Jenna's big #3!

Jenna is 3!  This was her most special birthday (to me) because it's the first one that we were finally able to be with her to celebrate!!  We are so lucky to have them back in town.  Kids were super excited to celebrate with Jenna - and since we aren't CM members anymore, it was extra fun to go play there!

 Jenna perched up on the table while the kids sang to her :-)  She is absolutely the cutest kid on earth.

She loves Peppa Pig so that was the theme of most of her gifts!

Happy Birthday Jenna, we love you so much!

After one party down, Claire had a 2nd to go to - a slumber party at her friend Norah's house!  (Her first sleepover!!)  I was a nervous mama and kept my phone next to me the whole night.  She had a blast, but came home SUPER tired.  They claim they stayed up until 5am and judging from her zombie-ness the next day, I believe her.

PJ's and Pancakes

Ah yes, I've done it again.  It's June 4....so let's talk about PJs and Pancakes from February!! Whoopsie.  Time to catch up again!!

Fielder's school does a great job of activities for the community and church members.  We've been to many of the parties - kids favorite was dinner and movie night - and in February they had a PJs and pancakes morning.  I can't remember why Rob didn't go, he was probably working.  The kids loved it and thought it was so funny for us all to be wearing our pajamas.

Chirstmas/New Years with the Hulchers

After being postponed from the snow weekend, we finally had our Hulcher/Mason/Barnes Christmas party!  Rob and I were hosting this year and due to the delay, our house was a mix of Christmas, New Years and winter.  Once I started packing Christmas away during the snow, I just couldn't stop.  However, I insisted on using my Christmas dishes and our tree was still up (just with New Years decorations!)  I was so happy - we managed to fit seating for all 16 including the twins and a kids table!  It was a brunch and everyone brought some dishes to share - great food and we're still enjoying the leftovers!  It was great to be together and especially to see Virginia and Olivia.  They were precious crawling around, playing with the kids, "roaring" like a lion, and taking a few steps here and there.  The kids opened their gifts and then by some miracle, all went up and played quietly and nicely while the adults had a chance to sit and talk!

It's not perfect, but this was our best shot of everyone at least facing in the same direction :-)  So glad Andy brought his camera and we were able to get a family photo!

After the party, Mimi and Papa brought Fielder home with them to spend the night and have a "Mimi day" on Monday (MLK day.)  Claire will get her turn next week when school is closed for a teacher work day.  We enjoyed a night with just our girl - we took her out to dinner at Chuy's because she earned a free meal for honor roll!  Best of all, Rob and I were able to SLEEP IN this morning!! Claire and I have spent the day doing some fun things at home, shopping, and packing up the rest of the Christmas things.

A BIG Snow!

Santa must have known snow was on it's way!  We had our first chance this winter to break in the new sleds and winter gear.  I was SO relieved I had bought the kids new snow pants, boots for Claire, and even I finally had proper snow pants and a coat!  All week the big weather talk was about SNOW.

By Friday afternoon it seemed eminent and I decided to take an hour to leave work early and hit the grocery store.  I would have avoided the store at all costs, but we really needed food for the week, plus we were supposed to have the Hulcher Christmas party and if the forecast was wrong, I'd need food for that!  Of course, by Friday afternoon all of Richmond had lost it's mind and the store was a mad house.  The parking lot was full (I thought I was going to have to call 911 because of an altercation in the parking lot between 2 women over a space!)  There was hardly a shopping cart to be found and the aisles were practically gridlocked.  I eventually made it out alive and by the time I was picking kids up from school, snow was falling!  They were SO excited!   That night they followed all protocol and wore their pjs inside out, spoons under pillows, and we flushed 2 ice cubes down the potty.  We were all set!  And although Fielder swore up and down he would not wake me up that night (or before 7am) he came busting in around 5 yelling that it was a "BIG snow!!!"

What I WISH I could be doing on my snow day!

It was the lightest snow and because it was so frigid you could see the individual snowflakes and crystals.  It was really beautiful but just too cold to stay outside for any long period of time.  We got to try out the new sleds on our hill and the one across the street.  We made snow cream and really put the kids new kindles to work!  Of course we postponed the Hulcher party - I couldn't take it anymore and spent my day packing up almost all of Christmas.  The house looks so sad and bare!  It will now be a Hulcher Mason New Years party!

