Snow Day, Snow Ice Cream, & First Potty

It all started Thursday morning, Feb. 11. The snow began and did not stop. It was not supposed to hit until Thursday afternoon, instead it moved in around midnight. Without thinking twice about it, the 4th grade teachers and I decided that it was pointless to try to teach complete lessons so we headed outside for some fun in the snow. Here is my class after spending about 30 minutes having snowball fights and building snowmen. Finally the snow got so bad, that the district called off school an hour early and also cancelled classes for the next day. Here was our backyard Thursday night.

Friday morning and at least 12.5 inches of snow later. I never found an exact amount for Haslet, but I know that DFW received 12.5 inches.

We did the only thing you can do on a snow day, we bundled up and headed outside!

It took Alex a while to get used to the cold and snow.

Later that morning my parents came over to join us. They had been without power for almost 12 hours and were starting to get really cold. So we headed outside a second time. This time Alex did not cry in the snow.

Alex & Mommy

This is Riley, deconstructing his snowman. Riley had never built a snowman, so we started teaching him. Unfortunately he got really upset when we rolled up enough snow to show the grass. So he grabbed the shovel and starting smashing it back down.

As a way to entice the children back into the warmth, we decided it was time to teach the kids about snow ice cream. But I don't have any pictures of it because they were taken on my dad's camera. This was both of theirs first snow ice cream and they LOVED it!

Riley gets Gandpa with a snowball!

Finally I figured out what Alex really wanted. She wanted her gloves off so that she could actually touch the snow. After we removed her gloves, she loved it and started making her own snowballs.

The last first for the day came late that afternoon. As I was getting Alex ready for her bath, she proceeded to pull up her shirt and stand by the toilet. She sees Riley hold up his shirt so that is what she thinks has to happen. Randy had encouraged me to let her try when she wanted. So I took off her diaper and put her on the toilet. I let her sit there for a moment and then I smelled something. ALEX POOPED ON THE POTTY! I was so proud. In no way, do I believe that she is potty trained or even ready, but I will certainly begin to put her on the potty more often. Who knows, it might work???

A Day I Thought Would Never Happen

This weekend, an event happened in our lives that I truly thought would never happen. Randy sold his custom painted motorcycle!!!!!!!!!! Randy first bought a motorcycle secretly while in college. His Dad was ready to kill him when he found out. So when I met him, the bike was already there. I never felt real comfortable on the bike, but in the early days I rode it with him because it made him happy. In fact our very first vacation we went on together involved the motorcycle. We had made plans to drive to Laguna Seca Speedway to see a motorcycle race in California. Then about 3 weeks before the trip Randy totaled his first motorcycle. He was so lucky. Minimal damage to his arms and jacket, but the first bike was totaled. Well of course since the trip was already planned he had to buy another bike and quick. So here was his 2nd bike. We had matching jackets and helmets that matched the bike. Anyway our trip was with another couple and their bike. We all rode in the truck and trailered the bikes. We stopped along the way to sight see and of course ride the bikes. We even took the bikes up to Hoover Dam. I will never forget that. It was blistering hot. I couldn't touch the motorcycle without burning my hands and we had to ride with our jackets on. We always rode with our jackets because we knew if we ever went down, it sure would save lots of skin (as we learned after Randy wrecked the first bike.) I didn't actually make it all the way to California with them. I flew out in Vegas to meet up with my family for a family cruise.

Anyway the bike has always been there. In fact Randy promised me from the very beginning that if I ever asked him to choose, he would choose the bike. As time has it, our lives changed and we had children. I only rode the bike once or twice after we had Riley. I just didn't feel that it was worth it. I knew if we ever went down, I couldn't leave my son without both parents. Needless to say, Randy has ridden the bike less and less over time.Eventually Randy's passion has changed. He know has his 1988 Bronco that he is turning into a paintball tank. I have put him on a budget on the Bronco. So he did the one thing he could do to bring in more money. He sold his beloved bike. HALLALUIA!

I had to take a picture with Randy & Alex, because she is probably the real reason he finally sold his bike. Oh the power of Daddy's little girl!

Loading up the bike to go home with the new owner. Sad day. Randy just keeps commenting on how empty his garage is. Now let's just hope that he doesn't feel the need to fill up the garage with something else!

New owner- just a kid to us. But Randy couldn't resist selling because he brought his Dad!

Then I just had to add this picture. Those are some awfully big and DIRTY shoes to fill Alex!

