The Ants Go Marching...

Casey and I decided to give Sydney a light-up gel ant farm for Christmas.  We recently sent off for the ants, and they arrived last week!  It was time to get started!

First, she dug three tunnels (with a special tool) straight down to help the ants get started.

When I saw the size of the ants, and I read that they can bite and sting, I opted to let Casey handle the transfer!  The kids watched intensely.

The ants are in the house!  

 We watched them for quite some time, although at first, they were a bit sluggish.  I guess they had to get used to their new habitat.

But by the next morning, the ants had made lots of progress.  The tunnels were coming along!  

The kids would stop and check in on the ants all of the time.  Graham even took a seat on the floor at one point to watch the action!

Check out all of the tunnels!  It really is quite fascinating.  Casey and I have spent quite a bit of time watching the ants as well.  

It has been a fun thing to watch. Let's just pray that no one accidentally knocks it over....

The Latest

Here's what's been happening around our house...according the to my phone!

Graham and I spent three Friday mornings in a row up at the elementary school to honor each of the girls as student of the week!

 I love mid-day doctor's appointments that allow me to have lunch with one of my girls!  I think Graham does too!

  We went to Home Depot's kid workshop.  The kids were hard at work!

The final masterpieces!

Graham had a fun Valentine's party at school!

Clare had a small Valentine's Day party with some of her friends at our house on Friday night.  She was super excited, and it was fun to have her friends over. 

The girls crafted, ate pizza, and played a "Minute to Win It" game.  It was big fun.

Today the kids were out of school,  and it was super cold outside.  We decided to suit up and head to the natatorium!  Everyone had a great time swimming!

Looking Forward

There was a time when life could only be described as crazy.  Each day the goal was simply survival.  The days when we had three kids under the age of two, and each of those three were headed in a different direction.

 

In all honesty, so many of the early days of having the twins are such a blur.  

And  the craziness continued when we added one more to the mix.  Four kids ages five and under.  I, of course, wouldn't trade a day for any of it, but thinking back definitely makes me tired. The days were full of constant crying, pottying, dressing, and undressing.

It hit me the other day that things have gotten easier.  I'm certainly not saying that we don't have crazy days around here anymore.  It seems like most days are. The laundry remains a force to be reckoned with, and the housekeeping is an overwhelming task.  But, I see glimpses of having a houseful of (older) kids instead of a houseful of toddlers. For example, we recently played an entire game of Life, with Casey and Graham tag-teaming.  And no one cried, and no one threw the money on the floor, no one stormed off....it was fun! 

Also, Casey took all four kids to the movies a couple of weeks ago.  A few years ago, we never would have dreamed of doing that. Every time we pass another milestone stage, I become nostalgic.  But I am determined to enjoy each stage of the kids' lives, and this next one might have some perks!!

Syd the Kid!

"A girl without freckles is like a night without stars!" ~ Unknown

 

It's Sydney's turn!

Sydney is having a great first grade year.  She has a great teacher and lots of friends in her class.  She does well in school, and she loves to hang with her friends.  She is a social animal!

 

 

She is a super athlete.  She seems to excel at whatever sport she tries.  She and Jane have just started taking ice skating lessons, and they are both doing great.  She will play soccer again in the spring, and then we'll see what she wants to do next.  Her fearlessness and aggressiveness are definite advantages for her in the sports arena!  She is fun to watch!

 

 

Sydney is funny, quick-witted, and sassy......which can get her into trouble.  She loves to be the center of attention, and she has lots of energy to burn!  Her current favorite things are riding bikes, watching Good Luck Charlie, (pestering her sisters), and being with friends!! Sydney definitely has a "softer side" as well.  She loves to help me in the kitchen, she plays with Graham all of the time, and she's a good little reader!

 

I'm so thankful for Miss Sydney Scott!

Christmas Recap

I'm so behind!  I have been busy enjoying Casey home from work and playing with new toys!  

We finished out the days before Christmas doing lots of fun things...the annual cookie decorating event, bowling, we went to see Annie, went carolling with aunt Jennifer....lots of activities.  Two out of our six came down with the flu, so that was a bummer.  Thankfully, it passed before anyone missed any major events.  But finally, Christmas Eve arrived, and we headed to Deedee and Papaw's to begin the festivities.

Clare was beside herself excited.  She talked non-stop the entire drive to Dale's house.  Her enthusiasm was contagious!

I think everyone was excited!

At last, everyone arrived, and it was time to start!

The kids (and adults) got so much great stuff.  Graham was especially thrilled with his "fuseball" table!

 

Next up, we headed home to say goodbye to Frank and get ready for Santa!

Cookies for Santa...

 

and reindeer food for Rudolph and gang.

 

The next morning, Clare woke me up with......"He came!"

 

Santa brought tablets and cases for all of the girls, and an airplane and Leap Band for Graham.

Everyone was thrilled with their loot!  Santa always does good!  We exchanged our family gifts, and then headed to LoLo and Pop's.  Everyone tried to wear/bring as much new stuff as the could.....new clothes, tablets, etc.

 

We spent time with aunt Jennifer and Mamma, along with Nathan, Megan and Brody.  

 

 

We were once again spoiled with more presents, including these handmade scarves and hats by Mamma!!!

  We ate some great food, and spent the majority of the day there.  It was a great Christmas!!!  My favorite time of year.

Since then, we have taken down the tree, brought in the new year, and played with tons of new toys!  Seems like I have seen a lot of this also.....kids staring at the new tablets!!!

Here's to a great 2015!

December Days

The kids anxiously check two things every December morning: 1) what the advent calendar says, and 2) where Frank is.

Our advent calendar has had us do some fun things!  We made ninja turtle ornaments!

We got a cool, new Christmas coloring book!

We made wreaths with LoLo.

Frank has been up to his usual shenanigans.  This year he even rearranged my "Merry Christmas" blocks to say this...

And he somehow created a zipline across our living room!

We're looking forward to the rest of this fun month!

Birthday Festivities

 The actual birthday fell on a Thursday, so we celebrated as a family.  Sydney picked breakfast....monkey bread, and Jane picked dinner...ribs!  They woke up excited, and Frank even wished them a happy 7th...in his own special way!

 We did presents and cupcakes that night, and the girls were happy to get new bikes!

 

 

Jane and Sydney decided on a gingerbread house decorating party for their 7th birthday party!  A December birthday does have some challenges, but cute party themes are not one of them!  So many fun things to do!

Before the decorating began!  These cute aprons (and their decorated houses) were their party favors!

Everyone did such a great job on their house. They spent almost an hour making everything just right. We had snowmen, ice skaters, snowy trees, and even garages!

The weather was so beautiful this year (which was a welcome sight after last year's epic ice storm!) The girls played a few games outside, and then we did cake and presents!

It was a fun party!  Of course, the volume level was off the charts, but the girls had fun and it didn't feel too chaotic to me!  The party guests left and it was time for the final celebration....with the extended family!

Do you think they were excited to open up ice skating lessons?!?!

 

 They got so much great stuff from friends and family.  We had a great time celebrating these two seven year olds!