Today we went sledding a couple more times and I ventured out to go to the Y.  Came home to good news - no work tomorrow!!  Woo hoo, we get another day to play!  (poor Rob...the joys of working from home, you never get a snow day)

Welcome 2017

I joined all the rest of the "resolutioners" and was at the Y when it opened on New Years Day!  Gotta get my free t-shirt, and this year we got goodie bags too!

It was a beautiful sunny day so we all went to the lake to hike and feed the ducks.  Starting off the year on the right foot!  (I'm hoping my aching knee and shin are not a sign of how things will go in 2017....here's hoping for an injury-free year!)

Vacation week!

I was off of work the week between Christmas and New Years, but both kids had daycare available (and already paid for) so I took advantage of that and had some much-needed time to myself!  Tuesday after Christmas both kids went to school and I spent the day shopping!  I love an after-Christmas deal!  I got a few things for next year and a new winter coat.  (My Christmas money was burning a hole in my pocket!)  On Wednesday, Claire spent the day with Mimi, and Fielder and I met up with them in the evening at Lewis Ginter!

Fielder was really getting on my nerves...not listening, running into people, touching anything he could find that he wasn't supposed to touch, etc.  BUT I promised myself that I wouldn't let him ruin a fun night.  Claire loved the dollhouses and would have probably stayed in that room all night.  We saw the lights and the kids had smores by the fire!  Then Mimi and Fielder took off for his first time spending the night without Claire!  She didn't mind too much because we planned a slumber party in her room and then the following 2 days together!

I knew her clay charms from Santa would need some undivided attention so we spent quite a bit of time on them.  She loved it and was very proud of her finished charms!  We did a little bit of shopping, a trip to Starbucks, and roller skating.  I had a blast spending girl time with Claire and I hope maybe we can make it an after-Christmas tradition.  And of course maybe a Fielder & Mommy day too next year!

the finished products!

Before I knew it, it was New  Years weekend!  We were very boring this year and I can't decide if I'm happy about it or depressed?  I think both!  NYE was just a regular day here and Rob picked up Candela's on his way home from a basketball game.  I had told Claire she could stay up late and let her play on her kindle in bed.  I think she was ready to go to sleep by 9 and I wasn't far behind her!

Cheers to 2017!

Christmas Morning!

Fielder made it to about 6am!  Woo hoo!  I had a whole hour to keep him entertained and upstairs. Finally when Mimi and Papa arrived, we were able to come down and see what Santa had brought!!  Can we say EXCITED?!

They were very busy scurrying around - Fielder looking for Elfie's shoes to see what he had left and Claire went straight for the stocking - that they didn't even notice the huge unwrapped sleds from Santa.  Santa also brought the kids just what they had asked for.  Claire got her aquabeads and clay charms kit and Fielder got a small aqua beads set, dinosaurs, and a duck shooting game.  We gave Claire books and snow boots and Fielder got a "bop it" game and Star Wars shoes.  The kids gave each other snowman ornaments and they gave Daddy a piggybank and magnets of Claire's artwork.  I got a waterbottle from Fielder and a scarf from Claire.  Charlie gave the kids emoji pillows which I think were their favorite!  It all seemed to go by in less than 30 minutes but we managed to do one gift at a time at least!

It was a fun morning and after breakfast with Mimi and Papa, we had time to start playing with some of the new things and be lazy for the day!

A favorite picture!  Fielder and Papa having hot chocolate together and reading a little news.

This cracks me up.  The duck shooting game didn't go over that well with Fielder.  It's a nerf style gun and he just couldn't pump it enough to actually shoot it and it's kind of hard to aim.  However, Mom and I seemed to have the most fun with it!

Uncle Jake joined us in the afternoon to hang out, watch A Christmas Story, and took the kids to the playground with Rob.  (Mommy FINALLY got a little nap!!!)  WHY did I not take a single picture?!  Claire got a cute on on her kindle, just have to figure out how to share her pictures.

That night we drove over to see the Pfiffer's house and a few others and then Rob and I had chinese take-out!  Yen Ching was the busiest place in town that night!!  Merry Christmas to All!