Party #3 for a 3 year old

Saturday marked party #3 for another sweet 3 year old. This time it was for another friend named Jacob, but the Jacob from DayCare. This party was at Glenview Baptist Treehouse. We had never been there before, but I have definitely found a hangout for the summer. Riley had so much fun. They have a 3 story treehouse with spiral slides that go all the way down and it is indoors! The kids had a blast. Alex couldn't climb up the treehouse but she sure tried. Having fun with balloons!
Sweet girl!

Climbing the treehouse!

Party #2 for a 3 year old

Last weekend was birthday party #2 for a 3 year old. But first I have to start by telling all about the morning & preparations. I found a new photographer that I wanted to try out for Valentine's Day pictures. She was doing a special mini-session for $50 and you get the CD plus a digital image of a Valentine's card. I was pretty excited as I had not had the kids pictures done since Thanksgiving. Of course pictures mean, new outfits. You know if you give a mom a new picture session, then she will want new clothes for the kids, if you give her new clothes & red shirts, then she will want new red shoes for her daughter, if you give her new red shoes, she will need a new red bow. Anyway so I ran around all week making sure that I had a great new shirt for Riley. But then I bought it too big, so back to Gymboree I went. Then I needed to pick a shirt for Alex that would match Rileys. Eventually I had 2 adorable complete outfits.
Saturday morning I worked really hard to make sure that Alex got a nap, everyone had lunch, was dressed and we were out the door in time. I arrived at the Gaylord 5 minutes before pictures. Just enough time to take everyone potty and add the bow to Alex's hair. As we were standing there drying our hands, my phone rang. It was the photographer. We were unable to take pictures there because the Gaylord wanted $1500 a session. Are they crazy???? Since the birthday party was shortly after the scheduled session time, we didn't have time to change locations. We made plans to meet up later in the week.
Then I faced my next dilema. I didn't want the kids going to a party and eating icing in their cute new outfits without having pictures made. Alex had a spare outfit in the diaper bag. One problem solved. Thinking back, I remembered that the Disney store was having a big clearance sale. Taking a chance, we rushed like mad through an overly crowded Grapevine Mills Mall to the Disney store. Luckily I found a Buzz Lightyear shirt for $5.72. SCORE!!!!!!!!! Mad rush continued back to the car and off to Plano for the birthday party. This party was for my best friend's son, Jacob. It was at a bounce house place. This was also Alex's first bounce house party where she was old enough to have fun. Have fun, she did!

Big Brother helping out!

A super fast slide! You can't tell it by this picture. But Riley had so much fun. He did the slide over and over again, even though each time he went sailing off the end and landed squarely on his backside!

The best part about this bounce house was she could crawl in and out of the hole over and over again!

The sweet 3 year old birthday boy, with a very protective cousin watching on.

Party #1 for a 3 year old

It is hard to believe that 3 years ago, two of our best friends had their babies 3 days apart. It was such an exciting week. My best friend, since jr. high had her baby on Jan. 8 and then on Jan. 11, one of Randy's buddies from college had their little girl. Now they are both growing up to be adorable blonds! I will post Jacob's party later. Here is sweet Hailey in her birthday tutu! Alex really loved Chuck E Cheese this time. Some how those tokens didn't seem to go quite as far. She liked this rocking horse, but like her brother it was a little too slow for her!

Riley & Austin chowing down on pizza! I wish they lived closer. I think these two would be total two peas in a pod if we were around each other all the time. Since it has been a while since we have gotten together, I was amazed to see that my 4 year old is a full head taller than Austin, who is 5.

Birthday princess!

Even our little girls with their age gap, played well together. Hailey was so sweet, the way she just doted on Alex.

Birthday parties have always been fun for me, watching the birthday child in their element, and visiting with the adults. But I have to admit that I love the excuse to have to take my kids to Chuck E Cheese, Bounce House places, and eat cake!

Family Pictures from November

During the Thanksgiving break, while in Florida, we had family pictures taken. It took us 2.5 hours of photos and changing poses, but in the end we got some great photos of the whole Farris family. I do have to give credit to the photographer, Kay Brown in Pensacola, FL. She had a really different way of getting the kids to smile. I have taken quite a few pictures and used several different photographers since Riley was born and I have never seen her technique. But to give her credit, it worked. To make Alex and Riley laugh, she would hit her husband with her jacket or a pillow. Her poor husband...but he was a good sport. I was disappointed that we were not able to get a good picture of just the four of us for our Christmas card, but at least we got some good ones of the Farris family. The last time we took whole family pictures Riley was just one year old. So it was time to update the family photo! The whole crew taken by the dock at my inlaws house.

Everyone looking stunning in red!