For President's day I tried to teach the kids a few things.  You can see by the video that Carter got it, he is the little voice that says "lincoln" first.  Kennedy kept forgetting Abraham Lincoln.  She is the one, however, that taught Carter who the first president was.  Enjoy the little rascals!!!

Oh Kennedy!  We were going through the grocery store and she was slowing following me.  A guy was coming behind us and I told her to move to the side and catch up with me.  She looked at me with a very calm and quiet voice and said, "Stay calm.  He can probably smell fear."  I don't even know what to say.

Monday evening we had a nice snow.  On Tuesday, we shoveled the driveway and made snowmen. 

Carter would rather shovel, which was fine by me!  Yes.  We have a snowblower, but I haven't really used it before and quite frankly could use the exercise.

Kennedy DID NOT want to shovel and liked making another snowman.  I used food coloring and water to make a few color sprays.  She really liked that!

I think he looks creepy.  Kennedy thought it was awesome!

Wow!! Look at me updating the blog twice in one week!  Sheesh!! (as my sister Katie would say!!)  I thought I would let you all in on our day today. Complete with a happy ending and pictures.

At 12:32 a.m. I was woken to a little tap on my shoulder followed by the wonderful sound of motherhood, "Mom, my stomach hurts.  I think I'm going to throw-up."  As I was sleepily walking to the kids bathroom I realized how thankful I was that I had not been woken up by the actual puke.  Kennedy proceeded to the bathroom and got sick.  The rest of the night I slept on the floor beside her bed.  She woke up several times more but never got sick again.  The last time she hung her head over the toilet thinking she was going to get sick, she looked up at me and said, "Well, this hasn't happened in a long time."  Bless her heart!  Around 7:00 when I made her a little resting place in the playroom with coloring books and a puke bowl, I gave her a little Gatorade because she was,"starving!"  I tried to explain to her that she should just have little drinks and see how it goes and she looked at me with those sick little eyes and said, "I don't get your point."  Finally after a little lunch of chicken and stars soup, of course she was too sick to feed herself, I had to do it, and a nap she is on the mend.

Since Kennedy was feeling better and Carter asked, "what we were going to do fun today," for the 100th time, we decided to make play dough.  Here is how it went.

Carter got to stir all of the ingredients while Kennedy dumped them in the pot.  Then I cooked it on the stove.  No kids were injured in the making of this play dough.  :)

This is as excited as Carter got.  Clearly a fake smile.

Carter picked red food coloring and white.  Go Huskers!  Kennedy picked blue and purple.  Not for K-state.  #burn

Drawing a "K" in the play dough.

I tried to take a picture of Carter and he said, "uh! I am too busy."  Really? 

Kennedy make a little gumby girl.  It was so cute!

Kennedy is feeling ALOT better and Carter is ready to play so I better go(carter is telling me, "that is super too much writing!"), but I just wanted to give a shout out to my mom.  I remember so many days growing up doing activities like this and you never really appreciate your mom until you have kids.  Today was one of those days when I appreciate not only being a mom, but MY mom.  My mom had 5 kids and somehow managed to do all of this. She never really complained about making play dough and always having homemade treats after school.  I thought I was doing good making homemade brownies and play dough for 2!  I can only try to be as good as she was.  I told Kennedy that my mom use to make play dough for us and I said, "She was a really good mom."  Kennedy said, "I think you are a great mom."  Maybe that is why she had 5 kids.  I love you Mom!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Before I start getting hate emails for people not receiving valentine's day cards, let me beat you to the punch.  You won't be getting it today.  Probably not tomorrow either.  Soon, however, very soon!  In the meantime, here are a few pics of what we have been doing today!

Brownie that we cut into heart shapes and decorated.

Frosting....

Eating frosting...

Making "Love Bugs."

2 Love Bugs!

Valentine's Day cutting.
Hope everyone has a great day and thanks for the cards and presents.  We love you all so much and the kids LOVE getting mail!

This past weekend, Kevin and Ruth came to visit us! We were so happy to have them! They were able to get Kennedy from school and, boy was she surprised!!! We relaxed on Friday evening and on Saturday we spent the morning and early afternoon at the Mall of America!!! I had never been and wow is that an experience! We went to the Aquarium in the mall and it was really cool!  Here are the first pictures of the kids touching the starfish and sea snails.



Sting ray!!

Here are the creepy sea snakes....Kennedy, "look at those freaky little snakes!!"  They were kindof cute probably because they were in a tank!

Ruth and the kids checking out the tide pool.

Jellyfish!!!

They had a really need tunnel that you could see all sorts of animals. 



As the sea creatures, sharks, sting rays, turtles, many fish, were swimming around, they would be on top of you.  Carter didn't want to be too careful so he would duck down.  Too cute!!!



Sawnose shark.  I just made that up.  I don't know what it was, but that sounds good, right?!

More Sharks!



Kevin pointing out something to the group and no one was listening...sorry Kevin!



Cute little critters!

Carter in a shark hat!





After the aquarium we went to Nickelodeon Amusement Park. The kids loved the rides!
Posing near the Backyardigans Swings, they ride this later with Daddy.



First ride just went up to the top and slowly came down.  Carter was freaked out, Kennedy was bummed that it didn't turn them upside down!!!

Carter warmed up quickly and Kennedy loved it!



Carter had always wanted to ride on a hot air balloon!  Here we go!



Finally!  A good picture of the kids and mom!

The four of us rode on the Log Chute.  We barely got wet, but just because it says a child can ride the ride with a chaperon, doesn't mean they should.  Carter was freaked out.  There were several steep drops.  Hindsight is 20/20.  Way to go mom of the year! By the way, Kennedy wanted to ride it again!  She is such a daredevil!!

Daddy rode the swings with the kids and they loved it!



Saturday night, we went to a Valentine's dinner at the TPC.  It was so much fun to get dressed up and go to dinner.  The kids were able to make Valentine's Day Cards and decorate cookies.

We clean up pretty nice, uh?

Not too shabby....

Kevin and Ruth at dinner.

Carter made a Valentine for Ruth and Kevin.  It was so cute!

There wasn't really dancing, in the formal sense, however if you have been around my kids and music before, you know that it doesn't take long for them to start dancing.

Tony and Kevin did a little dancing, but they really just made sure we didn't get kicked out!  :)