Scooters and Ride-on toys

Nana H. came for a visit on Tuesday and brought early Easter presents for the kids. Jacob and Hannah got scooters and Luke got a ride-on toy. They had fun trying out their new toys. Jacob was able to whiz around on his scooter pretty quickly. Hannah is still learning but she is a determined little girl. Tuesday and Wednesday were nice days to be outside. And then we got 3" of snow yesterday so the scooters will have a rest for a few days. Outdoor toys are great for our living situation. As soon as it warms up for good we will be spending a lot of time outside.

Preparing for 4

Yesterday we made a step towards preparing for baby #4 -- we bought a minivan! The kids had fun checking out the new van. I can't believe we're going to be a mini-van family and soon it will be filled with 4 kids!!! Luke was a little scared to sit in the van -- as you can probably tell in the pictures. Hopefully he'll be comfortable on our first ride tomorrow. Jacob - on the other hand -- had fun sitting behind the wheel! We're taking it up to the mountains this weekend. It will be nice to have a spacious vehicle for a longer trip.

Happy Valentine's Day

The kids have been in the valentine spirit since they wrote their valentine cards about a month ago (when I purchased them). They have had fun making home-made valentines and valentine chocolates and cookies as we approached Valentine's day. Hannah and Jacob both had parties at school and exchanged valentines with their classmates. I made french toast for breakfast for the kids this morning. They opened their valentines from Nana H. before she left for the mountains. After lunch they opened their valentines from Nana and Papa. We had a fun Valentine's Day dinner with our family this evening. We had fish tacos and fruit salad and I made cheesecake with strawberries on top for dessert. After dessert, we exchanged valentine's and enjoyed watching the kids dance to "cowboy " music (Hannah's favorite lately).

Happy Valentine's Day!

Sequence - part of our daily routine

Jacob and Hannah received a new game for Christmas from Aunt Lynn and Uncle John. It quickly became a favorite game and part of the daily routine. They ask to play it every time Luke is sleeping -- during his afternoon nap and often after he goes to bed at night. It's fun to have a game that the whole family can play together. At first we had to help the kids with their strategy but they have caught on quickly and can develop their own strategies for winning.

We've had a colder winter than normal. It's good to have indoor family activities for the winter months! Thanks Aunt Lynn and Uncle John!

artwork, a few poses and a funny quote

Hannah talked on the phone with Nana K. yesterday and told her about the train and snowmen she made at preschool the last few weeks. Nana asked us to post some pictures of her artwork on the blog. When I got the camera out to take the pictures of the artwork, Luke automatically started saying "cheese". He wanted his picture taken too. So he climbed up on the bench for his picture. And then Jacob and Hannah posed too. :-) Jacob was home sick from school today -- he went to bed early last night and tonight. I think he finally caught the bug Luke and Hannah both had.

Hannah went to Bible study yesterday and they read the story of Jesus' baptism and learned about John the Baptist. She was telling us about the story and we asked her what John the Baptist wore. Her reply -- "camouflage". I think her teacher must have read something about camel fur and she got it a little mixed up!