Tuesday, January 26, 2016

BLIZZARD 2016

 Good morning Georgia!  
Maddox was the first one to spy the white stuff on the ground and soon the whole house was awake and staring in amazement at the snow falling onto our yard.  
 Living in the south, the word SNOW can mean a lot or not too much.  In fact, I had heard for one week that snow was coming and I truly didn't even blink an eye.  The threat is sometimes there but the temps and conditions rarely line up.  
 But Saturday was different.  The snow was perfect.  It fell for several hours and stuck only to the grassy areas....
 and it was just enough to build the perfect snowballs....
 and attempt to build a snowman!
 This little one was in amazement.  She just walked around and played and laughed, repeat.  
 Meanwhile, some took it to the next level and chose to use a snow shovel to gather snow to sling at her brother.
 Some of our street gang was out playing too and their snowman attempt was much more successful so we borrowed it for a few pics!
 They kind of look alike:)
 And not too long into our morning, somebody found their pockets for their snow-chilled hands....
 and another found her way into the kitchen for some much needed hot chocolate and marshmallows.  
Our snow morning was complete.  And it was just that, a snow morning.  By afternoon, the snow was all gone and we were thankful for the memories we made earlier in the day!
(And this picture....so funny....all four bundled up, and then the one who is behind the couch with no intentions whatsoever of going outside to play in the snow.  He will tell you he hates snow and he means it!)

MK is NINE!

Happy Birthday, MK! 
Her last single digit birthday ever.
ack. time slow down!
 This girl continues to amaze us.
She is so quick to think of others at times....perfect example, her brownie cake.  She insisted that we do half with M&Ms and half without, you know, just in case someone didn't like M&Ms. 
 These girls all represent a piece of who MK is.  There is her cousin, Emma, whom she looks up to at all times.  There is Chloe, her friend from day one.  There is SK, from homeschooling and home she adores.  Her friends from ballet.  And her school friends.  I am so thankful for each of these girls and the memories MK will have of her time with them!
 Ice cream sundaes and brownies were on the menu.  
 And presents are always fun for everyone!
 And this girl has her mommy's taste buds....a little chocolate and peanut butter is good for the soul!
Nine looks good on you MK!  
Your favorite subject in school is science.
Your favorite food is Nutella.
You can't decide on a future job - either a clothing designer or a doctor or a teacher.
You think Maryn is the cutest thing ever.
You can quote the first three seasons of The Brady Bunch word for word.
You love anything that has to do with crafts and drawing.
Your classmates call you MK.
We call you MeiMei.
And we love you to the moon and back!

Happy New Year

We rang in 2016 in the best way possible - a trip to Atlanta to visit friends and to see a baby girl come off of an airplane from China with her forever family!  
And then the celebrating started....sparklers, firecrackers, brownies, Martenellis and all!  
 Thankfully, the Mohr saved the day with their fabulous selection of firecrackers.  We had zilch in that department and had great plans to purchase on our way home - but, alas, it wasn't meant to be!  
 We visited a family we met during our journey to MK that morning, greeted the Wakefields as they got off of their plane from China with their baby girl, and then we welcomed in the New Year with Chloe and sang happy birthday to one special little girl!  
 What a blessing it is to have them so close!  The children all get together and don't miss a beat!
 Someone was tired.  She could not be found.  She could not be heard.  We called for her and looked for her in the most suspecting of places.  In the end, we found her all snuggled up amongst the pillows of our bed!  Maddox loves her sleep, no matter the day!