The Winter Family

Snow Fun

2012-02-15T14:51:00.001-07:00

Cody’s 5th birthday!!

2012-02-15T14:48:00.001-07:00

My baby boy is not such a baby anymore! These kids grow up way too fast!!

Thanks grandma for the many hours of work on his blanket! He loves it and is something to cherish always…

Cody’s best buddy has a birthday the day after his, so they shared a birthday party and had a blast!!!

Happy Birthday little dude!! We love you!!!

2011 Christmas Holidays

2012-01-11T11:20:00.001-07:00

Can I just say how happy I am to be living out west again so that during holiday seasons we can meet up with family and enjoy the season and each others company together. Thanks mom and dad for enduring many, many people in your home so we could celebrate together. It was wonderful.

Christmas Eve

Christmas and Christmas Eve was celebrated at grandma and grandpa’s this year. Making cookies and getting new p.j.’s is a tradition that is the same no matter where we are….

Christmas morning was exciting with so many bodies around. It was great!

I think the most favorite part for the kids was sledding with the cousins. They could do it for hours on end……

(I don’t think anyone had more fun than this little guy)

Just Dance was a fun past-time and always entertaining………

My little mother…..

We met Justin’s sister at Temple Square. My kids had never been and they (especially Alexa) loved it.

Other Holiday Happenings…

2011-12-18T14:16:00.001-07:00

As everyone knows December is a hoppin’ month full of fun and parties and recitals and shopping and insanity!! Here is a few more of our holiday happenings…….

Alexa had her sixth grade choir concert. Great job hunny!!!

Cody sang his heart out in his preschool recital.

Paige had her Christmas dance recital. She did fantastic!!

Just had to throw this picture in of my hubby helping me babysit some baby twins on his day off of work. I’m telling you he is softening in his old age

And one more of my cute freckle faced boy!!!

Christmas Recital

2011-12-11T14:19:00.001-07:00

The girls did a FANTASTIC job in their recital!! I am so proud of them and all of the hard work they have put into their music. I love you girls and keep up the good work!!!

Daddy’s little helper

2011-12-11T14:09:00.001-07:00

Auto Repairs

2011-11-10T16:34:00.001-07:00

Can I just say father-son bonding is the cutest thing ever!!!

Happy Halloween

2011-11-03T13:58:00.001-06:00

Snow Day

2011-10-31T13:15:00.001-06:00

No, the kids didn’t get out of school for the first big snow day of the year, but they sure couldn’t wait to get home and do some hard playing. It’s been a while since we have seen snow!!

And let my just brag a bit about the cute snacks I have made for Paige’s school Halloween party. Aren’t they AWESOME!

Here they are next to the two dozen roses my wonderful husband gave me for my birthday!

October Fun!

2011-10-26T14:24:00.001-06:00

This has been one of the busiest months for us in a long time, and we are loving every minute of it!!!!

Paige had ANOTHER cheer camp and performed and ANOTHER football game. Man she loves her cheer…….

We went to our annual pumpkin patch festivities and the kids had a blast……..

Today was crazy hair day at Paige’s school. This is what we came up with…….

October 15th- a day to remember!!

2011-10-19T13:08:00.001-06:00

This past Saturday was a terrific day filled with my wonderful husband’s birthday and Paige’s baptism all rolled into one. It was so fun having lots of family come visit us to help celebrate these occasions and we all really enjoyed ourselves. We love you all!! And we love you Paige!!!!!!!!!

Welcome to Colorado!!!

2011-10-08T08:44:00.001-06:00

It was 75°F and sunny on Thursday. Guess we won’t have soccer today! (PS, the picture isn’t clear because the blowing snow freaked out the camera.)

Family Pictures

2011-10-08T08:21:00.001-06:00

We recently had our family pictures taken by a friend of mine so I thought I’d post a few. Thanks Linnea! (However I miss you Julie :))

New Camera

2011-10-03T13:31:00.001-06:00

O.K., since Justin got me this new camera I must say we are a little picture crazed!!!!! I have never taken so many pictures of so many different things in my life!! Downloading all the shots that used to take seconds now takes almost an hour!!! So I choose a few but if you get bored you don’t have to look at them all :)

AIR FORCE ACADEMY GAME

We attended an AFA game a couple weekends ago and Paige was lucky enough to perform a cheer and dance at the half time show. It was a lot of fun, something we will defiantly make a routine of doing.

How many college games can say that at every home game they fly planes overhead and parachuters jump out and land center field?! Very cool.

Just thought I’d throw in a cute picture of Cody helping me cook. I’m telling you TOO MANY PICTURES!

SKATING PARTY

Paige had a skating birthday party this weekend so we all went to join in the fun…..

