February Snow

So this is the second week in a row we've gotten some wintry precipitation here in Greenville.  It's so beautiful to see everything covered in snow (well, last week it was ice - but still beautiful!).  It's been fun!  

We took the picture below on Tuesday morning.  We were outside for a total of about three minutes (basically long enough to take a picture and talk a walk around the house!) before we brought the kids in to warm up and Bert headed to work. 

We tried to get a picture of just the three, but Claire kept wanting to get down and check out this wet ground. Sweet Emily was doing her best to keep her standing up!:) 

On Wednesday night a different winter system came through the southeast and we were projected for 3-7 inches of snow.  At one point they said we might get 10 inches, but we actually ended up getting about 3+ inches. It started snowing on Wednesday around dinner time and about every five minutes the girls were asking if they could get up from the dinner table to go "check the snow."  After dinner we bundled them up (this is a process....especially when there are three) and headed outside for a few minutes in the snow.  They wanted to bring their umbrellas.  We gave them these umbrellas for Christmas and they mentioned then that they would be perfect for snow.  Ha!  Whatever floats their boat! 

It was so sweet to watch them so excited!

Claire gets sooooo excited about seeing her Daddy, especially when he comes home from work, but she also even gets excited if he just comes back in the room where she is.  Looooves her "Dada!" 

It was Bert's idea to take this late night (by late night I mean 7:30) less than five minute snow excursion and it was a GOOD one!  We all five had fun!  

After we got the kids in bed I headed out to pick up the cookie sheets that I had left out earlier that evening.  They were filled with snow and ready for me to make snow ice cream!  It was yummy!  

On Thursday morning the kids were about to burst to get outside and build a snowman!  They wanted it to be a "snow girl" named "Clora".  I have no idea where Em came up with that name. We decided to wait until Claire went down for her morning nap so that we could all four play in the snow for a few minutes.  We were right outside her window, and I had her video monitor in my pocket, in case you were concerned.:)  

Before we started building a snow girl Bert pulled Emily around in a makeshift sled.  We tried to get Hannah to take a turn but she kept saying she didn't want to....maybe next year!  

Emily had soooooo much fun! 

She took a few falls, which just made her laugh harder.  

Bert is the best Daddy to our girls!! 

After the sledding it was time to make Clora.  

I have seriously got to do a better job next year of being prepared for this winter weather.  Hannah is in a 24 month snow outfit (she's 3) and Emily had to wear jeans and two layers underneath, which is another reason why we didn't stay out for long each time.  I'm definitely going to put that on my to-do list for next fall.  

I love my babies so much!  

Me and Hannah were in charge of making the middle section, and Emily and Bert were making the bottom section.  

Sweet Hannah trying to roll our ball.  She was annoyed that she needed help.:)  

Bert and his girls posing beside Clora the snow girl.  

It's been a fun beautiful couple weeks of snow and ice.  Thankful we got to see some this year!  And now I am super ready for spring!!  Looking forward to evening walks with my family, playing outside together and fewer sicknesses!!  Can't wait!!  

Hannah's Birthday Party

Our Hannah Elizabeth Watts turned 3 on Valentine's Day!!  This year has been extra fun because she has been soooo excited about her birthday coming up.  Before this year she didn't really "get" that it was her birthday.  But this year, for weeks before her birthday, if you asked her who had a birthday coming up she would raise her hands, jump up and down and say "ME...ME!!"  Ha!  

She was also so excited about her birthday party.  She changed daily what kind of party she wanted. One day it would be Rapunzel, the next Frozen, the next Ariel.  I didn't ever let it worry me though because I knew she really didn't care.  She was just excited about all the festivities.  So was I!  

On Friday, the day before her birthday and birthday party, Hannah and Claire started coughing.  Not much at first, but as the day progressed it became deeper and more often.  Ugh.  They both stayed totally well all during the month of January and first part of February when Emily, Bert and I were all sick. Hannah hadn't been sick in so long and she got sick the day before her birthday.  Anyway, we decided that we would still have the party since both sets of grandparents and Uncle Stan were coming into town, but we did let her friends know not to come because she was sick.  

