Snow Day!

The day before March and we finally got a snow day.  We even shut down the business for the day – so I could just focus on the kids all day.  Which was much needed.  Mally was up at 6:20 with the start of a cold.  Max slept a bit longer but he is working on some top teeth, and has a bad case of I-just-need-my-mommy. 

Our morning was very unproductive.  Max went down early for his morning nap and Mally took full advantage of being sick and requested lots of juice and shows to watch.

After lunch I thought – I need to burn off some energy in these kids or they will never take an afternoon nap.  I decided to pack them up and take them for a sled ride.

They both really liked it.  And my heart was pounding when we got back.  I needed that trudge in that wet heavy snow pulling kids!

I decided that since Mally was keeping entertained with Maggie, and Max was content just sitting in the sled watching Mally and Maggie - I would shovel the sidewalk.  OMG!  It was the heaviest wettest snow ever!  But it was good ab workout. 

Max did attempt to crawl away – but it ended up in a side face plant into a puddle.  His snow suit is a little snug so he doesn’t have a lot of wiggle room to move.  And he leaned over to crawl out and tipped right into a puddle.

I went to put the shovel away and came back to these two laying side by side.

Our snow day ended with this chili.  I added two gloves of garlic and used Bush’s mild chili beans. 

He is on the Move!

After we got back from Indiana I was sitting in Mally’s bed reading her a story and Max was in his crib – suppose to be snuggling and getting ready for bed.  I heard him just a yappering and have a grand ‘ol time.  I peeked over my book and there he was kneeling and looking over the railing at us.  When he made eye contact with me he giggled and was so proud of himself!  It shocked the heck out of me to see him kneeling there.

Then it was only a few days later and he was crawling.  He wasn’t a long distance crawler and he did start going in reverse before he figured out forward.  In this same time he figured out how to sit up by himself.

I lowered his crib a notch since he was just kneeling.  I figured one notch would be fine.

Then on Saturday night he did his first long distance crawl.

Now he follows me from room to room.  But he needs lots of encouraging or he gets frustrated.  : )  When he is frustrated he will sit on his butt and fake cry.  If you ignore his fake cry – it will turn into real tears and he will cry louder.  Just so you know.  : ) 

Oh and then the day after I lowered his crib… Mrs. Carolyn told me she caught him standing in his crib!  I yelled, WHAT!  He has never stood yet.  He just pulls himself to his knees, and I just lowered that crib yesterday!  She said she laid him down for a nap, went to the bathroom came out and there was a little hand waving around.  He pulled himself up and swatted his door open.  She said he was pretty proud of himself. 

He never stood again.  Well today we had a snow day so I was here with the kids all day and went to lay them down for naps and they both were refusing them.  I find Max standing in his crib and Mally standing on the other side pushing on his head saying “Lay down Max.”  The joys of them sharing a room, I guess.  : )

Here is a little video of Max crawling.  Mally is in the background dancing and singing and paying completely no attention to us until her song is done.

Childrens Museum

This past weekend the husbands went snowmobiling so another Mom contacted me to see if I wanted to get the kids together. 

Absolutely! 

We ended up at the Childrens Museum, which I have been wanting to take Mallory too.  It was kind of overwhelming at first – and they had a little locked in play area so I sent Mally into play while I took it all in. 

Then when I was ready for her to see what they all had I had to beg her to come out and see the other fun things.  : )  She was just as happy to play on these then to check out the rest.

She liked this car.  It was a drive up bank.  Which she didn’t really understand at all – I guess I don’t do enough drive up banking for her to understand it.  This is the little guy we came with.

He is so shy!  He wouldn’t look at me for nothing!

I kind of had a hard time at the museum because Max is too little for everything so I left him in the stroller – but I couldn’t be too far from him to play with Mally… so I kind of had to just let Mally play and try to figure everything out while I stayed near the stroller.

This is the other little friend we went with! 

Max kept putting his hand out and then she would put her hand out and he would grab it and she would pull it away.  : ) 

Mally found a “computer” in the restaurant and I snuck up to the drive-up window to take her picture.

I asked her for some french fries.  She was not impressed.

That is all I have for pictures because it was just too hard.  Next time I will have to go during the week when there isn’t 4 birthday parties going on.  We didn’t even get 1/2 way thru the museum.  We will be going again real soon!