Cody tried skating for about 10 seconds before he fell and decided that was enough. We just hung out and watched for the rest of the time.

Zoo Fun

2011-09-26T14:45:00.001-06:00

This weekend we went to visit the Colorado Springs Zoo and I must say it is one of the best zoos I have ever been to. We were thoroughly impressed and loved seeing all the animals, especially the giraffes. It was amazing with probably more than 30 giraffes for you to feed by hand. Pretty awesome stuff!!!!

Soccer Time!!

2011-09-18T18:43:00.001-06:00

So Cody’s first ever season of soccer is in full swing now. Except for the fist fight in the first game and the complaining that he never gets to kick the ball, all is well :) It is fun to watch him though and good that he finally has something to do after always watching the girls with their activities…….

His favorite position is goalie. He likes to not have to compete too much for the ball.

Paige is 8!!!!!!

2011-09-18T18:35:00.001-06:00

My beautiful little blond is 8 years old!! I would say I can’t believe it but I really can. She is such a good girl and so grown up already. Why can’t we just freeze our kids in time so they won’t grow up on us?

Thanks grandma!!!!!

Turning 8 is GREAT!!!

Happy Birthday Paige! We love you!!!

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-18T18:28:00.001-06:00

So for our labor day weekend we decided to see some of the sites of our new home town. We went to a beautiful spot called the Garden of the Gods about 15 miles away and it was beautiful hiking and scenery. Except for the wind I am learning to love this new area we call home.

Crazy couple of months

2011-08-24T11:29:00.001-06:00

So it’s been a while since I’ve blogged but I must say it has been a crazy couple of months, starting with the fact that we have moved and have a new location in Colorado Springs, CO. But before our big move we took a month long vacation in Utah with family and had a blast!! This first part of July was spent in one of our favorite spots Lake Powell………..

We skied and tubed and hiked and swam and jumped and ate and played to our hearts content!!!

Then we spent a couple more weeks visiting family in Utah and played more!!

We had so much fun doing every thing from picnics to swimming to amusement parks!! Great to be with family!!

Then we headed to Colorado for our new destination and the kids started school and seem to be loving it. We are glad to be out west again and happy to be closer to family and friends.

Stone Mountain

2011-06-15T14:28:00.001-06:00

This past weekend we spent a fun time away with some friends for a good bye trip. We went up to Stone Mountain north of Atlanta and had the time of our lives (despite the intense heat) The kids had fun playing every minute of every day with their friends and there was a lot of fun activities to do…

Golfing….

Duck boat rides…

And the funnest of all adventure climbing……..

Cody and I stayed on the obstacles close the the ground, where the girls and Justin experienced the thrill of them way up high!!

There were laser shows and train rides and movies and many more exciting activities. It was a great time with great company.

Softball rules!!!

2011-06-05T16:39:00.001-06:00

Alexa finished off another season of softball. We will miss the expertise and enthusiasm that we have found here in Georgia for the sport of softball/baseball. She has learned a lot though and will take it with her to our next destination……

Alexa pitching for her first time.

Nothing like playing in the dirt after a hard won game!!

Hit a homer honey!!!!

I did it!!!!

2011-06-05T15:49:00.001-06:00

O.k. not to brag, but I did it!! Despite almost drowning in the lake for the swimming portion of the race, I completed my first sprint triathlon! It was actually for the most part a lot of fun. I foresee maybe talking my hubby into training with me to do another in the future.

Me running exhausted into the finish line (that’s the best shot Justin got)

Me and my friend that did it with me. Thanks for talking me into it Cassie!! (I know, I know, nice biker shorts!!)

My wonderful, supportive family congratulating me at the finish line. Love you guys!!!

May happenings

2011-06-02T13:07:00.001-06:00

It has been a while since my post so here are some highlights of our going ons in the last few weeks……

1. Cody’s preschool graduation

How do my kids get so big so fast?! Alexa and Paige also had graduations, however me sitting in the very back of a huge gymnasium prevented pictures, but if you are all wondering they did make it to the next grade. :)

2. Alexa’s 11th b-day!!!!!!

She had a pool party and had a BLAST!!

Happy Birthday big girl!!!!

3. It was a tough couple of weeks for Cody. He had a bad illness that really took it out of him for a long time. Here he is doing one of his breathing treatments…..

(I thought he looked cute doing them :)) He is back to normal now and summer is in full swing here in Georgia. We are taking advantage and doing all the fun stuff we can before our big move to Colorado!!

Alexa's recital

2011-05-19T20:42:00.003-06:00

Here you go mom and dad, you are now in the audience for Alexa's latest violin recital. Unfortunately we were seated a little behind her so it's not as loud as I would have wanted, but she did an amazing job. We are very proud of her accomplishments on her violin this year!

