Blizzard of 2009

Here are some pictures I took this morning of all the snow. Cory is shoveling a path for Jack to go to the bathroom and Caden is just running around in it. It is really hard to tell how much we got because it is blowing so much! In the front there are 2ft drifts in front of the garage doors, so we are not going anywhere today :) In the back it is easily up to Caden's shoulders in some spots! Enjoy the pics!

Godly Witness

Last night after Cory's game we headed over to Lotsa Noodles for dinner. There was an ad in the paper for buy one get one free entree so we decided to take advantage of it. I am telling you this because the cashier didn't get it so we had to spend some time dealing with the manager to get our free entree, etc. She was back and forth from our table quite a bit and after the 3rd time Caden leaned over to Cory and whispered, "Dad, give her one of your cards."

****side note****
Cory has these cards that are the size of a business card that say "Is there more to this world that what we currently see?" and on the back it talks about life after death in heaven, eternity, has John 3:16 on it and an email if they have questions. He gives these to just about anyone, cashiers everywhere, waitresses, people in gas stations, etc. You know Cory...our little evangelist!

Back to the story, we weren't sure what "card" Caden was talking about so we asked him. "you know, your card with the earth on it!" We kept asking and he wouldn't say anymore. Finally he leaned over to us and whispered, "you know, your card that talks about Jesus!" We asked him why he wanted us to give the lady that card. He replied that is what Daddy always does!

This opened up an entire discussion on witnessing. We were able to explain why Daddy passes out those cards and why people need to hear about Jesus! It was so encouraging and fun to see Cory teaching Caden about God's great commission!

Thank you LORD for giving me such a Godly husband and father to my children! Thank you for Caden's curiosity as well. May we continue to be an example for him and to continue to share our faith with others. LORD, help me to follow Cory's example and use his cards more often with the people I come in contact with. Continue to grow Caden's curiosity so that one day he will want to tell others about you! Also continue to give him the desire to know more about you! Thank you for the opportunity and responsibility to teach him about you! Be with Cory and me as we teach him!

Sledding

This year we went a little bit later in the winter than we have before, so there wasn't much snow around the cabin. Normally we can just sled down the driveway but this year there was no snow on the driveway. We had to get a bit creative! Papa and Caden took the jeep out for a drive and found a good hill! We bundled up the kiddos and off we went. The idea was to take the snowmobiles up the hill and sled down. It sort of worked :) The snowmobiles didn't cooperate much and the snow was too soft to sled well. I had a really hard time, but Caden had a blast! Carter and Brooklyn just preferred to ride on the snowmobiles! All in all a fun afternoon!

Carter with his Daddy on the snowmobile

Brooklyn and Papa - I don't think she even went down the sled once! I can't remember.

Here is the pretty girl "smiling" for me while we wait for the snowmobile.

Carter found this bike helmet in the garage and insisted on wearing it while sledding.

Caden starting his run.

Papa with both Brooklyn and Carter

3 of my crazy guys!

Caden was pretty fast on this sled!

Tubing Hill

This was by far our favorite part of the trip! We got to go tubing two days down the mountain, as Caden would point out! We didn't get any pics the first day on our camera, but here are some shots from the second day. I didn't get to go the 1st day, but we got three tubes this time and we all got to go! Carter wasn't much into it so he just rode with me a few times then stayed at the bottom with Cory. It was one serious workout to hike back up the hill pulling your tube. I also had to pull Caden's tube and sometimes pull both tubes with Carter in one! OUCH!

I know I went down at least 6 times, and Cory probably did another 4-6. Caden went down 10-12 times total. He loved it so much. You can't tell from the pics, but he was having a blast. Carter pooped out early and just wanted to throw snowballs and eat snow. Brooklyn would only go down with Papa, not sure how many times they made it down though. It was a workout, but tons of fun!

Here I am going down, holding on to Caden and Carter. We usually went down separately, Carter with me and Caden alone...but this time they wanted to ride together.

Here is Papa and Brooklyn going down.

Papa hauling Brooklyn back up.

Me after a run - notice the lack of warm clothing...it was like 50 or close to 60 degrees! Crazy!

Carter getting ready to throw a snowball.

Carter eating the snow!

Cory at the bottom.

Caden going down...he loved this!

You can't really tell by this expression on his face, but he had a blast!

The four of us at the hill.