After an early morning Saturday trip to the doctor for Hannah and Claire we came back to the house to celebrate our girl!!  

Hannah opening up presents.  

Her sisters were big helpers.  

For weeks Emily has been gathering up things around the house or making things at home or school and putting them in a certain cabinet in the office to give to Hannah on her birthday.  She has been sooooo excited about her gifts to Hannah.  The day before her birthday she told me she needed to wrap her gifts.  We decided to put everything in this big bag.  She had made about 6 cards and she gave her several of her crafts from school and two different pairs of shoes she had outgrown.  Ha! Because Emily was SO excited about giving them to Hannah, I didn't have the heart to tell her that Hannah was going to get those shoes anyway.  When Hannah opened the shoes she got SO excited and said "Emily....these are like YOUR shoes!!!!"  Haha!:)  

Claire loved the paper.  She had a handful of paper in each hand for most of the morning.  She also took turned the corner on that day in her walking ability.  She used to walk several steps if coaxed, but starting on the day of the party she was choosing to walk a lot more.  You could almost see her balance improving as the day went on.  She still takes many many falls, but now that she's decided this walking thing isn't so bad she'll be walking all over this house in no time.  

When we first realized Hannah's friends weren't going to be able to come to her party I thought about not buying a pinata, but then I changed my mind.  I wanted this family party to be super special for her...I wanted my girl to feel SO loved even though she wasn't feeling 100%.

Bert bravely agreed to hold the pinata while the girls took swings at it.  Hannah kept accidentally hitting him and had us all cracking up.  

Emily was hitting the pinata but also had us cracking up because she was swinging so hard. She had some force behind it!  

Then we decided we'd put it down on the ground to see if that made it a little easier for the girls.  

When it was Emily's turn she said very excitedly " I have an idea!!!"  Then she took the stick and started trying to stab it into the poor pony.  Unfortunately for Emily this was a very well made pinata.

So Bert and Stan decided to finish it off.   

I do believe they enjoyed the task. 

The birthday spread.  Huge thank you to my friend Kayce for making the amazing and beautiful cupcakes. I'm so thankful to have such talented friends!!:) 

They were waiting patiently on their cupcakes.  

Family picture with our birthday girl!  

Hannah blew the candles out just as we started the Happy Birthday song.  She was ready to dig into that cupcake!:)  

Claire figured out who would give her food and stayed right beside Pawpaw the entire time everyone was eating.  She looooved the blueberries.  She hasn't had them before because they have been so expensive during the winter months, but we're looking forward to the summer when they are cheaper so that we can have them more often....all three of our girls love blueberries!

The birthday girl wearing her new dress and pulling her new suitcase.  She pulls it all over the house and tells us where she's going.  

We also played "try to knock the cups down" (at least, that's what we call it!). This is what you call a cheap but fun game!  

We tried to get Claire to take a turn but she just wanted to carry the ball around.  

My brother Stanley drove up from Atlanta on Saturday morning just to come to Hannah's party. We were so glad he could make it!  The girls LOVE their Uncle Stan!  

I thought this was such a great picture of my parents and Hannah!!  

Mimi and Papa with the Watts girls!

Grandmama and Pawpaw with the birthday girl!  

Grandmama and Pawpaw got up very early to drive up to Greenville.  They had to get back down to Jackson that night so they had a lot of driving that day (about 6 hours round trip), but they wouldn't have missed Hannah's party.  

Happy, happy birthday to our beautiful, fun-loving, absolutely precious Hannah Beth!  We had so much fun celebrating YOU!!!  

Ressie Grace

Our niece, Ressie Grace Sanders, is here and we are soooo thankful and excited!!  She made her grand entrance on January 12th, a little after 3am weighing in at 6 pounds.  She was just over 5 weeks early.  Later that day on the 12th they decided to transfer Ressie to Northeast Georgia Medical Center's NICU due to some breathing issues because she was so early.  Katherine had to stay at the hospital in Toccoa for a couple more days due to her c-section.  Can't imagine how hard that was for her to be separated from Brett and Ressie in those first few days.  

