Reaching Back: Valentine's Day

Scott & Nate went to the cabin the weekend before Valentine's Day. Lila & I stayed home and had a girls weekends. It was super fun! When she got home from school on Friday, she decorated her Valentine's box for school. She was really into it and I think it turned out very cute!

On Saturday, we made these red velvet cookie bars. OH MY. They were simply fabulous. I think I'm going to figure how how to make them for every occasion!

Lila does not have any play makeup so I got her a surprise for Valentine's Day. It really surprised both of us because instead of being play makeup, it's like for real makeup. #momfail

Oh well. She loves it. Even though she can only play with it if we are going to be staying home. I can just hear the pleadings for wearing it out of the house coming soon. Ha!

Haircut

Having a girl means you have to learn to do some hair. I am not very good at doing some hair. Plus my subject doesn't really let me practice. So. Hair is the center of a lot of fights at the Boyle house. Sigh. Boy hair is so much easier.

This winter, I have been feeling like we needed to cut Lila's hair shorter.  Her hair is mega thick and can be coarse like Scott's. So tangles are a major problem. I even had to cut some out at the base of her neck a few months ago because I could not get them out. Needless to say it was traumatic for both of us.

I finally talked her into getting it cut shorter so we looked for some examples on Pinterest. We found one of a long bob and she liked it. The girls hair was brown so she immediately asked if she could get her hair dyed brown. To which I said NO!!! She replied, "That's OK, when you don't have control of my hair anymore, I'm going to dye it red." Who is this person? I told our hair lady that story and she said, good luck finding someone that will dye your gorgeous hair red. Thank you, thank you very much. Sigh.

A before picture...before school...waiting for the doors to open (their schools start 30 minutes apart, it's ever so convenient). It was spirit day, so she allowed a headband.

After! We are both so happy with it! No more tangles. No more tears.

Tid Bits

Scott went skiing with Paka last weekend so the kids and I were on our own. It was cold so we tried to make our own inside fun. I found a recipe for homemade peppermint patties on Pinterest, so we decided to give it a whirl. Well. By the time I was done, let's just say I felt like Betty Crocker. It was harder, longer, and more in depth that I had imagined, but they turned out really good! They tasted just like the real thing, amazingly, but if I make them again, I will make them smaller because they were very sweet!

After swim team on Saturday morning, we stopped by the library. The kids read, checked out books and made words on the magnetic board. I love our library. It's hard to believe we've been going to this one for almost 10 years!

I guess I did not take any pictures of the rest of our weekend. We rested, ate pizza, and had slumber parties in my room. They were good days:)

Life Lately

I feel like we are finally getting back into the swing of things after winter break, and it's hard to believe that the kids have already been in school 100 days! Lila's teacher planned a super fun day for the kids and Lila was all about it. First up was to dress like you were 100 years old. She wore pearls and glasses, then we put her hair in a bun and sprinkled baby powder on it to make it look white. She ate it up. She of course doesn't look 100 here but she does look so much older to me! She's starting to look way more like a young girl than a little kid. Sad and happy about that! 

Her teacher took all the kids pictures then used an app to age them 100 years. Oh my word. We thought this was SO funny! I told her she will be a very cute and stylish 100 year old woman. Ha!

This past Saturday was so gorgeous. So gorgeous that we are begging for Spring to come early this year! It was 70 degrees so we soaked up some vitamin D all day long.  

We played in our yard and went to 2 different parks. Nate brought along his briefcase with his necessities. Because of course:)

In the winter, I become obsessed with the extended forecast. If it is above freezing and no snow for all 15 days when I look, I am so excited and relieved. Because every day we get through without it being bitter cold is a day closer to Spring! It's the little things in the winter:)

Ruel is ONE!

Ruel turned the BIG ONE a couple of weeks ago! Sweet sweet baby right here...it's hard to believe it has been a year! We all headed down to SE MO the night before his party...amidst an ice storm...because let's face it, we were not missing it! I don't think Lila would have ever forgiven me! 

Sarah and Hamil had his party at the Discovery Play House in Cape and my kids thought it was the bomb. Here is Wayne trying to do a little dental work on Lila. Ha!

Many local businesses are represented and kids love to work a bank, supermarket, dentist, daycare and farm!

Upstairs they have a plane and air traffic control. Nate could have stayed here all day!

The birthday boy! He is intrigued at first...

even smiling...

 but then he tried to get away...

so reinforcements came to help!

Lila loves her some Ruel...

 even though he doesn't sit quietly when she holds him anymore!

But he sure does look cute in her headband...she thought this was so funny!

We were so happy to get to celebrate Ruel's big first birthday! And we made it safely back to STL before the second wave of the ice storm hit...although it was more of a media event most of the time. But isn't it almost always?!?!

It's Gonna Be a New Year!

We had special visitors for New Year's this year! Emily & Ben went on the New Year's Eve Float Trip so we had Bluet & Ilona at our house for the weekend. So special. Also, so special was that Mimi & Paka flew in for the weekend too! I managed not to take any pictures of them (shame on me!) but they were here and we had a wonderful weekend with them too. 

The girls were in the house approximately 2.2 seconds before they had a costume on their bodies. And pretty much stayed that way the entire weekend. 

They would change multiple times a day and eventually Lila joined in too. She has sadly lost the desire to dress up all the time so I was happy to see her get excited about it again.

What did you do to ring in the New Year?? Well, I changed girls in and out of costumes and made a lot of peanut butter sandwiches. I wouldn't have had it any other way!

I was in bed well before midnight on New Year's Eve. Shocker.

2017, here you come, whether we are ready or not. I pray and hope for peace in our world, especially in our country, for this next year. Let's all take the time to love one another better, celebrate each other's differences, and remember that Jesus came for everyone. No ifs ands or buts. Everyone.

Happy 2017!

Christmas 2016

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to help round out 2016. We are so grateful for our many blessings including our amazing family and friends! 

On Christmas Eve, Scott had to work the evening shift, so the kids and I walked over to church for the candlelight service. The poinsettias looked beautiful and I took this picture to send to Scott because we gave one in memory of his sweet Grandma. I love that our church does this, it's nice to remember special people on this magical night. 

Since Scott wasn't going to be home, I scheduled Domino's to arrive with pizza when we got home from church. Maybe it's a new tradition?!?!

The next morning, I had dreams of getting downstairs before the kids so I could capture them coming down the stairs for the first time in our new home on Christmas morning. Alas, that was not to be. Instead I was chasing them down the stairs and this is all I got. That's a dream versus reality of parenthood, right??

The kids were very lucky kids on Christmas morning. They were also very thankful, which makes my heart thankful.

Nate put many books on his list this year, so of course Santa had to make good on that one. Because books instead of toys? All day long.

Lila got a new baby...because of course...this one's name is Avery.

Scott got the kids (and himself) nerf pistols. AKA Say goodbye to your nice things, Abatha.

After we exchanged gifts and had breakfast, we headed down to the cabin to see my parents, and the Corse-Collins peeps. A Ranger ride to see the new calves was in order.

Ilona really does have a knack for fashion. Sometimes it agrees with the weather, sometimes it doesn't. This day, it agreed. Thankfully.

Sweet and precious Bluet...

I had to include this picture. Some time between Christmas and New Year's, I was working in the kitchen. I turned around to see this and it made me laugh. Yes, Truman, just sit there. I'll do all the work.

 

 We hope you had a wonderful holiday celebrating with your people! Bring on 2017!