker he was supossed to feed the giraffe. He ate it instead. And no, I am not kidding.

Look at that tongue!

Reid loved eating yummy pasta while we were there. Then again, he loves about anything to eat.

I loved his "Bozo" impression after eating the pasta!

Ellie loved being at the beach, despite the cool temps.

Reid loved watching the waves spill in.

I loved the sunrises out our great room window. I did not like Reid waking up well before the sun did, however.

We all loved our special time with my mom.

We loved being able to play at parks with only light jackets on.

We loved our play time together as a family.

We loved watching Reid enjoy his outside time. We also loved the naps the fresh air provided later in the day!

We loved seeing Uncle Doug and Aunt Holly while we were there (Brian's brother and wife). What a special treat this was!

We loved it when Reid finally gave in and napped a bit. We all needed our rest after chasing him around!

We loved making memories that will last us a lifetime. We are grateful for the time we had together. Hope to make some more family memories again real soon.......it's what life is all about, right?

We loved the little creatures that came to visit us outside the townhouse each day.

Plainly and simply.....we were grateful for all our loves last week.

Leaving on a jet plane....

Well, it's official....we are heading out tomorrow for Florida for the week. As you can see from the above photo, Ellie thinks this is all we are going for....Minnie Mouse. But, in actuality, we are going to be with Mom. My mom and dad used to stay in Florida for about 6-8 weeks at a time several times per year at their second home. This was always one of the times of the year that they would be there. As a family, we didn't want Mom being alone for this "first time". So, my brother and his wife, and all of us, are flying out tomorrow to spend a week with Mom. It is a time to be with family and remember Dad in one of his most favorite locations. I am sure it will be bitter sweet for us all. We pray for safe travels, a behaving 2 year old on a 2.5 hour flight, new memories made while remembering the old, and lots of laughs. Brian, Ellie, and I will also make the trip to Disney to visit all the princesses and Minnie herself. I am sure there will be pictures to follow...but for now, my heart is smiling knowing that we will surely feel Dad's spirit through that ocean breeze. Miss you, Dad.....and love you always.