Even though I spent most of my time in the house, my sister in law and Mark got some great pictures of a few of the kids…
Snow Beauties
1
Tag Archives: Liam
Skating and Tubing
I did get to venture out to do activities two days. On Monday, I went snowboarding…okay, well, let’s just say I took a lesson. The only way I could stop was to fall down so I stayed on the bunny slope and since I didn’t have any ski pants/or ski bib, my rear was numb for hours (I’m talking hours) afterwards. Then Friday, the day before we left, I got to go skating and tubing. That was fun! I’d never skated outdoors.
And several of our kids had never skated at all.
But that didn’t stop them from trying…
And falling…
And trying some more…
Ace got really good before we left. I was proud of how hard he tried. He fell pretty hard a few times too but he got right back up and tried again. Josiah was more interested in building a snow castle for a long while. I was so glad we didn’t have to pay for him to skate!
Let me just say that snow tubing is a blast and is really physically demanding. My arms were sore for three days after we went. But it was so worth it!
Yes, this is me.
And this is Papa!
Zoe…she flipped her tube once, laughed, got back up and went again. She thought that was really cool.
Even Grandmere tried it out.
I missed posting pictures of J, O, and G going but they were with us and had a great time too. We were able to race down some of the runs.
At the end of the day, it’s all about chillin’ and relaxin’ dude. I took a breather for a few minutes and watched Zoe and my nieces and nephews go. If only I had a video of me trying to get up out of that knee high snow drift.
Back at the Ranch…
Well, with several little ones that couldn’t take being out in the cold and snow for long periods of time, I and the grandparents and Aunt B did a lot of indoor maintenance. So, we got lots of fun pictures of the kids…Oh, before I start…want to know how much luggage and stuff one has to take to be snowed in in the mountains with our six kids??? No, well, tough, I’m going to show you.
Visiting cousins…
Bryant was about to launch an attack because K had his toy!
This is O with her little brother K and Ace holding Bryant.
Getting ready to just take our five out (Bryant never went out but once briefly for pictures), took a good 45 minutes. No. I do not want to live up north!
Zoe and I learned to crochet thanks to Grandmere!
With a winter storm looming and temps getting way low, we had a morning inside with everyone. We split up into groups. I grabbed some extra sugar and flour I had brought and mixed it with peanut butter to make playdough. It was great fun, except that I forgot the twins were allergic to peanut butter and we were all stressing trying to make sure they didn’t grab any (Way to go Aunt Abbie)!
Another group played Monopoly with Papa!
Climbing on cousins is a treat!
Sometimes brothers are just way too comfy.
It’s easier to play a game if you stick your tongue out.
Quick Daddy has the camera…make a silly face.
Tic Tac Toe with Grandmere.
Best Cousin buds!
Just a few shots of the getting ready chaos. There was always someone missing a glove, hat or boot at some point during this time.
Another day, we had the little ones inside and to keep them busy, I filled up a sink full of bubbles and they wen to town. They did really good keeping it in the sink too!
Papa was watching the kids while we were getting supper ready!
“What is that thing in your mouth, dear cousin???”
The Great Outdoors
Since the biggest part of our trip was the snow. I’ll post those first…
Another bunch of Characters!
Skiing…
Grandmere and Zoe getting ready.
G & H ready to learn from Uncle B.
Liam enjoyed going fast.
O did an amazing job and enjoyed the beginner slope.
It’s cold!!!
This is how you stop.
All ready to go!
Sorry that I don’t have more pics of Zoe. I was able to go out and watch her briefly one time, but didn’t get a lot of pictures. Not sure why they didn’t make it here…there’s a lot of pictures though!
Happy Birthday Liam!
Okay, I’m still sifting through the three hundred plus pictures from our ski trip…they should be up next week.
So, to keep from getting even farther behind…here’s Liam’s birthday.
I got in on one of the Daily Deal websites and was able to get a party package for six to the bowling alley for half price. We got two because with our family, well, you just need two to accommodate us and our friends!