Just my hubby and I being cheesy! - notice his forehead...love the sunburn!

Red River Week, Part 1

Cory, his sister Kayla, her boyfriend Michael, and his Dad went skiing on Sunday. They had a great time and Cory even got sunburned. His face look pretty funny the rest of the week. He didn't get many shots on the slopes but he took a great video for me!

* word of warning: don't watch if you get motion sickness easily!

Prayers for Stellan

Please go to MckMama's blog and read about what is going on with Stellan. The same heart problem he had in the womb is back. Pray for God to heal his little heart, and for peace and comfort! Thanks gang!

Promote Oklahoma Adoption

Just want to get the word out about another great cause I found...

I have mentioned before a blog I read, Molly. She is a sister of a friend and her kids are about the same age as my three. Well her beautiful family was a blessed gift from God through adoption and her sister is a lawyer and they are trying to update the current law in Oklahoma regarding adoptions. Please go to their new blog, Promote Oklahoma Adoption, read more info about it and get on board! It is a great cause!

I am not so great with words so I can't explain it all to you. They did and they can so check it out please! Even if you are not touched directly by adoption, there are so many out there that are! CHECK IT OUT!!!!

My Funny Little Man!

Cole has a ticklish spot and I found it on this day...is was too precious not to share! It is pretty dark, but you can at least hear the laugh!

Dining Entertainment - Part 2

The boys were again entertaining Cole. This time Carter was chasing Caden around the loop with his sword. Caden is the one screaming like a girl! They were so cute, I thought someone would like it!

If you watch close at the end, Carter was coming at me and I asked him if he was getting me. He quickly told me, "no, ca!" This means, no he was getting Caden. He told me this anytime he ran my way even if I didn't ask. It was cute!

I was just glad they were somewhat getting along! Cole enjoyed it too!

Bathroom Remodel - Final Part

So I mentioned earlier that we were doing something else to the boys' bathroom and here is the reveal.

We wanted to tile the floor for several reasons, but the main one was that the boys dumped so much water out at times, it was ruining the carpet. Also, is it really a good idea to have carpet in a bathroom anyway!

So we hired our friend Clint to come and lay the tile. He did a great job! The boys even got to help him...THANKS CLINT!

Once we could walk on it, Caden just had to sweep and mop it for me. He begged me to let him do it, honest! I have raised two clean freaks so far that fight over the broom. I love it!

Caden had fun cleaning the floor.

I love the new tile!

Potty Training Again...Maybe

Carter decided this week he wanted to go on the potty...why this week, who knows. I didn't really push the issue because we were leaving for vacation soon, but I let him sit on there when he wanted to.

Of course he really only wanted to poop on the potty, but whatever! This particular day he was cracking me up so I had to share. He sat on there for - ev - er. I mean really around 10-15 minutes. That is a long time for a 2 year old and for a momma who had two other kids to tend to! He is back in our bathroom because their bathroom was being remodeled again (stay tuned), so it was an even bigger ordeal.

Anyway, I kept asking if he was done. He would say no then tell me "one time" then grunt really hard. It was hysterical. He must have said that at least 10 times and the grunting was out of control. It is too cute!

If you think this is gross...sorry! I know the grandparents will get a kick out of it!

Here is the face of the grunter!

"I did it!"

Spring Break

We are leaving today for Spring Break Vacation!!! Red River here we come! The boys are so excited and can't wait to go to Grammie and Papa's cabin to sled down the driveway!

While I am away, I have scheduled a few posts to keep you entertained and give your Reid Boy Fix! As soon as I get back I will put up pics of our adventures! See you in a week!

Pay It Forward

I found this on Molly's blog that I stalk often because I know her sister and Molly is one awesome chick...anyway. I love this idea and wanted to do it. I have been meaning to post this but then the boys got sick and I forgot. So know it is my turn to play. Play along too if you are interested!

Here are the official rules:

I will send a gift to the first 3 people who comment on this post. All gifts will be made and sent out sometime in the next year.

How exciting to not know when your package will arrive. What you need to do in return is to pay it forward by making the same promise on your website or blog. This exchange is only open to those with active websites or blogs. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS PROMISE TO POST THIS SAME "PAY IT FORWARD" MESSAGE ONTO YOUR BLOG, WHICH MUST BE ACTIVE IN ORDER TO PLAY. YOU WILL PAY IT FORWARD TO THE FIRST THREE PEOPLE WHO COMMENT ON YOUR BLOG.

