Snow Days

The end of February brought 4 snow days for our school district.  That is unheard of!  The first two days were pretty good, but what do you do when you run out of snow tricks?

These were the snowmen that Will made with the girls on the first day.  It snowed overnight on top of them, that's why they really just look like piles of snow.

Day number two, Taylor (really me) made another one.

I gave the girls some bottle of colored water and they made all sort of desserts.

Winnie loved the snow.  She even ate snowballs right out of our hands.

Okay, now on the last day I wanted to take the girls sledding, but we didn't have a sled.  I put out a facebook request for sled alternatives.  Here are a few ideas that were given.  Car hood (I didn't have one of those).  Car mat, trash bag, laundry basket, trash can lids, and cookie sheets.  I think the cookie sheet would have worked, but we didn't have one big enough.

I packed the girls into the van along with our assortment of sled items.  The hill we chose was full of kids on sleds.  Emma said, "what if everyone looks at us because we don't have a sled?"  Taylor, the eternal optimist, pointed out the two other people there who didn't have sleds and assured her (and me) that we would be fine.  

 

We tried all the items that we took.  Nothing worked.  The girls were real troopers - I was really proud of them, because honestly, I was self-conscious about it. The trash bags worked the best.  Not great, but the best.  After a while, someone gave us an extra boogie board that the girls took turns on.  It worked great.  When it was time for the other family to leave, they gave us another one and told the girls they could keep them.  Their kindness was very touching.  

Robber's Cave State Park

 A couple weeks ago we went with my family (minus a few) to Robber's Cave State Park.  It is located in Wilburton, Oklahoma.  I remember going there as a child and was excited to return.

 I think this place is so cool.  There is so much to explore!

Notice Will - he blends in with the tree.

 The kids had a great time.  Its important to keep a close eye on them, though.  They were all natural mountain climbers.

 I highly suggest this park to anyone who likes to camp or stay in a cabin.

My mom was always on the lookout for firewood.

More Holiday Fun

We were able to enjoy an evening of looking at incredible Christmas lights with Will's parents and brother.

One of the girls' favorite parts of Christmas with Will's family is the fancy bows Grandma uses.

Yeah!  New bikes!  The camera had been in the cold car and the lens was fogged over.

Butler Christmas 2012

I wrote last year about our family Christmas with my maternal grandma's family.  I can't tell you how much  I love it.

We start with a late lunch.

The family talent show follows.

Last year Emma was too shy to do anything on her own.  This year she was brave enough to sing the "Fa la la la las" in Deck the Halls.

Taylor was going to sing Santa Claus is Coming to Town.  This was her first attempt.  She decided she didn't want to.

She decided to give it another try.  Taylor is a bit of perfectionist and her cousin skipped a few words.  This completely threw Taylor off and once again she quit.

Taylor gave it one more try with her cousin Peyton.  Thankfully, they made it all the way through!

Next comes "We Three Kings", followed by the Halleluja Chorus, which I didn't get a picture of.

We end by reading the Christmas Story then opening gifts.

This afternoon with family always blesses me deep down in my soul.  I leave you with a few extra shots of  sweetness.

All About Them

I now begin a marathon of back blogging.  December was full and January ended with a ten day sickness in our house.  We then went about figuring out our new "normal" as we have begun our own business.  I worked two full weeks of subbing  and we've had something major going on every weekend.  Now, with the kids home sick again, I finally have time to catch up on a few things.

Taylor's class has a student of the week where the child gets to share about themselves.  Here is hers.

If you'd like to compare it with last years, you can look at it here http://alishaandwill.blogspot.com/search/label/school.  The most noticable difference is that now she wants to be an author.  Last year she wanted to be a ballerina.

Emma's class doesn't do this, so I just asked her the questions.

I like to...dress up and play.

My favorite foods are...strawberries and cereal.

My favorite colors are...red, pink, light blue, and purple.

I want to be...an artist.

Anything else you want people to know...I like princesses and I have lots of friends, so I'll just say one - Lily.

I was glad to see that she doesn't just want to be babysitter anymore.

Christmas Letter 2012

Merry Christmas, Everyone!  I hope that all of you have enjoyed your holiday season.  Ours has been busy, busy, busy, but we have enjoyed the time with family and friends.

Emma and Taylor started kindergarten this year.  That seems impossible to me, but its true.  We put them in different classes and that has proven to be a great choice.  They have both blossomed as individuals and learned how to make friends on their own.  Their teachers are perfect for them and they both love school.  Taylor's favorite school activities are math and PE.  Emma's is art. 

Now that I have more free time I've started substitute teaching two days a week.  I have enjoyed getting back in the classroom and experiencing the different grade levels and subject areas.  I have also spent some time volunteering at the girls' school.  On my days off, I continue to do laundry, grocery shop, and sweep floors.  I truly admire those women who work full-time and have spotless homes.

Will finished his second year working for Lighthouse Properties.  He is now embarking on a new work adventure.  We are starting our own business!  This is something Will has been interested in for several years.  After much prayer and council, we have decided that now is the time.  He will be doing custom woodwork and remodeling.  I will be doing bookkeeping and marketing.  Please remember us in your prayers as we start this new chapter of our lives.

We love hearing from each of you.  Thank you for continuing to be part of our lives.  We hope that God blesses you richly during the next year!

December

December has been a whirlwind of activity.  Strangely, I think January is going to be busier.  This month has brought a lot more volunteer opportunities at the girls' school, which I've enjoyed, and of course, all sorts of holiday festivities.

The first weekend of the month my parents and sister went looking at Christmas lights with us.  I've decided that we just went too early.  Not very many lights were out yet.  We went to the parade on the river, but because of the recent drought, there was no river.  We found a few houses to look at, but overall, it didn't meet my high expectations.  We did enjoy spending time with family, though.  I wish I would have taken a picture of my mom, sister, and me crammed in the backseat.

Last weekend we took the girls to visit Santa Claus.  They were not impressed by the first Santa we saw.  In fact, Emma wouldn't even sit on his lap.  They were convinced he wasn't really Santa and questioned how he got is suit.  We finally decided that Santa needed some helpers and lent some suits to a few guys to help out.  We then headed way across town to find the "real" Santa.  We drove so long that one of the girls asked if we were driving to the North Pole.  Relieved, we found the real thing.

I was happy to find that this year, the girls were actually very helpful in the cooking baking department.  Past years have proven to be more work than fun for me.