I got to go to the hospital the day Ressie was born and the day after.  I even got to spend the  night in the hospital with Katherine one night, but I didn't get to meet my sweet niece until she was almost 3 1/2 weeks old.  About 5 days after Ressie was born Emily and I came down with a terrible case of bronchitis so we didn't want to go anywhere near Ressie, Katherine, Jacob, Brett, Mama, or Dadddy.  Ugh.  Unfortunately we had to stay put in Greenville for a couple weeks.  

Last Friday (Feb 6th) I got to spend the day with Katherine and Ressie in the NICU.  I can't tell you how thankful I was to get to see and hold this sweet girl.   

I snapped this picture of Ressie just before Katherine changed her diaper.  Cutie!  

So proud of my sister!  She is the BEST Mama to this sweet girl.  Katherine has spent her days at the hospital with Ressie and then would go home to tuck Jacob into bed, sleep and start over in the morning.  It's been a long few weeks of traveling back and forth, but Katherine and Brett wouldn't have it any other way.  

On Friday morning, while I was sitting there with Katherine, the doctor walked in and told her that Ressie would be going home in the morning.  She couldn't believe it, but was soooo excited!!  

Jacob wasn't allowed in the NICU (no one under the age of 15), so last Saturday morning  (Feb 7th) when they were walking her out of the hospital was the first time he got to see her close up!  He was SO excited!  He is already such a great big brother!  

I have prayed for and cried over this girl over the last several weeks.  She is such a blessing to our family!  We are so thankful she is home and doing so well!!  Emily and Hannah ask for a "Ressie Update" several times a day. :)

We love you, Ressie Grace!  

Chairs (I mean, a Train)

The girls love the days when I vacuum the house because after they help me pick up their toys off the floor then they get to to play on the dining room chairs, which they think is soooo fun!  

This particular day they were on a train, but these chairs have also been a car, a bus and an airplane.  

Who knew putting a few chairs together could provide hours of entertainment?!  

Sweet Dreams

A few nights ago Bert went to check on the girls before we went to bed (as he always does), but this particular night he called me in there to look at Em.  He said it looked like she had fallen asleep as she was crawling back into her bed.  Ha!  I had to run get my camera.  She was sound asleep too!  

This same night I glanced over at Hannah and had to take a picture of her too.  She usually sleeps under the covers but wasn't this night.  She's always surrounded by her babies and blankets.  And bunny...bunny is always very close by, and usually laying on top of Hannah.  Sweet sweet girl.  

Since I had taken pictures of both of the big girls I obviously had to run get a picture of my Claire Bear too.  She likes to sleep sideways in the crib for some reason.  She ends up like this almost every night.  I guess she likes the feel of the slats on her head and feet.  It won't be too many more nights until she's too long for that though.  She loves that lovie!  

Sweet dreams baby girls!  

2014 Blogbook

It's always a fun day when our blogbook from the previous year comes in the mail!!  We're so thankful for these books and the memories they hold!  

Each book is filled with colored pages and a hardback cover and each book usually cost around $90.  My parents have given this to us as part of our Christmas present for the last four years.  We're thankful for that and believe these books are worth every penny.  Also, it only takes about 15 or 20 minutes to order the book...easy peezy.  

The girls go through spurts when they pull the blog books off the shelf at least once a day and ask us to read them a story from the books.  The last 3 weeks or so they (especially Emily) have been wanting stories read to them from the blog books all the time.  They just love it!  When we don't have time to read to them they enjoy just looking at the pictures.  

I got through spurts when I don't feel like I have time to blog or I'm just not in the "mood" but when I do I usually can just look back at a picture like the one above and I remember...that's why I do it.  Thankful that I enjoy doing it most of the time, but even when I'm not in the "mood"....it's worth it.