Easter

2011-05-18T11:49:00.001-06:00

I know I know…Easter was a while ago, but I get to things when I get to things these days. We had a great holiday with multiple Easter egg hunts and dinner with friends and fun with each other. Here’s the kids in Easter attire and Paper Jam guitars the bunny left them…………

Ballet Beauty

2011-05-18T11:44:00.001-06:00

Beautiful Paige right after her lovely ballet performance. They are a little strict about cameras in the auditorium. She did great!! We are thoroughly impressed with the instruction and improvement this little girl has obtained this past year. Look out Broadway- here she comes!!!!!! :)

Festival Fun

2011-04-22T12:54:00.001-06:00

Last weekend we went to a local festival with some friends. It was situated underneath some of the beautiful, tall, local trees. It was so pretty. We enjoyed some festival food and shopping at the local craftsman's tents. The kids enjoyed petting and riding animals. (Not Cody, he was too scared, go figure)

Mother/Daughter Tea

2011-04-22T12:35:00.001-06:00

Paige’s school had a mother daughter tea party last weekend. It was quite a treat for us because usually they do a father daughter dance, so it was fun that I could be involved this time.

We had fun eating…

talking with friends…

and lots of crafting……..

Band Fun!

2011-04-21T07:34:00.001-06:00

A few weeks ago Paige participated in a local festival with her school band. I’m sure none of you would have guessed that she is the head band DRUMMER!!! Who knew?!

Destin, Fl.

2011-04-06T09:39:00.001-06:00

This past week was Spring Break for us down here in Georgia, so we decided to take a few days and visit the coastline of Florida. What a great idea!!! The beach was BEAUTIFUL with white puffy sand for miles and great weather. We all had a wonderful time.

The kids spent quite a while digging a “big hole” in the earth. They dug until they hit water. :)

My photography friends are going to cringe (is that spelled right?) but I never said I had a talent for picture taking. I still am posting it because it would have been a beautiful sunset picture had I known how to use a camera…..

The girls insisted on a souviner as they do with every trip. I always say they can have one as long as 1. it’s at or below my price limit and 2. it has to remind them of the trip (like had the town name on it or some such thing) Meet the souviners they got…………

Above is Alexa’s hermit crab named “Destin”

Below is Paige’s hermit crab named “Florida”

We had a great time as a family and are loving the opportunities that we get to experience and might not have been able to if we had not moved to the south.

I know you are pictured out but just a couple more to say good-bye………

Brace Face!!!!

2011-03-28T12:15:00.001-06:00

My sweet little seven year old went in this morning and got braces on her teeth. As of now she thinks it’s pretty cool. Ask me in a few weeks if she is still thinking they are fun to have. Here are the before and after shots………

Before….

After…….

(Nice shot up the nose..sorry!)

Museum of Aviation Field Trip

2011-03-28T12:10:00.001-06:00

A few weeks ago Paige went to the museum for a school field trip. We live in a town that’s all about the air force and the cool planes, so she had a lot of fun. It’s always great to miss school work and play all day!!!

Aquarium

2011-02-24T09:32:00.001-07:00

Last weekend was a long one for the kids due to a school winter break, so we decided to take a day and head up to Atlanta to the Georgia Aquarium. It had been a while since we had been there, and even though we had seen it once the beauty and grace of all those aquarium animals is amazing!

Daddy Daughter Dance

2011-02-24T09:27:00.001-07:00

The time has come again this past Valentines Day weekend for the annual Daddy/Daughter dance at Alexa’s school. They always have a good time. Just a preface of what’s to soon come when she’s a teenager. She’s getting there fast.

Cody’s 4!!!

2011-02-01T09:37:00.001-07:00

My baby is 4 years old now. I don’t feel that old, how does he keep getting older?! He is a fantastic little boy and we love him so much. The crazy things boys do just makes us laugh all the time. Here are some birthday highlights…..

Happy Birthday little man!!! We love you!!!

Spelling Bee

2011-01-28T11:03:00.001-07:00

Alexa won her class spelling bee and had the opportunity to go for the school championship, from there going on to district and then state and on and on. It was kind of a big deal. She was excited she got to this point, however didn’t win the overall school bee. She did well though and we are proud of her.

Whirlwind December!!!

2011-01-04T14:55:00.001-07:00

It’s been a whole month since I have posed and that is all due to the whirlwind of a December!! Whit parties, recitals, performances, ceremonies, and kids home from school the time goes by very quickly. So this will be a quick summary of some of our December events…

Alexa had her Christmas recital and did great! She is really getting fantastic at her violin!

Cody had preschool parties and programs. He did very well singing his songs for all of the parents and families.