Mally’s highlight of the trip… the little potty that “was just her size” and the little sink and little soap.  : )  We had to use the bathroom twice because she was so impressed by the kid size potty and sink.  I took her to the bathroom the next day and she says, “Momma, remember yesterday when they had the little potty that was just my size?”

Indiana!!

We took our yearly trip to Indianapolis.  Jesse goes their for our business and I go there to visit very good friends. 

I had a picture on the fridge for Mally to see Allie and Owen and I was telling her that we were going to see them.  She was pretty excited.  Then the day came… or the early morning came… we left at 4am and she was so excited to go see her friends.  And every time we stopped for fuel she kept saying “I want to go see my friend!”  No concept of time or travel yet.  : ) 

We finally get there and I’m thinking she is going to play her shy card.  She plays her shy card with her grandparents and she sees them every weekend.  For sure she has to play the shy card because it has been a year since she has seen them and I’m pretty sure she doesn’t remember last year.  We were there maybe 2 minutes and I’m holding her and she says… I want to get down!  *gasp*  She ran right into the playroom and starting playing and chatting it up with Allie!  And they were little BFFs from that moment forward.  : )

Allie was able to put clips in her hair within 24 hours of being there!! 

I have to pretend to be a “hair doctor” in order to touch her hair.  Mallory is really into doctors… so if I tell her I am a hair doctor I can do whatever I want.

Then there was these two!

Max wasn’t crawling or sitting himself up when we arrived – but by the time we left he was scooting along and was sitting himself up.  He had to keep up with Mr. Owen who has perfected the worm!  : )  The cutest crawling style ever!

Allie is all about dance!  She eats breaths sleeps dance!  She has that skirt on before we have the sleep wiped from our eyes.

Natalie and Brandon have just built a brand new house and they just moved in so one of their rooms is still in design mode… so we took the girls in there to dance their hearts out.

Allie teaching Mally moves.

Look at her leg muscles!

Mallory getting the hand motions in place

Attempting a spin.

I think I have about 100+ pictures of these girls dancing. 

Back to the boys. 

It was a beautiful day out and there is a park directly across the street from them so we packed the boys and Mallory up for a visit.  Allie was at school.

Mally has been seeing slides when we drive around and asks to go on them – but we haven’t been able to here.  So it was oh happy day for her!

The twins… I mean boys.  : )  Owen is two months older then Max.  They don’t really look anything alike.  Another lady at the park thought they were twins. 

Max tried out the swings – huge fan!  Brandon was holding him like a swing and swing him the day before went to the park and Max loved that when Brandon did that.

And in typical Frey kid fashion – some one is always dressed a little wonkey… Max lost a shoe!

Loves the swing!

Mally on the swing. 

Natalie got Max and Owen matching outfits.  We wanted to take their picture together.  Place them on the couch – Owen starts escaping.

If Owen is leaving – Max is leaving too.

Love this next picture of them!

The girls made a heart wreath.

We went for ice cream to this really fun place.  All different kinds of soft serve (or was it yogurt… I’m not sure… it was just YUM) that you can do yourself.  You pay by the weight so be careful.  : ) 

We attempted to take a picture of all four of them.

Oh boys are a whole new world for us!  Wiggle Wiggle Wiggle!  One last pose from the girls.

Then the Mommas!  Little did I know that we were matching as well until I saw this picture.  : ) 

We had so much and can’t wait until next time!! 

I’ve got chap!

Mally is starting to give up her naps.  *scream*  I know!  Anyway, yesterday she took an awesome nap even woke up to go the bathroom and then went right back to bed to finish her nap.  Impressive!  Well today – not so wonderful!

I lay her in bed and read a story while Maxwell stays in the living room and cries for me.  He took a long morning nap so he wasn’t ready for his afternoon nap.

Finish her story and tell her she needs to rest in here and read books until I come get her.  Thinking she will fall asleep if I hold out long enough.

I come out to the living room and Max is still crying – I scoop him up and he buries his head into my shoulder.  He looks exhausted and wants to snuggle.  I grab his blanket and nuk and rock him in the rocker and he just lays on me and doesn’t move.  He is my snuggler!  We snuggle listening to Mally read her books in her bed.  Every once in awhile Max will lift up his head and look for her but then lays back down.

