Snow Day

We woke up to snow today. The only complaint from the kids is that there wasn't any school today because it was a holiday and otherwise they would have canceled or delayed school. It wasn't even a 1/2 inch of snow, but the kids loved it. 

The little ones got cold and came into warm up. 

They sat by the window and yelled out to the others outside. 

Basketball Star

Leo has started basketball. He plays on a YMCA team and is doing a great job. Leo is a great player he has got amazing instincts, dribbles really well and is usually one of the first players down the court. All of his athleticism fascinates me because I don't have an ounce of athletic ability, but I think this is proof that there is some recessed genes embedded within me. One of his team members is in a wheel chair and Leo has been really impressed with how well he plays despite the challenges that he faces. 

 Leo volunteered to read the introduction speech. It basically says that they are trying 

to play their best and they ask that all of the spectators respect the players, coaches, 

and refs. I was proud of him reading it in front of everyone.

 My beautiful girl. Huck wanted so badly to get out there with his brother. 

 My parents were able to come down and support him for his first game. They got to see his first 2 baskets scored in a game. 

The video has Leo reading the introduction speech and then shows Leo making the first basket of the game and his first basket in a game. 

Our Wild Child

Our youngest is a ball of energy. From the moment he wakes up (and lately that can be anywhere from 2 AM to 8:30 AM) he is in to everything. Half the time we are laughing hysterically at his humor and the other half of the time we are crying in disbelief at his antics. He has the ability to destroy a room within seconds. It is like having your home continually burglarized on a daily basis. There isn't a cupboard that he can't reach or a spot that he hasn't gotten into. He loves pulling books off shelves, dumping the contents of entire drawers on to the floor, and is thrilled when he gets into his sibling's things. He hates wearing clothes. We literally have to tackle him to get him to wear anything. He hasn't figured out how to take off shirts yet, but he knows how to take of pants and his diaper. He refuses to take a nap and doesn't really like to sleep in general. Even as a baby he hated to take naps. If you held him he would sleep for hours, but as soon as you put him down he was awake within 15 minutes. Ken and I have to be careful that we don't rush him growing up. This stage can be frustrating, but there is also a lot of humor. We also try to put into perspective that this time will go quickly. We learned that with our other 3. Within a few short years he will be in preschool and then kindergarten. But for now he is our goofy, destructive, lovable, wild child. 

 He has an absolute obsession with his googles and swim cap. He so desperately wants to be like his older siblings in every way. The weird thing is that he just loves to wear them around the house. When my parents were over he ran into the bathroom, put them on and then sat at the dinner table wearing them while we talked. 

 He loves to be naked and I snapped this picture during mid-undress. 

 The big news is that he is in a big boy bed. All 3 older kids had to be moved out of their cribs because another baby was coming. I was looking forward to keeping him in his crib until he was 3. Wouldn't you know he moved out when he was still 1. It simply was getting ridiculous with how he was jumping/vaulting out of his crib every night. My parents brought down a bunk bed that they had and weren't using. To say he loves it is an understatement. It is like he is one of the big kids now. 

Because he isn't taking naps we are trying to find something that will keep him occupied for a few minutes so we can get things done. He loves cars and trucks so we tried showing him Bob the Builder. He loves the music and loves to dance to it (Ken captured this video) but as soon as the theme songs ends he is done watching it and is back to destroying things.