House update

We were supposed to be closing on the house tomorrow, but some issues came up with the sellers since the husband who passed away is on the deed. We are praying everything works out and nothing changes. We should know something next week. I'm trusting God & know He has a plan. At first I was really upset but now I'm just grateful that this bump happened before signing papers and not afterwards. 

Since Andrew is taking a 3 day weekend we thought we would go somewhere for the weekend. That idea quickly got shut down when I looked over and was reminded we have 11 little puppies! 

World Ice Art Championships

Lately, I feel like we live for the weekends. We can't wait to actually have some time with daddy. He has been working quite a bit through the week (up at 4 am to head to work and home around 6:30 then to bed around 8) and wore out. We let daddy take a good long nap on Saturday so he would be well rested and ready to play.
The weather here has been amazing and reaching into the 40's!!! We have been able to get outside and play tons now that everyone is feeling better.
One thing we made sure to visit was the World Ice Art Championships here in Fairbanks. it really is so amazing to see the talent and work that went into all of these awesome sculptures.

The kids had a blast! I love how they are able to climb and slide on everything and not just have to look at it. Lance's Favorite was the giant slides. We brought along their bike helmets for the big slide. We didn't want any head injuries.

 This Stegosaurus was definitely a favorite of all of ours!!!

Since the temperatures were above freezing the ice was melting a little. Some of the abstract sculptures had started to melt and break so it was a little tough telling what some things were supposed to be.

Allot fo the sculptures were off dragons. This one was built by a team from Mongolia.

I love the dancers!

The kids were wore out from all the fun so we drove down to check on the farm while they napped. We checked the game cam to find out that we had more visitors in the past week.

 I love the picture of this Grey jay!

God blessed us with a beautiful day with amazing weather and a fun weekend together as a family! Andrew is taking off Friday and I can't wait for our 3 day weekend! We have some exciting things going to happen!!!

What's up, doc

Last week the kids started out with what I thought was a cold. It never got really bad and when I would start to think that I needed to take them to the doctor they would seem better. That is, until this weekend when the coughing turned into a deep chest cough and wouldn't stop! 

It was pretty rough. They were so wore out from coughing, but couldn't sleep. 

First thing Monday morning I took the kids to see the doctor. She told me that whooping cough was going around and it sounded like what the kids had. She only needed to test one of the kids to be sure. To test for whooping cough they have to swab up the nose. The nurse tried unsuccessfully the first time and the swab got kicked to the ground the second time. Lexie was not having it and Lance was getting pretty mad. The nurse left to get another nurse to help. When she tried to come back in Lance was pushing on the door and was determined not to let them in to hurt his sister. We all decided it would be best for me and Lance to step out then come in and "save" her after the swab was done. 

We have had a pretty uneventful week just staying home. Each day the kids have gotten better and better though. I've made sure to keep them busy doing calmer things so they don't start coughing. We have played with play dough, painted,games, lots of coloring, Disney movies, loving on all the adorable puppies and momma has done lots of cleaning to keep germs away! 

This week did have a couple highlights though. Sunday we needed out of the house so we took a ride to the farm to check on the game cam. We were super excited to find pictures of 3 different moose visiting! 

Speaking of the farm, I dropped papers off at the title company on Monday. They are getting all the paperwork together and we should be signing papers by the end of the month!!! 

Another exciting thing happened this week. My parents got iPhones and FaceTimed with the kids and me. They were pretty excited to see Lance & Lexie. The kids were also excited to see Papa & maw maw. 

MawMaw and Papa will be visiting the end of May for a couple weeks. Dad is going to help get things done with the house. We also have some fun trips planned like a train ride down to Denali and a fishing trip in Valdez for the guys while us girls take a wildlife tour. 

Summer is coming! Our days are getting longer and the temperatures getting warmer! 

Funny thoughts from the kids:

Lance said "humans only have 1,2 or 3 babies." So I said "do you know what it is called when you have 3? Triplets!" He says, "that means you have to sell one!"

While on the potty Lexie says to me "my butt is the poops home!" She's nuts!

