Too big, too soon!

I can't believe that Morgan is just a few days shy of turning 11 months...and soon the big first birthday! She is really on the move these days...hanging out with Ranger.

He is so patient with her and handles all her "love"...such as being dressed up and sat on.

She has been taking steps, usually with assistance...but frequently I'll find her standing on her own and managing a step before falling down.

She is always waving "hi"...

Another wave...

And another...

Such a sweet and silly girl...can't believe how fast this year has gone!

Sledding

The girls have been out of school since last Friday as we experience record setting snow falls in northern VA. There have been several cold and windy days, but on Monday there were blue skies and it was gorgeous. We made it down to the elementary school in our neighborhood which has a great sledding hill. The girls had a blast sledding and also enjoyed seeing a lot of their school friends!

The Federal Government has had 3 snow days! That is evidence of just how bad the roads are around here. The main issue in DC is that we've had so much snow so quickly that they just don't have anywhere to put the snow on the narrow city streets. Currently they are plowing and trucking loads of snow and dumping it under bridges.
We bundled Morgan up and took her out so we could get a few pictures. Unfortunately, it was just a few minutes before her nap and she wasn't too thrilled!
We ran into one of Brooke's preschool buddies, Connor. She was nervous to sled but once she saw Conner and his double sled she was suddenly brave.

Even a face full of snow didn't stop her!

Baileigh...watching the girls sled took me back to my winters in MI as a kid. So fun to see them enjoying themselves so much!

My wild child...this kid aimed for every jump that had been built and could be heard screaming with joy by everyone.

The Blizzard and the Bowl

If you haven't heard...we got a little snow in the Capitol this weekend! Two feet according to the yard stick we put on our deck. Here is a picture of our now 10 foot tall Suburban!
Brooke hasn't been willing to wear her boots and snow pants on previous snow falls so this was her first time coming outside to play this winter. She said she had fun and I managed to get a few pictures.

The snow was pretty hard for her to navigate considering it's depth!

Sledding in the front yard.

Poor Jonah didn't know how to go to the bathroom considering he couldn't even move in the snow...

We had some damaged trees from the weight of the snow. Our neighbors had 4 huge Cypress trees that are broken under the weight of the snow. Baileigh is my snow bunny and stays outside until forced back in by her mother out of fear of her freezing!

Our snow fall started on Friday afternoon. We haven't ventured out since then and have heard things are still bad. The federal government actually has a snow day today so conditions must not be great! Considering we've been cooped up it was nice to have some brave friends over on Sunday night to watch the Super Bowl. Our party was smaller then originally planned, but we had fun none the less...despite watching it with Saints fans and I was cheering for the Colts!
I heard this year that Thanksgiving is the number 1 food consumption day of the year followed by Super Bowl being number 2! We did our part to keep that statistic true!

I got a little crafty with our desserts!

It's another snow day today and another storm is anticipated for Tuesday night...can you say cabin fever!

Flocked!

We woke up to a sea of beautiful flocked trees!

The snow was pretty wet and when the sun came out it started falling off the trees in huge clumps.
I convinced the girls (who had a snow day) to stay in their pj's and watch movies...wasn't too hard to convince them.
It's now a slushy mess, but it was beautiful while it lasted. There is talk of us getting 12 more inches this weekend! I'm running low on firewood and I think the girls will be in school until July at this rate!

Adolescence?

The past few weeks it seems like Brooke isn't 3 soon going on 4...rather 3 going on 13! She suddenly has a fierce independent streak that includes wanting to pick everything she wears, her accessories and how her hair is styled...which usually means about 5 barrettes. I've tried to ignore a lot of it but a tank top and shorts to play outside in 21 degree temperatures has to be addressed! She was so stubborn that she chose to pout and not go outside.

I told her to get ready to go today and this is how she appeared. To top it off she said, "I'm a rock star mommy!" Earlier in the day she appeared sporting her new lip gloss that our friend gave her at lunch. "Can you tell I put on my make-up Mommy?" Ummm...not really?!

Saturday Snow

A Peak

A sneak peak at some of our bathroom fixtures. The progress is slow but steady. "It's never easy" is Brad's saying and it continues to be true. There have been hurdles that haven't surprised us but that are frustrating none the less...rotted floors, molded insulation, electrical issues, etc. All the things you can expect in a 20 year old house. If Brad had another week of vacation I think we could get the majority of it done, but he is headed back to work on Monday. Slow and steady...we'll get there sooner or later, hopefully sooner.

"The Chair Of Despair"...this thinking chair has been with Brad in all of our remodeling projects in this house, he has given it a name. It is barely holding on...duck tape doing the job. I hope it survives the remainder of this project or it could be a bad sign.