The gifts are supposed to be handmade. I know a lot of you are thinking you can't get in on this because you aren't "crafty". If you really want to get in on this but cannot create a handmade gift yourself, then support a person who does have a handmade crafty kind of business. Buy a gift from them, don't just head out to a chain store, understand?!

Have fun paying it forward! Let's see if anyone wants to play and I can't wait to come up with a cool gift for you!

Our New Pet

So Saturday Cory and Caden went to wash our car and a couple of other errands and came home with a turtle! Can I just say I was less than thrilled. I know boys will be boys and bring home all kinds of creatures one day, but I really don't like any frogs, turtles, snakes, or rodents. I am a dog and cat girl! Anyway...they leave it in the front flower bed and give it some carrots and I don't really pay too much attention to it. Later that evening, we have to name it and get a place for it to sleep. Really, it is a turtle...is this going to be our new pet?

Of course it is! Caden has named the turtle Zak and even built it a shelter! The first night it stayed in Jack's old dog crate with leaves on the bottom. My dad was still in town and he researched on the Internet what things turtles eat. So we fed Zak strawberries and lettuce. On Sunday I told Cory if we were really keeping this turtle he needed a more permanent home.

To fix this problem the boys decided to take the old copier box from our fort outside and turn it upside down to make a home for Zak. Caden and Carter put leaves in the bottom, a water bowl, and a food plate. This turtle is set!

We had a scare Tuesday AM, Caden went to check on Zak and he was gone. Caden cried and cried! We promised to get another one, but that didn't help. When we returned home later that morning, they went outside and low and behold Zak came back...crazy turtle!

The boys play with him all the time now. Zak has been down the slide with Carter and on the trampoline with Caden. They love Zak! I am praying this phase will pass quickly! Here are some pics of Zak with his new buddies!

Carter is petting his new friend.

Here is Zak in his new home.

Cole's 1st Real Food

Cole is now eating like a horse and his nasty cough seems to be history! He will eat at least 4 stage 2 foods a day, plus his cereal and 4- 6oz bottles. This has been his norm since he started feeling better. He is also learning to grab things and put them in his mouth. So I thought maybe he could handle a biter biscuit. He loved it but once it got slippery from all his slobber he had a hard time hanging on to it! He really did like it even though he isn't smiling too much! He was concentrating hard!

Dining Entertainment

Yesterday while feeding Cole his dinner Carter decided to provide us with some entertainment. For those of you who don't speak Carter he is singing "Col-lee eat" Enjoy!

Beautiful Day at the Park

It was so warm yesterday we headed out to the park...thanks for the invite Brandy and Tish! The boys played and played and had a great time! It was pretty windy though as usual so Cole didn't get out of his stroller much. There is a ton of dirt at Crystal Beach now because of all the renovations so after about an hour or so, we headed home. Of course I had to take a few pics for you guys!

Caden on the weird slide...he sat down at the top and said "mom I am scared, I can't do it." So I told him to get down because I wasn't going to help a 4 year old down the slide. Then he got irritated with me and went down on his own. At the end he exclaimed, "see I am not scared, I can do it, I just didn't know I could do it!"

Now Carter was another story, I had to help him down...we don't need anymore injuries!

Cole just hung out in the stroller and chewed on whatever he could get his hands on!

Momma had to go down with Carter a couple of times...that slide is kind of scary and really hard to go down while holding a 2 year old. I don't think it is meant for wide loads!

Clues Clues

Carter is now that wonderful stage where he loves, and I mean loves, Blue's Clues. Which he affectionately calls Clues Clues. It comes on at 6am so he doesn't always get to watch it, but I dvr them every so often so he doesn't go without.

Today he got up at 6:15am so he got to watch a couple! Yeah for him! The best part about this stage is that Carter actually interacts with Blue! Caden went through this phase too, but he would just zone out when the cartoon was on. Caden would sing the songs and talk about it later in the day, but never sang with Blue. Carter is a whole other story and it is too cute!

Here is the Blue's Clues song...

Think, think, think...

Hmm...what does Blue want to do today?

PS - he doesn't look that sick does he! I think we are on the mend! He slept from 9pm-6am without getting up once and didn't really cough too much! That is answered prayer right there!