Paige also had ballet recitals, but due to not letting cameras into the performance her good ol’ mom did not capture her glorious moment of film. :(

The kids had a nice winter break home and enjoyed each others company very much.

Christmas and New Years came with great gifts and fun times for all!!

Here’s a couple shots of the kids in their Christmas attire from Grandma so she is able to see how cute they are!!

Now the New Year is here and we are excited to see what adventures await us in 2011. We wish you all the greatest year yet!

Thanksgiving Fun!!

2010-12-01T11:50:00.010-07:00

Granna and Pop came to visit us for our Thanksgiving break. We had so much fun and want to thank them for such a great time. We love you!!!

We started with a few days in Pigeon Forge, TN. visiting Dollywood!
Of coarse I had to throw in this picture of Cody jumping on the hotel bed. Isn't that a must when you travel somewhere new?!
So out of probably 200 pictures I had to put just a few on my blog. But there were so many fun and entertaining things in Dollywood. We rode roller coasters (the faster and scarier the better in Paige's case), trains, Ferris wheels, watched plays and entertainment and parades. We went to blacksmiths and wagon builders and you name we did it.

We spent hours of fun times with Granna and Pop while they were here! Baking and working and playing and crafting. They know how to keep us on our toes! :)

Tuesday we took a day trip to Savannah to see the historic sites. It was fun walking on the cobblestone road and seeing the old homes. And of course the water fountains and tugboats were a hit.

Cody in his Indian costume for his preschool Thanksgiving Feast. Granna and Pop close by to show their love. Cody named himself "Little Prince Moving Sheep" for his Native American name.

We ended our whirlwind of a week with Thanksgiving. This was really our first attempt at baking our own turkey and making our own pumpkin pie, and I must say WE ROCK!!!! It was delicious and the company was great!

Halloween Fun!!!

2010-11-01T11:07:00.005-06:00

The girls carved their pumpkins with no help from us this year. Way to go girls!!!!!

Halloween Day...(ok day before Halloween. We celebrated it a day early here) Harvest Party filled with carnival games and bouncy houses and rock climbing and trampolines and on and on and on...... It was ridiculously fun!!

Halloween Night....fun for all!!

First, Last, and Best...

2010-10-27T09:18:00.006-06:00

Last week it was time for the girls to go to their 6 month cleaning appointments at the dentist, but this time we felt Cody was old enough and capable enough to join them. His very first dental cleaning was fantastic. He loved it and was completely cooperative. What a big boy....

Alexa finished up with her "fall ball" softball season and now can rest up for spring ball.

Last week the Georgia National Fair was in town and Paige went there with her class on a field trip. Here she is with her BFF MaryCatherine.

It's fun to watch these kids through all their adventures in life. Looking forward to many more firsts, lasts, and bests.

What a Week!!!!!

2010-10-22T11:35:00.009-06:00

This past week was one of the most busy and exciting weeks EVER!! It started with a week long visit from Grandma and Grandpa Williams. The kids had a couple of days off school so we enjoyed biking the beautiful sites of my favorite gardens close to here...

Following an exhausting bike ride we went to an animal safari nearby that was the most hilarious thing ever! As we drove our car through the park these animals had no fear whatsoever. The stuck their heads clear into our car trying to get some food. It was very funny and frankly very disgusting!

(the drool marks of the animals all over my car!!!!)

No one can have a visit from grandma and not have a girls day out!!! The girls first pedicure...

During all this excitement we couldn't forget wonderful Justin who had his thirty-something birthday. Happy Birthday honey!!!

We ended the week with my mother and me flying to NYC to meet my sister and have a girls weekend there watching a couple plays and exploring the sites. It was a great time. Thanks gals!!! It was great fun and I can't wait to do it again!

Daddy Daughter Date

2010-09-28T09:00:00.005-06:00

A couple of weekends ago the stake had a daddy daughter date at a local members home. She had miles of acreage with horses and cows and pigs and you name it, they had it. Alexa had the time of her life with dad as they rode hayrides and horses and learned first aid and wood working. Justin commented that she was smiling ear to ear the whole time.

The lady who lives here commented on how much Alexa seemed to enjoy herself and invited the family out the next weekend. Again another great experience. We miss the fun semi-farm life of grandma and grandpa's.

Paige is 7!!!!!

2010-09-15T11:41:00.005-06:00

Can you believe it?!! Every time a child has a birthday it's a wake up call that they are not going to stay their precious young selves forever. Paige had her birthday this past weekend and is now seven. That seems so old to me! She needs to stay young FOREVER!

Happy birthday my big girl!! We love you

Fun hiking

2010-09-07T11:18:00.003-06:00

We took a day this past holiday weekend and went to a local hiking spot by a river. The temperature was perfect and the scenery was fantastic!! We all had a wonderful time!