Lance was helping me cook dinner and i was telling him to stir the food slowly so he wouldn't slosh food everywhere. He says to me "is that a rule in the Pampered Chef lady rule book?"

The kids had a cold this week and were a little congested. Lexie was picking her nose and said "I have sprinkles in my nose!" Wouldn't you know a princess has sprinkles not boogers.

Disney Land is on our vacation list for next summer. Momma is working very hard to earn an all expense trip for the 4 of us. Lance is definitely keeping me accountable. He wants to see the "princess castle" (mainly for sissy) and anything that has to do with cars. A little friend went there and didn't see Snow White. She told Lance that Snow White doesn't live there. It's pretty funny to listen to the conversations of little kids. They will be at the perfect age to remember the trip and enjoy every second. It will be ALL of our's first trip to Disney!! 

Going natural

My kids have sensitive skin & so do I. I have tried lots of laundry detergent and so far gain is the only one that makes us itch the least. After researching laundry detergents I have decided to just make my own! I was so excited when I found out it was so easy and CHEAP!!!! 

I know you may be thinking "ain't nobody got time for that!" But the truth is you do!!! I went to Walmart and bought a container to store my laundry soap in and the ingredients. All of which came to a total of about $15, the price of one container of liquid gain. I also should add that the container was almost $8 which is a one time cost. So really all the ingredients were around $7!!!! 

This is everything I purchased for my laundry detergent 

This is the recipe I used:

Homemade powder laundry detergent: 

2 bars Fels Naptha ($1) (grate with a cheese grater) OR 1 box of pregrated ZOTE soap flakes 

3 cups Arm & Hammer washing soda

3 cups borax powder 

ALL ingredients can be found in the laundry isle at WALMART. 

Mix all ingredients together and use 1/4 cup in laundry load. Add to water while the washer fills up to allow to completely dissolve. I wash my clothes in warm water that is more cool than warm and it all dissolved completely. The soap doesn't sud up like other detergents but don't worry, it is still working!

I bought sun with Oxi for extra dirty loads (my husband is a heavy equipment mechanic).

I also bought a Fels Naptha bar AND the ZOTE flakes. I just wanted to see the difference. 

The results:

The detergent just has a nice fresh clean smell. 

My clothes all came out super clean and even so soft out of the dryer!

This should last my family 36 large loads! 

I love using this instead of chemical filled soap that leaves my family itchy. After all, out skin is our largest organ, I want to be sure my family isn't absorbing harmful dyes, scents, etc.... 

Just some silliness

I never stop being amazed at the things my kids come up with. Seriously, they keep be laughing and on my toes.  

Here are just a few I remembered to write down

Lance came up to me holding an empty ziplock bag. He says "mom, look what I caught!" I said "what is it?" He then said "it's germs!" I said "O wow! How did you catch them?" He says "I coughed in the bag and then hurried and closed it!" He then tells me how he is going to take a bath and put water in the bag to kill the germs. 

I was helping Lexie fix her jacket and she says "but you're not a fixer, you're a pampered cheffer!" 

Lance took the training wheels off of his bike all by himself with his adjustable wrench. He gets on it and says "mom, come here. I seen this on tv. You're supposed to hold me and run along side me. Then when I'm not looking you let go!" 

Lexie is in love with all the puppies (like all of us). She wants to keep them all. She was holding one and says "mom this one is dangerous!" I ask her why she thought that, she then says "because it scratches!" I guess that means we have to keep it lol.

The kids have had a little cough this week. I am sure to remind them to cover their mouth & wash their hands often so they don't spread germs. Lexie coughed and said "mom, I got little girl germs in my mouth." 

Since the kids were coughing yesterday morning we decided not to go to church. We found an animal program on tv. The people were at San Diego's wildlife park. Lexie kept asking daddy if we could go there. He said some day we could. Then after breakfast we was putting on coats and boots to take a little drive. Lexie got so excited because she just knew we was going to see the wild animals. It broke daddy's heart to tell her that we weren't going there today. 