This was the first time bowling for all of our kids (unless you count Wii practice before we went).
Pre birthday celebration at Ge & Granddaddy’s!
Trios make Liam happy!
So do Transformers!
Celebrating on birthday day with Papa and Grandmere!
And on to bowling…
Getting help!
If you hold your tongue just right, you’ll get a strike.
Super Wy!
Humor me…it’s supposed to be a bowling ball out of chocolate sprinkles. At least it tasted good.
Posing for the camera.
Present time!
Winterfest with a Bunch of Characters
We’ve been out all last week (hence the sporadic posting). Well, we haven’t just been out. We’ve been in the mountains. Covered in snow.
We were able to take a family trip with Papa, Grandmere, Uncle B and Aunt B and their seven children. Yep, our motto of “Go, go, go” may have hit it’s all time high.
We traveled to Beech Mountain, NC. From all respects, we had perfect “skiing” weather. It was clear the day we came up, snowed the next day, clear the next, snowed a lot the next day, and then clear and cold after that. By the time we had to leave, the roads were all clear. We praised God throughout the week for the weather He sent. We fully expected to just see snow on the slopes and at the ski resort, however, we had it everywhere.
So, while we continue to unpack, and recover from a stomach bug (we traveled didn’t we???), I’ll share a few things I need to remember:
***
Liam got a kick out of telling his aunt and uncle jokes. They encouraged it too. At one point, Liam announced, “It’s flowing out of my brain and down to my tummy.”
***
Our nephew H (once described as Liam on speed but has since slightly, ever so slightly toned down to “just like Liam”), has now been renamed as “Me too.” Everytime we (especially Mark or I) would announce we were going to do something, he would pipe up, “Me too, Me too.”
***
H is also quite the daredevil/stunt artist. Mark was able to observe him on skis as he went down the learners’ slope and straight into the mesh gate. He and Uncle B were exclaiming, “H stop, H stop!” And as he quickly neared the gate, “H fall! H FALL!” They continued to watch as he ran into the gate, bounced off, laughed, and turned and skied off.
I got to observe this daredevil spirit when we went ice skating. He got tired of waiting on his mom to take him around the rink so he just took off without anyone. Skated two steps, fell hard, laughed, and got back up and did it again….wash, rinse, repeat.
***
Mark and I both got a kick out of the sweetness of the cousins. They all played together so well (which was a blessing in place crammed with nineteen people). We got to watch Josiah cuddling with a cousin to look at a book.
Mark told me about Zoe and Cousin O on the slopes. They would race Mark to the lift, get in on a lift in front of him and he would watch them giggle and talk and play the whole way up. It really warmed our hearts!
***
We learned that all ski personnel are dudes. When we referred to any of them we would say, “There was this dude.” As we discussed this, I remarked my snowboard instructor (yes, I said snowboard…yes, I tried snowboarding), was old.
Aunt B replied, “He’s an old dude.”
By the end of the week, we even had Papa calling them dudes.
Is that all the funnies???
I think that’s enough. Stay tuned for pictures, between the three families, we have about four hundred of them…don’t worry, I won’t totally bore you with unbelievably cute pictures of my kids, nieces, nephews, and family…or maybe I will (insert evil laugh here).
Overheard in our Home
After watching The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Ace commented, “During the scary parts, I burped. It was a nervous burp. No one could hear it.”
I think he was describing the “knot in your stomach” feeling.
***
While discussing various Christmas traditions, we started discussing how Martin Luther may have contributed to some. To which Ace replied, “Martin Luther? Is he the guy that signed the 900 species.”
***
At our non-denominational church, during Awana, Liam’s cubbie class was discussing the verse from Matthew, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.” His teacher asked the class how they could prepare the way of the Lord. His hand shot up and he said, “Become Baptists!” I believe he meant become baptized. Although that’s not the most exact answer either. We’re so proud!
