Snow, snow and more snow!

We have been blasted with snow over the past week.  We had over 12 inches and are expected to get another 12 tonight!  The boys are having tons of fun.  It reminds me of my childhood winters in Michigan.  We had to get creative with snow so we had something to do during the MANY months of cold.  I have been trying to pass on my "knowledge" to the boys ;-)
Here are some pictures.

Update on Rosie

I have to say that I am pleasantly surprised at how well things are going with our puppy.  Of course, there have been the expected housebreaking accidents, chewing and nipping at the boys and usually puppy behavior, but overall she has been a great addition to our family.  The boys LOVE her and I am pretty sure she loves them too.  She is getting big.  As you can see in the picture, she is taller than Bennett!

Lunch with the Boys

We have wanted to take our boys out to lunch at Lidia's since we moved to the Kansas City area.  We used to watch a cooking show on PBS and we were all a little obsessed with her.  Yes, we are officially a bunch of nerds!  An occasion finally arrived that we thought would give us an excuse to take them.  The boys received great marks on their report cards and it coincided with Restaurant Week in Kansas City.  We got a babysitter for the little ones, because eating out just isn't fun with them!  Sorry boys, you'll get your chance in a few years. :-)  Henry ordered Osso Bucco.  It was an adult portion and a large one at that!  He LOVED it and actually ate most of it.   Rosie, the puppy, was so happy when we brought the bone home for her too.  It was really nice to spend time with our older boys.  We were able to talk to them and actually hear their responses.  We can't wait to go back!

Alabama Trip

We visited family over our Christmas break in Alabama.  We usually go in the summer or fall but decided to head down for the holidays this year.  It ended up not being the best decision.  Bad weather and sick kids almost ruined the vacation.  By the end almost everyone was back to normal but I don't think we'll be traveling in the winter anymore!

Henry trying on Daddy's glasses

Bennett not feeling well.  This was the way he was most of the time.

All the sick boys watching tv.

Oliver and his cousin playing.

Henry picking oranges at Pepere's

Joseph in the orange tree

Bennett was helping too!

Henry in the tree

Feeling better!

Rosie

After deliberating for a couple of years and doing a lot of research, we have a new dog!  The boys have been asking for a long time and last time we had to tell them no because they were getting a new baby brother instead.  They weren't too happy about that!  Here are some pictures of our new puppy Rosie.

Holiday Time

We've been busy baking cookies, decorating a gingerbread house and even playing in the snow!  This Christmas season has been wonderful.  After not having a house for a while, I am appreciating being settled so much more.
Here are some pictures of the boys having lots of holiday fun!

Family Pictures

We had our family pictures taken in October.  I wanted to do this last year but ran out of money at the end of the year.  We ended up with a horrid department store family picture that I reluctantly framed, but really hated.  Once we moved my priority was finally getting these done.  I have to say, despite the expense, they were worth it.  I love the pictures.  Our photographer was able to handle all of my boys and get them to smile!  The shoot was actually fun.