Andrew's Uncle Dave sent him some magazine subscriptions for Christmas. He got magazines like Field & Stream and Outdoor Life. Lance loves reading the magazines with daddy. He can't wait to go fishing and hunting this summer. He talks about it ALL the time!! He told me "you have to shoot the moose in the side so it goes through its heart and lungs."

The other day Lance was going through the car and found my tanning goggles that I haven't used in over a year. He didn't know what they were and it was hard to explain to them what they were. It was so funny to look back later and see him fast asleep with them on. 

My little Princess

Lexie is such a little princess. A sweeter little girl you will not find. She is so tender hearted! I don't even have to raise my voice at her and she will look at me with the saddest eyes "I'm sorry, mommy!" 

Lexie is such a mommy's girl! She loves hanging out with mommy and snuggling.  

She loves her daddy too and has him wrapped around her finger, but she prefers mommy most of the time. 

Lexie is in no hurry to grow up and I LOVE that. She likes it when mommy sleeps with her. She loves to be carried everywhere. Sometimes I will say, "Lexie, your getting too big for me to carry". Now when I pick her up she says "I'm not heavy anymore!" 

Lexie still loces clips and bows in her hair.

Lexie is such a sweet blessing. 

She loves to just wear panties and socks while at home. 

Sometimes she gets in trouble at dance class. She gets distracted easy! 

Lexie is always sure to say "Hi, my name is Lexie. This is mommy. Her name is Mommy!" to everyone we meet. 

Lexie LOVES all fruit! Sometimes when I tell her she has had enough, I will find her hiding behind the couch eating more grapes! 

Lexie loves her little puppy. She hasn't settled on a name yet. One day it was Angel, the next day Brownie then today it was kisses. 

Lexie loves her big brother! I have no clue what Lexie is going to do come August when Lance goes to school. I am looking forward to one on one time with my little girl. 

Lexie is a smart little girl. She memorizes stuff super easy. She can spell her name, count to at least 20, say all her ABC's, recognize all her upper case letters.

Lexie could sit at the table for hours coloring or painting. She LOVES books. "One more, please mommy!" Is a phrase I hear everyday from her. Sometimes she even "reads" to me. She describes what's on the page or reads to me what she has memorized. 

I love my little princess so much. She has brought out such a girly side of mommy that I never knew I had. 

I'm so thankful God picked me to be your mommy. Alexis Anne, I love you so much!!!

Love

I am so in love with my little family! Let me show you a few examples of the things I love. 

I love how silly we are! Our new family game is "guess what kind of animal I am". We take turns acting out a type of animal and asking questions like "is it a bird?" " Does it walk on two legs or four?"  "Does it eat meat?"  It is pretty funny to see how imaginative the kids can get. Lance really gets into it. He can pick some tough animals to guess like a snow shoe hair. 

I love our long bed time routine. Last night Lance picked the song for me to sing: This Little Light of Mine. This is one of the kids favorite songs so they sang with me. I love to hear them sing! 

I love talking on the phone to my parents every day! We live so far away, but I know I can always talk to them. The kids love talking to my MaMa and PaPa too. They count for them, sing to them, or just chat.  We can't wait for their visit this summer. 

Saturday night I snuck out of the house and played bingo with a few girl friends. I bought some extra dobbers for the kids. They loved using them to paint! I love how creative they are! They love painting and coloring (mainly with markers). 

I love my husband! After almost 9 years of marriage we are still the same crazy kids we were when we first got married. Last night we finally got to go on a date!! This was the first date we have had since August so we were long over due. We didn't mean to let this happen but Andrew works allot of hours some weeks so he wants to spend every second that he can with the kids and me together. Then when he actually does have an easy week I end up having a Pampered Chef party or our sitter isn't available. It makes it pretty tough to plan anything. 

We love doing things as a family, but it was nice just us. We watched 300 in IMAX 3D and I got to say that is was pretty awesome. 300 wasn't exactly my pick but I knew Andrew would love it so that was good enough for me. 

It was pretty funny how throughout the night we kept thinking about the kids. We made sure to keep our 3D glasses to give to the kids, we saved some of our food for the kids, and on the way out of the restaurant I saw Andrew grab a hand full of mints for the kids. 

