December 2013 Tweets & Instagrams to Remember...

Dec 1st - Our new home doesn't have a fireplace, so we improvise. #fireplaceTV http://instagram.com/p/hZ1hMyovIU/

Dec 3rd - 1up mushroom cupcake for Preston's birthday party tonight. I tried. http://instagram.com/p/heUYNvovC_/ 

Dec 4th - Preston James Clark, you are eight years old. Happy #Birthday, buddy! http://instagram.com/p/hgUMTvovFI/ 

Dec 6th - My snowflake lights look awesome in the ice! http://instagram.com/p/hlQi0yovB1/ 

Dec 6th - He gets a way with so much thanks to this face. #littlestinker #DFWiceday #latergram http://instagram.com/p/hm0gkjIvIw/ 

Dec 7th - My first Bountiful Basket. Grateful that my husband was willing to brave the ice to go pick it up.  http://instagram.com/p/hpJDVeIvHp/ 

Dec 14th - See... I DID take down the #fall decor after all. Except my white #pumpkin. #Christmas time is here.… http://instagram.com/p/h6e-lrovCn/

Dec 18th - This is how three-yr-olds play Trivial Pursuit. There are flashcards in the other room that met the same doom.  http://instagram.com/p/iE4DUMIvEP/

Dec 21st - Shopping is tiring. http://instagram.com/p/iMwQFFovKX/ 

Dec 22nd - Yep, Grandma and Grandpa are here. Kids have officially welcomed them. http://instagram.com/p/iP1hGhIvLf/ 

Dec 23rd - Michael was not amused to see #ValentinesDay stuff on Dec 23rd!! #Target has lost their mind. http://instagram.com/p/iVKh50ovKy/

Dec 24th - Loving our Jesus Storybook Bible #Advent branch. This was the best Advent reading we have done so far… http://instagram.com/p/iT6X2-ovLn/ 

Dec 24th - These boys are so ready to dig in to these presents! #MerryChristmas http://instagram.com/p/iVKKWnIvKI/ 

Dec 26th - #Superhero room is nearly complete. #brothers #boys http://instagram.com/p/iafXnpIvMz/

Dec 30th - Playing with Teagan. http://instagram.com/p/ij7vvtovC7/ 

Dec 31st - #MedievalTimes on #NYE2013 http://instagram.com/p/inLGyXIvMa/ 

A Medieval Times New Year's Eve!

Not sure what to do tomorrow?  Looking for something family friendly?  Check this out!

Medieval Times in Dallas is hosting a special Family New Year's Eve Extravaganza, with fun activities for the kids, like a Princess Story-time, face painting, knight's training and more.  Plus, they'll also have the usual 4-course meal (that you get to eat with your hands!) and the jousting.  What a fun way to end 2013 with your family!  You can find out how to get tickets here, but don't wait... space is limited for this 4pm show!

[Disclaimer: In exchange for this post, I was offered tickets to the show for my family!]

Christmas 2013 Recap

We had a nice Christmas holiday.  Jill and Steve arrived from Michigan a few days before Christmas.  The kids adored having their grandparents in the same house for a while, and promptly wore them out.  Michael was off the whole week, too, so that was great.  The weather was pretty nice for the most part, boys got to go to the park several times with Gpa Steve or Gma Jill.  We ate lots of yummy food.  Regina and Kevin were in town from Tennessee, so we got to meet Teagan.  What a sweetie!

On Christmas Eve, we attended Grace Fellowship and came home to Midlo with my parents for snacks and gifts.  The next morning, Santa had come and brought the boys goodies for their new, cool Superhero themed room.  Later, we exchanged gifts and had lunch with Jill, Steve and Daniel.  Mema was going to come, but she wasn't feeling up to it. 

Here is a smorgasbord of pictures from the holidays...

Yay, Gma and Gpa are here!

Our Jesus Story Book Advent Branch

Preston reading the last chapter of the Advent.

Some inside decor.  Love this built in shelf!

Michael not amused at V-Day stuff out on Dec 23rd.

Christmas Eve, ready for presents!

Oh, there you are, Perry.

Loved having Daddy home for a week!

Visiting with Teagan, Regina & Kevin!!

Christmas shopping was tiresome.

Merry Christmas 2013!

I pray that you and yours have a very merry and blessed Christmas!