Dad didn't want Alexa's feet to get wet. She thought that was hilarious!

The girls always on the lookout for bugs.

Cody's big day

2010-08-26T11:14:00.002-06:00

I can't believe my baby is old enough to go to preschool!!! How did that happen?! Here he is on his first day. He had a blast and is loving school. I must say it tugged at my heart a little to let my last one go, but then again the nine hours a week to myself will heal that fast. :)

Girls make the paper

2010-08-23T11:07:00.004-06:00

So this summer the girls got involved in a short art camp and had a really great time. While they were busy making their art masterpieces a journalist showed up wanting to write about their teacher and put them in the paper. The girls were ecstatic to see themselves. Very fun!

Coca-Cola

2010-08-10T11:38:00.003-06:00

Last weekend our wonderful Grandpa Winter came for a quick visit and we took him up to Atlanta to the Coca-Cola factory. It was a very cool place and we came out well hydrated with all their coca-cola products. Thanks for the visit Grandpa! We love you!!

Cody in down-town Atlanta. He has been very into his batman cape again and refusing to take it off EVER! It kind of bugs me, but he is cute.

The girls first day of school (ok second, but don't tell. The first day was a little too hectic and I forgot the camera. ) I can't believe I have a 5TH grader and a 1ST grader. How did I get so OLD?!

Puppy Love

2010-07-26T12:39:00.002-06:00

Aviation Museum

2010-07-13T13:12:00.003-06:00

A few weeks back we FINALLY visited the aviation museum here at the air force base where Justin works. The kids enjoyed looking at all the planes and things, however I must admit I was a little hot and bored. If you visit us and want to see the museum, I think you will be going with Justin and the kids- I'll stay home in the A.C. I do, however, need to post these adorable shots of my kids in the cockpits!

Jekyll Island

2010-07-07T14:42:00.005-06:00

This year for the 4th of July we were able to go to Jekyll Island, a little island off the Georgia coastline, and enjoy fireworks on the beach. What a way to enjoy the holiday!! We had such a fantastic weekend!

This little boy had the time of his life!!

Cody's version of surfing the waves..

Hard to see, but this is Alexa and Paige boogie boarding....

First vacation including Rocco the dog. It was a lot of fun, but a little more work. Obviously the kids loved it!

Fourth of July outfits.....

When not swimming in the pool or playing at the beach, there were several beautiful bike trails. Cody and Rocco of course get royal treatment..

Weekend Fun

2010-06-14T14:20:00.006-06:00

This past weekend we drove over to a fun place called Calloway Gardens here in Georgia. It is an amazing garden of trees and flowers with miles upon miles of bike trails going through them. It was the most beautiful and relaxing ride. Granted it was almost 100 degrees outside, but in the shade it wasn't so bad. (I think I am finally getting a bit used to it) After a hard bike ride they have a lake with a wonderful beach that you can cool down at. The kids had a blast!!

Inside the butterfly coliseum looking at all the beautiful butterflies. They had many fun stops like this along the bike trail.

Go Braves!!!!

2010-06-03T13:02:00.003-06:00

For Memorial Day we went to the Atlanta Braves game with a couple of our friends. I must say it was my first major league baseball game and it was quite fun. Alexa was very into it, and the other two had fun with their friends.

Our seats were a little high up but we were under the awning and in the shade the whole time. PERFECT!! Something we will definitely have to do again.

Alexa turns 10!!!!!!

2010-05-30T13:33:00.005-06:00

O.K., when your daughter had a birthday putting her into the double digits you start to feel a little old. Alexa turned 10 this week and I'm having a hard time believeing it. She's such a good girl and fun to have around. Here are some shots of our fun day........

End of Year Madness

2010-05-30T13:19:00.003-06:00

So our school year has come to a close and it had been utter MADNESS!! We've had parties and ceremonies and performances and any other type of celebration you can think of! I must admit that some of them my camera was missing in action, others the shots were not qualified to be on this site, but some made the cut (mostly of Paige, sorry Alexa) The girls are now home for a couple of months and Cody and I so far are enjoying every minute of their entertainment!

Atlanta Zoo

2010-05-30T13:08:00.003-06:00

This past weekend we decided to get away and drive up to the Atlanta Zoo with the kids. The kids had a great time and the weather was perfect. It is fun to be a short distance away for a day of fun in Atlanta.

Rainy Fun!

2010-05-06T11:24:00.003-06:00

O.K., so they are not the best pictures, but boy did the kids have fun. They are still loving their trampoline and jump on it every minute of the day that they can. Rain does not even stop them. This particular day it was POURING outside and they stayed out jumping in it for a long time. They came in looking like they had jumped in a pool fully clothed. Fun times to be remembered! :)

What we're into.....

