Snow and ice days

The kids are off school Friday and Monday for snow and ice days! We lost power from Friday night to Saturday night, and the house got cold. But we are all thankful for our gas stove, candles, iPads and lots of blankets!

We had a good time outside!

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4: Fever of 103.8

Back to school, but not for Olivia. Jason is learning to use a fork, though!

I was thrilled when the big kids went back to school Wednesday!!! Back to normal!

Except that today, Saturday, Olivia is going to school for a make up day! Crazy year-round school!

Jason is ONE!!

Our sweet last baby is one!! Twelve months have flown by and now Jason has sixteen teeth, is crawling fast, is cruising everywhere, eats most things, drinks from a cup like a pro, sleeps better than his older siblings at one, loves music, bubbles, and playing hide and seek, is 30.25 inches (75th %) and weighs 22 lbs 9 ounces (75th %) totally naked! 

We just had a little party at home with our immediate family, but opened presents from family far away! I got one-on-one time with Jason while the big kids were at school to play Legos and knock them over, do finger plays and bounces, snuggle, and play hide-and seek. The night before I made a lasagna--Jason's favorite food--, a cake, and decorated.

Nicholas came home early for "the party!" Bubbles, music, a small piñata with boxed raisins for Jason, and dancing!

Jason literally rolled in the raisins! Ha!

And, of course, cake!! Leo picked the flavored, and Jason was a fan!

Happy birthday, Jason! You'll always be my baby!

The old grind

Back to school, back to work, getting groceries, walking to pick up Olivia, making food, cleaning up, doing laundry, cleaning house, playing more and enjoying these days! 

Look at those big boys!!

Playing bears!

Checking out a Kindermusik class...since Leo wasn't into the family class, Jason and I are going to the library for story time instead.

Getting a haircut.

Building...

Flying kites!

Building more...

Going to bed...

Getting up early 

Starting a new tumbling/cheer class

https://youtu.be/EXTG4633I-E

https://youtu.be/lOTHEu9VXb0

Playing outside...

New neighbors!

Playing inside on early release day!

What I found in my pocket from the holidays! Ha!

Oh, what fun!! Holiday trip 2015!

We got on the road by seven ten Saturday morning and made pretty good time! We made it to Louisville before 5:30. Jason cooperated with his naps.

Our first stop was Grandpa Bill's and Tamara's for two nights. Here are some photos from Christmas at Grandpa and Tamara's:

Olivia LOVED her fan and tea set, Leo loved his Legos, and Jason loved the boxes!

We had fun playing inside the next day with all the new toys!

Then Monday we had Stemm family Christmas, less Heidi and her family who couldn't make it. Dinner was delicious and present opening was raucous!

We played Tuesday and Thursday at the farm. The kids had tea parties, fashion shows, played with barn scenes and Legos, played bear and wolves using overturned couches as dens, and went for walks in the woods and threw rocks in the pond. We had such a great visit!

Jason was such a happy baby most of the trip, but on our last night he woke at ten pm and stayed up until 1 am. He wrong in the new year with four new teeth!! He's up to sixteen cut through the gum line, but not all the way in!

Wednesday we had Christmas at Mutti's house! We got to visit with her, Uncle Chuck, and Jeffery! The kids had fun playing with their presents and with Jane's dog Bug! I got to sneak away and have coffee with my old friend Stacey, and it was so good to catch up even if just for an hour!

Christmas time 2015!

Christmas Eve:

 

It was a balmy 78 degrees!!

All the beautiful Christmas cards we received!

Chinese food on China--our Christmas Eve tradition!

Feeding the reindeer!

Cookies and hot tea and hot cocoa for Santa...plus a little card from Leo!

Christmas Day:

Leo's first bike!!

Jason playing with Olivia's new bike! I swear he got gifts, too!

Barbie pop-up camper! She LOVES it!

And a bubble machine for Jason! We are reinstating after-bath dance and bubble parties!

More track out/Christmas activities

Olivia and I went to the Nutcracker at NC State on December 12, and had a great time! My friend Lisa came with us for the second time in a row, and it was fun to see the different performances. Last year we saw the Carolina ballet. This year we saw the city ballet with a lot of ballet students in it. The performance was great! There was a mouse queen instead of a mouse king, which Olivia loved! Seeing all the little dancers makes Olivia want to join ballet again! 

The kids and I went to the life and science museum in Durham on December 15. The weather was absurd Lee warm and they were able to wait in the creek in the new Hideaway Woods. We had a great time plane! Even Jason!

Leo had a fever when we got home from the museum that night though. The next day I kept him home from his last day of preschool. Then on December 17, I took all three kids to the doctor for coughs and the fever. We all had pneumonia! I actually got him to take a nap two days in a row by driving him around in the car listening to "Let it go", which he calls his good night music. Poor sweet Leo!

We did see the lights around town on December 18 in the evening as a family to kick off Nicholas's start to Christmas vacation! We had fun!

On the 19th, Nicholas and I were supposed to go to a and adult only holiday party in the neighborhood, but the plague has hit our neighborhood and the hosts had to cancel. Nicholas and I got to go see the new Star Wars! In the meantime the kids and I made some cinnamon ornaments that day! Our house smells delicious, but the kids wouldn't let me give them away to the neighbors!

Sweet Jason turned 11 months on December 20. He is such a joy and a danger! To himself! He is climbing up stairs, pulling up on everything, pushing things around to walk with, pulling things out of cabinets, unrolling toilet paper rolls, and just being a cute, curious baby. He has 11 teeth now and is in the process of cutting five more!

Tuesday our neighborhood cookie exchange was canceled due to the plague that hit our neighborhood but hasn't hit our house yet. But before I knew that, I baked these beautiful sugar cookies!

After weeks of great weather, the rain has come. We had a lot of inside play yesterday and today. The kids finished up the last of the dough for the sugar cookies for Santa, and Nicholas took them to see lights again tonight! Jason and I went to the doctor, where he was diagnosed with a slight ear infection and slight pneumonia. Thank goodness for anabiotics!