February was a month I was very ready to usher out the door. When things were starting to calm down Brent commented, "It feels like we've been through the fire swamp!" Health was returning to normal, I wasn't babysitting a lot of kids due to the snowstorm shutting down schools, and Brent was on his last week of school before spring break! I had promised the kids we'd go to the bouncy house up in Murray, Kentucky. Once the fire swamp was over, we had the opportunity to go! My phone died when we got there so I don't have pictures. Just imagine pure excitement as they ran in and saw the houses inflating. They continued running around for almost two hours until completely exhausted. Sanna was a natural, she was quite the cute little trampoline bouncing toddler.
Brent learned about using an ophthalmoscope at school one day, he was so excited to come home and let us look in his dilated pupil so we could see the vessels. The boys of course wanted a turn to look and Sanna was so patient and sweet on being the subject. Brent said it was pretty adorable how good she sat for Griz and let him shine that light right in her eye.
A couple days later it snowed again but this time it was like 5 or 6 inches of fluffy beautiful snow! Not just a skiff with a sheet of ice like the time before. There was so much snow that I even
got out skis this time! I took video of the skiing on this day and I can't really load videos from our nice camera on this blog. But here are a couple pictures from the first day we played in the snow...
Then on Friday we went back out there to play a little more before the ice all melted. I pulled out the skis and luckily Brent's spring break had just begun so he came out to play in the snow and help the kids ski a bit!
Sanna's hat kept going down over her eyes, it was funny to see and especially funny because of how patient she was about it.
Brent doesn't normally throw our kids up in the air but today felt safer to do it. It was fun to get some epic pictures of it...
I love her little tongue sticking out
Sanna's first time on skis. She knew just what to do, probably because she's watched so many skiing home videos (she LOVES home videos, it's the easiest way to cheer her up).
Ahh, that's better, now she can see...
We gave the skis back to Griz and she was pretty content playing with a stick in the snow...
Skiing time for Griz! With the ever present snow still in his glove getting eaten. He has always loved eating snow.
I was his own personal ski lift...
We've got some Olympian looking poses going on here (above and below)
Looks like he has angel wings...
There were tons of birds flocking around, it was quite the site to see out the window. This particular flock of birds is nothing compared to some of the flocks we've seen. Hence why when the frogs in the swamp out back began their croaking, initially we thought they were birds (it is higher pitched than I would have thought frogs sounded). But as it lasted all night and all day we soon realized it wasn't only birds, it was mostly the sound of frogs. I'm trying to like it. Sometimes the sound actually gets so loud it hurts your ears!!! Every once in a while they stop, but it's very seldom and usually only if there is a predator about. Hope we can catch some big frogs later this summer, that'll help make it worth it.
Anyway, it was Brent's spring break, aka his "Birth Week" aka Heaven Having Brent Home. So we just HAD to celebrate the whole week!!! On Tuesday we pulled Chico out of school and took the kids to Nashville. We toured the Opryland Hotel so we could see the gardens. Unless you want to pay $21 to park, you have to park pretty far away. So we made the trek and struggled with the walk there (getting separated and not knowing where to go) but once we were finally there together it was actually quite beautiful! We of course left the camera in the car so no pictures. The kids loved it and were surprised by all of it being real since it was indoors! There were palm trees, waterfalls, flowers, lots of different trees, plants and bushes. Even a cool fountain display.
We left and grabbed some fast food and then went to a Civil War Fort, Fort Negley. After excavating in the visitors center we took a walk around the fort. Sanna had to follow her brothers up on the cement wall (don't worry, that wasn't part of the fort) and walk along it. Luckily she was fine with holding my hand up there, if not she would have gotten hurt quite a few times!
Griz was looking at these pictures as I loaded them and he said, "Where is the picture of me going poop?" I told him, "We didn't take a picture of you pooping, you don't want to remember that do you?" He smiled real cute and replied, "I do!" Anyway yes, all the sudden he HAD to go poop, so right there at the side of the walkway he pulled down his pants and pooped in the dirt. We were already exhausted so that was kind of really frustrating. Luckily we were only about a quarter of a mile from the car so I ran back to the car and got the wipes and all was well.
It had been lightly raining on and off that day hence why Sanna's hair is so wild. I love it though, it's so her. She loved this walk, I mean LOVED it. I can't wait to take her hiking this spring and summer. She walked pretty much the whole way and ran some of it. I love watching that little body of hers run. It's scary sometimes because I think she's going to face plant but she's got such a spring to her step because she is so full of life!
Chico kept reading the signs, it's so cool how much he has learned this year.
My studly hubby...
By the end of the hike, Sanna was beyond hyper. She followed Griz into the "dandelions" and started picking them. I of course know they aren't dandelions but Griz insisted they were so whatev. It was such a cute little scene that I pulled the camera back out. So many different expressions on this girl...
Griz was eating them cuz that's apparently what you do with dandelions.
Yay! We see our car!!!
Oh wait, let me walk on this one last ledge...
We drove home from Nashville by way of Clarksville, we think we like that way a little better. We stopped and got ice cream at Dairy Delight and then got home. It was a fun yet exhausting day.
On Wednesday Brent went and ate lunch with Chico and then read a "Magic School Bus" book to Chico's 1st grade class. He also taught them about the eye and brought in a giant model of the eye that he had made out of my round glass vase. Then he let the kids look in his eye with the ophthalmoscope. They loved it and so did Chico! Chico knows so much about science, Brent was really pleased by his participation.
On Friday after school we took the kids to the bouncy house in Kentucky again (it's only a 35 minute drive). They had a blast and they even crashed a birthday party and got to have some cake (the grandma thought they were part of the group and invited them in for cake)! We got some video on my phone. You'll have to wait until the highlights reel of 2015 to see that though, sorry.
Brent and I got some take out sushi on the way home and it was delectable. Then we had pizza/movie night. I made Brent a prosciutto ham and artichoke pizza. He was in heaven.
Finally we got to celebrate the big day! Griz was SO excited when he found out it was Brent's birthday. "Are you going to open PRESENTS???" He is just genuinely SO excited for people when it is their birthday. Griz was a little disappointed that Brent didn't get any toys. Luckily I made a yummy cake and that made up for it. Doesn't Brent's new shirt look so nice on him!?
I asked Chico to take a pic so Brent and I could be in one together. Griz snuck in for the picture too. :)