2010-04-23T11:49:00.002-06:00

I thought I'd share a couple of things with our friends and family far away that my kids are into lately. I bought Cody his first pair of flip-flops this year. And yes-HE LOVES THEM! They were delivered four days ago and he has worn them for four days straight. (I do get him to take them off for bed, but that takes a LOT of convincing)

The big thing down here are these "crazy bracelets" that the girls have really gotten into. Really they are just overpriced rubber bands, but they love them. The kids at school have fun trading with each other. Every day when the girls get home they can't wait to show me the new ones they got and tell me the ones they traded away. It has been fun for them....

We got it!!

2010-04-06T11:20:00.004-06:00

We did it!! We got a long awaited trampoline. For years I have been begging Justin for one and he has always not wanted one, but after much persuasion and research for the perfect one for us, HE GAVE IN! It was delivered just in time for our spring break and the kids are having so much fun! Totally worth it! Now just pray everyone stays safe. :)

Since we were not going anywhere for spring break we wanted as much outdoor entertainment for the kids that we could get, so Justin hung a swing from our beautiful big tree. Another big hit!! The kids were outside most of every day! My dream come true!

At the end of our break we celebrated Easter! Usually we go to grandma and grandpa's house, so being alone this holiday was a little different. However the kids had a good Easter with presents from the Easter bunny and egg hunts and crafts and egg dying. It was actually fun to stay home all day and relax with the kids for the holiday season. Happy spring everyone!!

Pictures of our hunt...

Trains, trains, and more trains

2010-03-25T10:17:00.003-06:00

So this past weekend we went to a Cherry Blossom Festival in a nearby town. I went armed with my camera to take beautiful shots of the kids in front of the blossoming trees, however I think we were a week early. They weren't quite in full bloom yet. Oh well. The highlight for my kids however was one of the vendors displaying their train set. It was HUGE and Cody could have stayed there all day watching the trains driving through there town. It made me think of Grandpa Williams and his old hobby with his trains. Perhaps with his retirement he could pick it back up (hint, hint :)) Midway is a good place for a train.

I also thought I would sneak this picture in of Cody. I tell ya it's tough to be a three year old!!!

Softball Mania!

2010-03-16T11:26:00.004-06:00

So the softball season has begun in full swing down here in Georgia. It is amazing how serious they take their sports down here, especially baseball and softball. Our league has won state and regional championships for years counting. I am both very grateful and annoyed for this expertise coaching and experience Alexa is receiving. She learned more her first practice here than probably all four previous years of softball. That is fabulous. However it has taken over our lives. Practices several times a week and games lasting over two hours each. Did I feel this way every other season? Perhaps. Alexa loves it though and is getting quite good. I guess for that I can buck up and love every night at the baseball fields....

On another note, Paige recently had a Wacky Wednesday at school and I just had to take a picture of her to send to my family. If you know me at all, I am a little controlling when it comes to what my children wear, so we were all happy when a day came and Paige could pick whatever she wanted and be as crazy as possible and I was all right with it. :)

Learning Patience

2010-03-02T10:54:00.002-07:00

So with both girls away all day long at school and Cody and myself at home together with no other entertainment, we are often searching high and low for things to do so he is happy and non-destructive (is that even a word?) Many times we resort to baking because I love it and he loves to be my helper (my waistline is hurting a bit though) However, after the mixing of the batter it can be difficult to wait until the final product due to baking time. I had to take this shot of my poor sweet boy learning the hard lesson of patience. He wanted his cookie SO bad.......

Tax Returns ROCK!!

2010-02-18T16:23:00.005-07:00

After doing taxes this year we decided we could sacrifice a little to do a quick vacation down to Disney World!! With the kids on winter break and Justin off of work for Presidents Day, we thought this would be a great time. We didn't tell the kids where we were going until we were on the road heading toward Florida- and boy was the excitement exploding from them. It was such a great time! Here are a few of the many pictures....

Day #1 Magic Kingdom
This was the girls favorite stop. With princesses and rides and entertainment at every corner, who could go wrong?
Cody LOVES the Merry-Go-Round!

The girls in line with their autograph books for the princesses to sign.

We were here on Valentines Day, so of course a heart shaped sucker is a must.

Day #2- Animal Kingdom

This was my favorite destination. The animals were amazing and the atmosphere incredible!

Day #3- SeaWorld

I remember this slightly from when I went as a child, but I definitely didn't remember how grand and spectacular all of the shows were. It's amazing what these trainers can do with these animals.

We have to go on every Merry-Go-Round we see

Us waiting for the Shamu show to start.

What a great time and wonderful memories! I am so grateful we had the opportunity to go! Disney World ROCKS!!!