While the true story here is that Callen was just being grumpy (about taking a picture with Santa), I like to imagine that he's just a bit miffed to find he had showed up to this gala and someone else was wearing the same outfit as him.  How embarrassing!

Don't be fooled, it's not snow.  It's ICE.  We had a crazy string of several days in a row where the entirety of Dallas-Fort Worth was iced in!

Our new house is a bit on the drafty side.  No worries, though... layers and Daddy snuggles will keep them warm!

Anyway, again... Merry Christmas from my family to yours!!!

Ice Day(s) 2013...

On Preston's birthday, December 4th, it looked like this...

Remote control cars & chalking w/Uncle Daniel

Fast forward a few days, to December 6th, and it looked like this...

WHAT IN THE WORLD?!?!

And that, my friends, is NOT snow, believe it or not.  It is pure ice.  Yep, tiny ice pellets that fell.  All day.  And then, that ice stayed... for days.  It was insane for this part of Texas.  Schools were called off for nearly a week, people didn't go in to work if they didn't have to, grocery stores were literally bare of essentials.  Ice-aggedon 2013.

The boys were excited to go play in it.  Of course, they thought it would be fun... like snow.  Oh well.  They enjoyed it anyway.  For a little while.

He really wanted to make a snow angel.

Look at Callen's face, so happy!

He did really like being out there in the freezing cold!

Ice Day 2013

Found ways to stay warm inside!

When it all finally started to melt, our metal roof gave us quite the show.  The heavy sheets of ice would inch over the edge of the roof, then suddenly slide forward, break off and crash down.  The first time I heard a huge crash, I opened the back yard to look around.  I saw the ice sheet danging above my head and quickly closed the door, which caused it come crashing down.  Our back porch was soon completely covered in thick, hard ice... couldn't open the door any more for a few days!  Callen and I went around the side and then out the back and stood out there a while watching all the ice sheets come crashing down one by one, until the end when a bunch of it gave at once and there was a huge ice-sheet-water-fountain type display.  It was unbelievable!  Callen loved it!

Climbing the ice 'mountains.'

Several days later that those ice sheets were still built up along the edge of the house despite everything else having melted away.  The boys played in it and tried to see who could lift the heaviest chunk.

An unfortunate side effect of the freak ice storm on a metal roof is that some of the water froze in certain places and expanded, bending some of the metal, and making a place for water to leak in.  One morning a week or so after the storm, it rained... and there was a puddle in our living room.  It also bent and nearly broke off an exhaust stack from the water heater.  Geez!

Preston Turns EIGHT!

Preston's birthday completely snuck up on me this year.  We managed to pull off a party on the evening before his actual birthday and he had some sweet friends come.  He wanted a Nintendo-themed party, but it ended up being more Mario than anything, and barely at that.

I'm this many now!

My attempt at 1-Up Mushroom Cupcakes

Gma was opening a remote control car.

Kids playing in the boys' room.

Eight hasn't hit me nearly as hard as 7 did last year.  I think I haven't really had much time to think about it because of the move and all.  I dunno, I'm ok with it for now.  Lol. 

November 2013 Tweets & Instagrams to Remember...

Nov 1st - Not yet, not yet, not yet... Too late. D'oh! #TotinosPizzaRolls KaBlam! http://instagram.com/p/gMOXgoovGG/

Nov 6th - A 1/4-Acre yard takes much more effort to mow than our previous yard. #IAppreciateMyHusband… http://instagram.com/p/gOXp_OovAY/

Nov  7th - This is the porch life. http://instagram.com/p/gbObBMIvMn/

Nov 8th - The long lost address book has been found! #Hallelujah #PraiseTheLord http://instagram.com/p/geT-LbovMc/

Nov 10th - His super model look. http://instagram.com/p/gjGHW7IvHL/

Nov 11th - #Squee! Their own desks! Annnnnd, we have internet in our house now! Happy #Monday! http://instagram.com/p/glMQAyovBs/ 

Nov 15th - Don't forget to stop and smell the roses. :) http://instagram.com/p/gv_msgIvMC/ 

Nov 22nd - Oh, just hanging in the door frame... With a bow on his head. #idontknowwhy http://instagram.com/p/hCC6OAovNu/ 

Nov 26th - Super awesome #hubby comes home from a long day of work... And then works some more. #lovehim http://instagram.com/p/hPGnKUovOx/