His eyes are getting really heavy!  I’m waiting for Mally to get quiet thinking she fell asleep and then I can put Max down without her waking him up.  She stops reading!  I sneak in there to find her sitting in her bed just waiting for me.  Ugh!

I walk in and she is saying “good morning momma!”  Shhhh! 

I put Max in bed.  Snuggle Mally back in her bed and tell her rest isn’t over yet – I’ll come get her in a bit.  She is not impressed, to put it nicely.

I am two hours behind on a pump (nursing mom’s know what I mean) so I sneak away to my room and close the door.  Pretty soon I hear little feet running out in the hallway and squeals of glee!  Oh that girl!  She escaped and I can’t do a darn thing about it right now!

It got quiet again so I figured she went back to bed like a good little girl would… yeah right.  Or she is sitting out in the living room waiting for me.  She knows I’m in my room – she saw me go in there.

My door slowly opens up and it is Mally with a tube of chapstick in her hands and chapstick all over mouth with her Jesse-Frey-Grin saying… Momma?  Can I put this away in here?  I am literally biting my lips to keep them from smiling at her.  She puts it on my dresser and comes over by me and says… I got chap!  I tell her Mally, you need to go back to your room until I come get you.  She says, okay mom.  Starts to leave and comes back to kiss me with those lips so covered in chapstick and runs to her room.

Where she found that chapstick I will never know.

When I am done with my little session and she is still running all over her room and standing at Max’s crib… who is now WIDE awake.

I love nap time!  And maybe 1% of the time do I take a nap with them… I just like that little time of silence and be still and catch up on a few things.  Like telling you guys this story.  : )

But for real – going to sweep the floor and finish the laundry…

Oh and this is what is for supper tonight… Slow Roasted BLTs

My tomatoes are roasting right now and it smells fantastic in here!!  We had these a couple weeks ago and they were a huge hit.  Granted I’m a BLT lover and could eat them all the time – oh wait I do!  : ) 

I’m delaying on my sweeping and laundry… sorry… I get distracted easily when it comes to laundry… I think I have already cycled the dryer about 3x today on the same load.  I can’t fold cold clothes they have to be warm.  It is a disorder my Mom passed down to me.  : )

Valentine’s Pictures

We did a little Valentine’s session with my Mom a few weeks ago and here are some of the pictures we took.

She built a fort for them – Max was not a fan!

I mean really not a fan!  I love how the rest of the kids pay no attention to him.

Took Max out and gave him a snack – much better.

Snacks make everyone happy.

Max checking out the bigger kids snacks.  Hey not far!  He just has boring ‘ol cardboard-ish puffs and the big kids have cookies and cupcakes!

Mally with her little buddy Ellyn.  Mallory loves Ellyn.  She wants Ellyn to play with her, to hold her, to sing songs, to dance, to read… and Ellyn thinks she is too old for that stuff.

This next picture turns me into mush!  OMG!  This is my baby girl! 

No one told her to pose like that.  I think we said “smile” and that is what she did! 

Then there is my baby boy!  This kid steals my heart too!

He is one of my favorite stages right now.  I could just eat him up!

He is starting to ignore me and not want to snuggle as much.  When I hold him – he puts both hands on my chest and pushes… he wants down.  When he is playing and I want him to look at me, I will say his name… and he just keeps doing his thing but a little smirk will appear.  Finally after about 15 “Maxwells” he will look at me for a half a second and then back to playing.

Trying to get them both to look.

Not going to happen.

I think they do it on purpose!

A group shot!

Garrett is outta there!  Max wants Garrett to come back and get him!  He is done with this, but doesn’t know how to crawl away!

Then my sister changed Max’s outfit to try to get some 9 month pictures taken of him.  I hide while he is getting his pictures taken because then he does better.

Except I was talking to my Dad and he hears me but can’t see me and is looking real hard for me.

Game over.  We didn’t get any more pictures of him.  Little stinker! 

I put him down for a nap and hopped in front of the camera quick before my Mom put it away – just for fun.

Moms are usually the one behind the camera so I don’t have a lot of me – so now my kids will know what I looked like in January 2012.  : )

My sister was being the posing director… and I wasn’t understanding and she was yelling at me.

My kids are going to see these when they get older and go… that is not my Mom.  My Mom ran around with zip-up sweat shirts, pony tails, no make up, and a coffee mug in one hand.