Church callings...

2010-02-08T11:15:00.002-07:00

So I have received my new calling in this ward, and it is activity chairperson. I hate to say that I am not too excited about this calling. Hopefully it will grow on me. Ward parties have really never been my favorite thing and here I am in charge of them all!! And to top it off this ward seems to be die hards about their social events and expects many and great activities. I still don't know anyone in the ward really and am not sure what traditions this ward has with its past activities. Anyway, enough of my terrible murmuring and on to why I even mention this. I NEED HELP!! If anyone has any memorable activities that were great, send them my way. If anyone has any suggestions to help me out in my planning- send that my way. Anything and everything would be great. Thanks to you all.

Daddy/Daughter Dance

2010-02-02T11:30:00.003-07:00

So other happenings this past weekend was Paige's Daddy Daughter Dance for school. You should have seen my little princess. She was on cloud nine!! This is her thing and she loved every minute of it. She counted down the days for weeks until it was finally here. Justin said it was a great time. Here are a few picts....

More to come next week after Alexa has her Daddy/Daughter Dance. We like to keep daddy busy!

Cody's 3!!!

2010-02-02T11:07:00.006-07:00

So my little baby boy is now three! How in the world did I get so OLD?! We had a great weekend celebrating with him. We took time on Saturday to go to a kids play place which the kids had a blast at, and continued the festivities Sunday (his actual birthday) with presents and cake and pure 'spoil the boy all day and let him get away with murder.' I know, I know, not much different than a normal day. But fun none the less.

I know he doesn't seem to be smiling in these pictures, but he did have a lot of fun I promise!

So I thought I should throw in this shot of what my boy looks like most of the time. We have been potty training him (again) for the last week and it is going fabulous. However we haven't always been putting pants on him due to occasional accidents and the constant pulling up and down of them. He did recently fall in love with a batman/superman cape that our wonderful old neighbor (thanks Julie) gave us and wears it constantly!! Here's the result.....

Presents and car cake-life is good!!

Happy birthday little boy! We Love You!

Violin Success!!

2010-01-27T11:20:00.004-07:00

O.K., so all I can say is that I am a genius!! (besides the fact that I had to spell check genius) As some of you know I tried to be Alexa's violin teacher in the past with no success. We just clashed too much. But with no luck at finding ANYONE down here that even plays the violin other than myself, we had no choice. So I decided to go with good ol' bribery. IT WORKED! I give them violin dollars for every day they practice well and they get to buy prizes out of my special prize basket. The girls actually fight over who gets to practice first each day. I told them they don't have to practice on the weekends but the beg to. AMAZING! Again, I am a genius!
Alexa with her first purchase from the violin store. :)

Southern Cotton

2010-01-27T11:13:00.002-07:00

So I thought it would be fun to post some pictures of my kids in the many wonderous cotton fields around us since that is something that is not seen out west, however when I finally got around to stopping by one with my camera to take a picture IT WAS TOO LATE! Story of my life! All the cotton had alrady been harvested. So you westerners get a picture of my kids standing by a "cotton barrel". Next year I will get out earlier and obtain a nice cotton field picture for y'all. (See the south is growing on me :))

Boys will be boys

2010-01-21T12:34:00.003-07:00

So the other night I freshly bathed and dressed my dirty little two year old to find him only moments later out helping daddy fix mommy's car. Of course part of helping means sitting directly ON the engine! Oh well, boys will be boys.......

World's Largest Aquarium

2010-01-21T11:15:00.010-07:00

So one of the perks of working for the government is the insane amount of holidays you get off of work. So with the MLK holiday before us and no school and no work, we decided to take a short drive up to Atlanta and see some of the sites. Did you know Atlanta has the world's largest aquarium? How could we pass something like that up? It was amazing and the kids had a blast. Cody just was in awe as he walked around saying "wow" every few minutes.

After that we took some time to play around the Olympic village area. It had some fun playgrounds that the kids enjoyed.

I will say I am excited about the many opportunities living down here will give us that we would have never done if we had stayed put. I look forward to many fun adventures while I'm down south. Feel free to come join us anytime :)

New Year, New hopes, New resolutions (kind of)

2010-01-14T11:08:00.004-07:00

Hello everyone out west! I hope all the holidays were great! Here we are in a new year and our hopes are it's going to be a good one! Last year was kind of a tough one for our family with Justin's unemployment, my full time employment, house selling and moving (twice), his re-employment in the east and leaving his family behind for a couple of months, and now we are finally back together, although Georgia was not somewhere we imagined ourselves to be. It's growing on us however and we are just happy to be a functioning family once again.

