Winter Wonderland

As much as I've tried to avoid the notion...winter is definitely here. My 4-Runner just got a nice new set of studded snow tires (thanks to hubby!), the vehicles need to be plugged in at night, and we can't forget the obvious blanket of white snow that's covering the entire city.

I spent a week or so pretending that it hasn't really happened and secretly hoping that the snow wouldn't stick. But now it's time to face reality. Winter is here. It really really is.

 

I realized that I am about to endure my 6th Alaskan winter and yet this California body of mine still hasn't quite adapted. I'm already dreading the dry skin and cracking scalp that I know is about to happen. Between the crisp dry air and having to wash my hands every 15 minutes at the hospital, my poor skin is a mess. Mental note to self: use more coconut oil!

So even though I am not a huge fan of snow I find it absolutely adorable that my boys are. They love to play outside regardless of the temperature. And the best part....preschool and daycare help them get that daily fix. I love that they get out, but even more when it's not me having to do it! This California girl prefers to hibernate all winter drinking hot cocoa and watching the snow through a window. But I'm sure there will be many days of snow play in my future. Now that I'm outnumbered I'm bound to be drug outside a time or two.

Toddlerhood

A little late, I know, but our littlest man is officially a toddler. No more infant. Such a big, handsome, happy man he is, too. It's crazy to think that I was holding him for the first time just a little over one year ago. Feels like he's honestly been in my life forever. He has been walking for months and is quite the runner these days. He loves to follow his big brother around everywhere and I've even caught them play wrestling on a number of occasions. I'm sure it wont be long before those turn into full fledged wrestles.

He absolutely loves music! He dances, claps and sings anytime he hears a song. I recently took him to a book party in the park and it wasn't long before he made his way to the music tent. I turned my back for two seconds and he crawled up onto the drums, stood up, and was dancing away. I'm thinking of putting him in a weekend music class for babies since music is such a big part of his life. He loves all genres of music and will even head bang to the ABC's. But the cutest of all is his singing. His can actually sing to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle.

He is so outgoing and can put a smile on anyones face. He is talking quite a bit and really comprehends commands and questions. It's so fun to ask him to grab something and watch him follow through with the request. His amazement, and even frustrations, are so amusing to watch. Little people really are the coolest!

Since Mr. Man started walking our lives have forever changed. He used to be so easy going but he is really starting to push his limits. I'm pretty sure he should have been named Danger because I find myself constantly gasping as I discover him climbing or standing on random objects. My bet is that he'll need stitches by two!

He absolutely loves dogs and will spot them out everywhere we go. On a recent hike he didn't miss one single dog that passed us by. His little "dog, dog, dog!" never gets old.

As crazy as it is that my baby is now a toddler, my oldest is about to turn 4! Holy smokes...is this even possible?!

This kid has got the funnest personality around! I honestly have never gone a single day without him making me laugh. He is sweet, smart, funny and an amazing big brother!

I try to spend special "date" time with Lucas because it's not often that we get to be alone. With the change of semesters my schedule now allows me to take him to school a few days a week. We often have a bit of time to spare so we are creating new morning traditions together!

I just had his Parent-Teacher conference and was told that he is doing fantastic! This year we put him in the Pre-K program as well so Lucas has made many new friends. He is so sweet and all of the kids just gravitate to him. Not to mention to the buddies he's made from daycare also. Who wouldn't want to be Lucas' friend? He's a pretty amazing kid!

He has an extra special birthday party coming up this weekend so I am busy prepping all the Superhero details. I can't wait! Four whole years have flown by since this little munchkin made me a mama. And what an amazing four years it has been!

Levin's 1st Birthday

I am busily prepping for Lucas' birthday party next weekend and it dawned on me that I never posted anything about Levin's 1st birthday. He is such a unique little person so I wanted a birthday theme to resemble that. Nothing caught my eye while shopping around so I figured I'd get creative with all of his favorite things....airplanes, snakes, and blueberries!

I carved an airplane out of a watermelon and stuffed it full of grapes, cut out airplane pb&j's, and dipped marshmallows in delicious blue colored chocolate to make propellers. The snake bread sticks with olive eyes ended up being a pretty big hit, as were the yummy blueberry muffins (instead of cupcakes).

For the cake I stuck with angel food cake and fresh strawberries. It was adorable and took only a few minutes to make. Best of all, the birthday boy enjoyed it. And mom was happy that his belly was full of healthy strawberries instead of sugary frosting!

We had such a great turnout and the weather thankfully cooperated with us. It was a tad windy, but the kiddos sure didn't mind. We even had a surprise moose visitor run out onto the open field. We reserved one of the nearby parks so the kids were able to play on the structures as well as run around the fields. All it took was a bucket of balls and the party took care of itself!

My goofy little man is so loved by his family and friends and it warms my heart to see people come together to celebrate his existence. I love this boy more than I ever imagined I could! And I even love making fun of his silliness...hence the "Baby Gollum" photo above!