10 months old

Morgan turned 10 months on Wednesday. I didn't forget about it...its just that if I had posted at that time it would have been all about her vomiting and explosive diapers...and I thought I would spare you from details or photos. Let's just say it was a long and rough week around here as three of the girls passed around some type of bug. I think we're almost all on the mend now and looking forward to getting back to "normal".

Here are a few pictures of Morgan from the past week...

She is usually a great eater and not picky, this week was a different story and she didn't keep much down. Today marks the fist time in 5 days that she has wanted to eat and we didn't see it again later! Notice all her bottom teeth...still no teeth on top.
She loves her baths...she needed several this week! Our only problem in the bath is the fact that she loves to drink the water out of her cups.

She spends most of her day exploring the house and getting into things like my purse...

And playing with things she shouldn't. I need to get some baby gates but its hard to bite the bullet and pay for them considering she is our fourth and final and I only need them for a short time. We'll see how long I can keep chasing her around and maybe we'll survive this stage...

This is the view I typically have of her throughout the day...

She has really started to love her doggies too...here she is sharing her favorite blankie with Ranger which is a pretty big deal since she is very protective of her blankie!

I tried to get a few pictures of her outside today...but she had just woke up from a nap and still isn't feeling that great so smiles were few and far between. She was very preoccupied with eating her zipper.
Gotta love those big blue eyes....I think she gets compliments on a daily basis when we're out running errands.

Finally...a smile.

This week aside...she is such a happy baby and a joy to have around. Its amazing that she is almost a year old. She adores her sisters and they are all very fond of her as well. I look forward to this next year and seeing her personality develop even more.

Keepin me busy

Its been busy around here and we've started our final major home renovation...the master bath. Here are a few before pictures of our lovely 1987 Waverly wallpaper and brass chandelier bathroom before the demo...

Here are some pictures as we started the demo. Its completely gutted now, just the studs but I haven't downloaded any more pictures. Brad is taking next week off to work on it full time. I'll keep you posted...

Jars of Clay

Thursday night we're going to Alexandria to the Birchmere to see Brad's favorite Christian group, Jars of Clay. Its a neat dinner theater venue where you actually watch the concert from your table. This was a Christmas gift I gave Brad and we're both looking forward to the evening.

Seems like it was just 1995 and I was back at TU and Jars of Clay was barely known and performing on campus. They accepted our invitation and came over to our off campus house for some coffee after they were done with their show. I had a fancy cappuccino machine at the time..it was a real luxury and rarity back then! Its been 15 years and Jars of Clay has come a long way. I wonder if I invite them over for coffee after the show on Thursday if they'll accept. I'm sure their lack of notoriety combined with a houseful of college girls probably made the offer back in 1995 a little more appealing.

Teeth

Not one of my girls has had teeth before the age of 8 months. Morgan is keeping in that tradition as she is almost 10 months old and finally cutting her first teeth. Not tooth...teeth. All 4 on the bottom at the same time! Still no teeth showing on top...but I can tell they are just under the surface. She has had a cold all month and been a little cranky...I'll blame it on the teeth!

New Year's Resolutions

Well...hopefully I didn't have a resolution to be more consistent with my blog posts this year since its already 10 days into January and I've yet to write anything.

The year is off to a good start. Some colds floating around the house and freezing cold weather...but otherwise, good.

This is my year to return to triathlons. That is the goal at least. I'm back to the gym, baby steps right now. I made it 3 days this week and attended two Zumba classes. It confirmed I have absolutely no Latin blood but I wasn't the worse in the class. The worse part is having to take Morgan with me which just exposes her to more germs several times a week. Oh well, hopefully it helps her develop a high tolerance...its not like her 3 sisters don't expose her to enough stuff, anyway. Miss Morgan is cruising all around the house and cutting 6 teeth right now! From zero to six in one month makes for a cranky girl.

We're tackling our last home remodeling project this month...the master bath. The cabinets and counter top are ordered so now we're looking for our floor and shower tile. Demo happens MLK weekend and Brad is taking the last week of January off to work on the remodel. I'm anxious to knock out this project but dreading the late nights and mess.

The girls are back to school and adjusting to a schedule again. Ice skating lessons are on the agenda for the month of January and the girls seem to be enjoying the experience. All in all our family is doing really well...just growing up way too fast!

So I'm not sure what this post is truly about...a chance to catch up, to share a little, to touch base...to say I finally posted!

Happy New Year!

These were our Christmas cards this year...if you are reading this and didn't receive one I apologize. I underestimated this year and didn't order enough...so just the other day I changed them to say "Happy New Year" and ordered a few more. They should have been here yesterday and I would have had them in the mail today. However, I accidently had them shipped to our old address so now they are further delayed...regardless, Happy New Year!