We have so much fun together. We are always laughing and always having a good time! God has blessed our lives with so much love and happiness that only comes from HIM! 

My little man

My little man isn't so little anymore. He is growing up! He is getting bigger and stronger with each passing day, and he is sure to remind me of it. Four years old seems so young but he does the biggest things. 

Lance shovels off the driveway before daddy gets home. 

He checks the mail all by himself!

He loves to "read" magazines. 

He is the best helper ever!! He helps me cook, clean, opens door for mommy and other people. He always says, "women and children first!" 

Lance can't wait to turn 5. When asked how old he is he always says "I'm 4, almost 5 then I'll be 6!" 

Lance can count super far and recognizes numbers with 2 digits like 55. He can add and subtract single digit numbers. 

He knows ALL of his letters and can draw them. He knows what sound they make and even what sound some of them make together. 

I seriously am wondering what his teacher is going to teach him next year because he knows everything and he will tell me "I know everything. I'm the smartest boy ever!" 

Lance is always sure to tell Me that he loves me. He will say "hey mom" when I ask what he wants he will say "I just want to tell you that I love you so much!"

He LOVEs animals! We have lots of animal books that he loves to have us read over and over again. His favorite show is on PBS at 4:30 called Wild Kratts which of course is all about animals. He knows soooo many animal facts, it's crazy! 

He also loves complex things that require some thinking to design and build. 

He is all the time cutting up boxes and using ALL of my tape, glue and staples making an "invention" or "machine".

This little man has learned to whistle in the last week and walks around whistling everywhere. 

This little man will be starting kindergarten this year! 

I gues this little boy isn't so little anymore! I wonder how I am going to feel in the next 5 years! Thank you, God, for this little man in my life! 

More sillies

One Saturday night we rented the movie Alaska to watch with the kids. At the end of the movie when they let cubby, the baby polar bear, go with some other polar bears Lexie said "they not friends anymore" I told her that they were but the polar bear needed to be in the wild. She said "that hurt his heart. He's sad!" 

I was practicing the days of the week with the kids. Lance says "let's do all the days of the year like Christmas and Fall"

While listening to K-love (a Christian radio station) on the radio lance says "Aaahhh, nothing like good ole church music"

Here is something from Happy

Yesterday morning when Andrew left for work he merely peeked in at happy and the puppies. When Andrew got home from work she ran down stairs all crazy and was wanting Andrew to follow her upstairs. She was so excited to show him her puppies. The noises she was making was crazy. It was as if she was talking to him. 

Sometimes when I carry Lexie I will comment about how heavy she is getting. Now when she wants me to carry her she will say "I'm not heavy mommy. I'm a little girl and you're so strong!" 

We bought The Little Mermaid II. After watching it one night Lexie was taking a bath. She kept saying "mommy, I wish I had a tail!" She was pretty cute as she pretended she had a tail and splashed about. 

Since we don have cable we primarily watch PBS or movies. Neither of which have commercials. Lance has learned that on Saturday morning if he wakes up early the justice league is on. While watching the justice league there was a commercial for NoNo Hair Remover. Lance was so enthused by the commercial. He goes "look mom! It's NoNo! It looks like everyone is using it! You just rub it on your hair and it disappears!" He then looks down at his little hairless arms then back up to the tv where they start showing a man. "Mom, look it's for men too! Dad needs one!" 

It was the funniest thing as Lance got sucked into each commercial. He would tell me that we needed each product or we had to eat there. 

Puppy Love

Yesterday, Happy started the day off showing all the first stages of labor; panting, pacing, shivering, and nesting. I made sure to stay home all day just in case she needed me. 

By the time daddy got home from work we had our first puppy. As the evening went on she had one right after the other.

Happy chose Lexie's couch to have her puppies on. To say it is ruined is an under statement. 

 

When the kids went to bed there was just one puppy but by morning we had 11 total; 6 boys and 5 girls. 

Happy is such a great mom! She is taking amazing care of all the puppies. 

Take a look back at 2 years ago when Happy was 7 weeks old on her way home with us sleeping in Lance's arms!