Two Decades Under Her Belt ~

 And the following begins a slew of photos where kids just can't let me take a picture of them without looking like a bunch of... well, I'll let you just take a look:

 really?

 Awww - now that's what I'm talkin' about!

 sweet!

 Sophia embroidered this for her sister...

 okay, not bad - actually pretty good...

 nice, Dani...

 See?  You'd expect a 14yo could keep it together... 

 John Paul had been "tearing up" at the occasion...

 But we got him back to his goofy-self!

 Then it dawned on me that John Paul wasn't in there! (he was having one of his moments)

 Seriously?  Charlie is about to book it....

 Joseph is hiding behind Dani - on purpose. 

Well, I suppose the important thing is that they all had FUN!

Happy Birthday Kayla!

We LOVE you and pray for you always ~

The Enlightenment

I don't know what it is with boys and flashlights... but I think it is adorable!

The three boys were playing Hide-n-Seek last night. They were the seekers (with headlights) while their sisters hid.

I had been out picking up dd from a practice and when we drove up, it was soooo cute seeing those little lights shining in the blanket of night - spying their sisters in the bushes.

Of course, they're just watching a movie in the photos here.  But still ... made me smile :)

Snow Days - 2011

We had our first White Christmas in Atlanta since the 1880's (or something like that) - and this is what it looked like Christmas night. It was so beautiful. It snowed the entire day!

Then last week we had a snowstorm that shut down the city for days.  The schools 'round here were out ALL WEEK! It started last Sunday night and Monday we had an official SNOW DAY!!  This doesn't happen very often here, so it's a huge treat for the kids...

SOPHIA

CHARLIE

...love the smile on his face the whole way down :)

Kids of all ages...

JOHN PAUL

JOSEPH

As the snow becomes iced-over, that's when the real danger hits here in the south.  There are still places with snow and ice.... but the city is back in full swing.

I loved the 'time off'.  We schooled that week (only taking Monday off), but we didn't have to (couldn't) go anywhere.  No activities at all.  That's rather nice :)  Plus being able to just do things around the house that seem to take a back seat to a busy life.  Staying on top of laundry... that's a huge thing 'round here! And that's why I love being snowed in.  Close together.  Just being.  Soaking up the kids!