***
While playing MarioKart on the Wii at Ge and Granddaddy’s, Liam started yelling, “I’m invincible! I’m invincible! I’m invincible! I’m…not invincible!” which means he just crashed off of something.
I’m Dreaming of a White DayAfter Christmas
We woke up, the day after Christmas to snow falling. It rained the whole night before, so we didn’t have any thing sticking. It tapered off to sleet in the afternoon then picked back up and after that, it started to stick! This was our second snow this year! And, if you know where we live, you know that is highly unusual! Yet again, I had a cold. But the kids enjoyed it.
Watching it fall!
Finding snow stashed in a corner and attacking with snowballs…again.
All told, we probably had about one inch, if that much, stick. It was fun while it lasted because it was gone mid morning the next day.
Since we’re going skiing soon, we opted not to take Bryant out in it. He got to see it from the window and was as impressed as a five month old can be with snow.
Merry Christmas!
Yeah, I know, I’m almost two weeks behind. But, at least, I’m posting.
Starting with Ceili Rain, we have been passing around a cold bug. It includes a fever for twenty four hours and ends with a cold…stopped up nose, sneezing, and coughing as well. Christmas day we were all still dealing with the congestion, but no fever. Mid morning, Josiah came up to meet and told me he was tired. Checking his temp, I realized he was feverish. So, he spent the afternoon on the couch. Thankfully, it was a pj day!
The day before, we made a gingerbread house. Okay, we decorated one. I bought the kit at Wal-Mart and it included a pre-made house with the icing and sugary treats. Can you spot the chewed up gumdrop???
We set out their St. Nick gifts this year. They included Trios Castle and paraphenalia for the boys and a doll house for the girls.
That bruise on Ceili Rain’s cheek was a gift to her from Josiah as he tried to give her a hug which turned into a tackle which the doorframe stopped.
Ceili Rain got hairclips from her sister. This year, the kids drew names and chose gifts from our Sib Shop (things I’ve gathered at extreme discounts throughout the year and stored away for them to shop through).
Sometimes paper tastes better than gifts.
Josiah tickled us this year. He drew Zoe’s name, but as I helped him wrap his gift, he kept looking at all the things and saying how one would be good for Ace or that one would be good for Liam, etc. He never once grabbed one and said he wanted it. When Zoe opened her gift he was right beside her and when she smiled and told him thank you, he got so excited and gave her a hug!
Merry Christmas from our wrapping paper home!
When I said we liked to travel, I didn’t realize we’d be traveling two weekends in a row. The second weekend in December was a trip to Alabama to a wedding. Now, about halfway there we realized that we had forgotten the extra batteries in our camera and the current batteries in it were dead. So, we got zero pictures while there. We also celebrated Zoe’s birthday with Papa and Grandmere. Let’s just say, the wedding was beautiful and my kids were too!
The next weekend was a trip to Granddaddy and Ge’s to celebrate Christmas and Zoe and Liam’s birthdays. We had a blast. I think my favorite parts were my nephew Ethan being stoked with his gift (two airsoft guns with lasers for his dad and him to use) and staying up after the younger kids went to bed to play games with the older ones.
My nephew, E-bear, with Bryant. He loved toting him around (so did his sister J-bug).
One of Ge’s friends, Mrs. L, gave all the kids flutes, and then promptly left…we tried to send the kids out the door with her but she just wouldn’t take them 🙂
Bryant started reaching for anyone and everyone while we were there. He loved his Granddaddy and his Aunt Yaya the most.
While we were there, Mark got a call (that lasted at least an hour if not more). We had just handed out presents and were waiting on him. Ceili Rain took the time to stack and restack all the packages.
Mark couldn’t get off the phone and the kids couldn’t wait so we let them all take turns opening gifts…
Zoe and J-bug planned it out to open gifts that looked the same at the same time. This meant their gifts were the same if not similar. They thought it was funny.
Aunt Yaya is too funny!
Bryant was just a little sleepy. Turn your head, or not. I look better sideways!