So I hate to admit it but my New Years resolution is again the same as last years. Can't I learn!? I resolve to document my family life better with more pictures and a better upkeep on my blog. Living out here away from family and friends I think will give me motive. So here's a few picts of us moving into our home (which I love)

Justin picked out this home without me and I must admit I was a little uneasy about what the results would be, but job well done honey!! :)
It's amazing the entertainment that a box will give your kids while you are busy moving in.

We love you all and miss you VERY much! I'll keep in touch better this year, I just know it! We wish everyone the best and know it's going to be a fabulous year for us all! HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Camping luck

2009-08-09T19:17:00.003-06:00

So this past weekend we were supposed to go camping with some friends, and low and behold the hot weather that we have been having for over 2 months straight was broken with rain, rain, and more rain. So we made due with local fishing and camping in the back yard. Not quite the same, but fun none the less.....

Tooth Trouble

2009-08-09T18:59:00.002-06:00

So we have been dealing with a stubborn child that has had this loose tooth for months and refusing to get it out. I even brought home topical anesthesia from work so she wouldn't even feel it and that was a no go. So a couple of weekends ago we went to visit grandpa and he worked his magic and we went form this.......
to this.......
Unfortunatly the other one is loose also so the drama is not yet over. We had fun at grandma and grandpa Williams. Thanks for letting us come. They live on lots of acreage with horses and tramps and wilderness and the latest contraption of my fathers......

Always good times to be had there :)

Lake Powell

2009-07-20T18:59:00.011-06:00

So Lake Powell is one of my favorite vacations of all time, and we are blessed to be able to go annually with my family. Thanks mom and dad for always letting us come and crash your houseboat. We love you!

Some of our favorite times at Lake Powell were...
Waterskiing/Wakeboarding....

PAIGE....Alexa....

Wendi....
Justin....
We loved boating and tubing with cousins..
jet skiing....
Playing in the sand with our new tie-dye shirts...
And every now and again a little down time with grandma :)

I'm Back!!

2009-06-15T15:54:00.008-06:00

So I know that it has been months since my last post, but I'm back on track. Our lives have been turned upside down and we have needed a little time to readjust. For those of you who don't live near by, a short recap of our lives the past 3 months....
1. Justin lost his job the beginning of March
2. I picked up a full time job the end of March and we have officially traded spots providing for the
family.
3. We sold our home upon the news of Justin's job within two days!
4. We moved into a rental across the street
5. The kids finished school and summer is here!!

We are now into the routine of our new life and are anxious to see what is ahead for us. Here are a few pictures to do a quick sum-up of our kids adventures during the last two months....
The kids in their new Easter clothes (aren't they so handsome? :)) It was a fun-filled holiday with multiple hunts and parties!!Alexa finished up her softball season. She really does well at this sport and finds it quite fun. It is always a treat to watch her in the games. Paige finished up another year of ballet with her closing recital. It was "The Wizard of Oz". She of course is the opposite of her sister and the princess of the family. She LOVES her dancing. And Cody-well his job is always to entertain us. Notice the car in his hand. You will NEVER see this boy without a car is his hand.

Alexa Alexa Alexa

2009-03-08T15:32:00.004-06:00

So this week was ALL about Alexa. She had her last basketball game last Saturday and WON! Yea!! She celebrated that with her end of the season party on Thursday night by going to the BSU mens basketball game. They girls has so much fun there and of course her favorite part...NACHOS! Sunday she had a violin recital at a retirement community and did fantastic, also followed up by violin festival Friday where she got the highest marks. Yea my little girl. Her jump rope club also ended this week with an ice cream party and they show us all their moves. She has learned a lot of tricks. I am actually a jump rope lover so we have fun doing it together. (of course our camera was dead all week and we kept forgetting to charge it, so no pictures of these events. SORRY)

Cody did squeeze in this week with a little event of his own....HE'S IN A BIG BOY BED! No more babies in this household!!

Take back

2009-02-21T13:54:00.002-07:00

O.K., so my sister just called me thinking I was dying because of my overly depressing post a couple of days ago. I'm here to say I take it back. It was just a day and now two days later I am fantastic!! (talk about bi-polar) Cody still has a funny looking head, but I'll give it a week and it will be normal again. My family is fantastic and I need to always remember my blessings. I love you friends and family!!

PERFECT

2009-02-19T11:58:00.002-07:00

So yesterday was probably one of the most terrible, horrible days of my life!! Many thing happened to stress me out and worry me. I don't say this to complain (maybe get some sympathy because I know we all have these days) but just to show you that the day didn't start good nor did it end good. I was cutting Cody's hair at the end of the day and the guard on the clippers fell off and well...........

Perfect ending to a perfect day!!!

Our get-away weekend

2009-02-18T12:47:00.005-07:00

So Justin and I had a great weekend away for Valentine's Day in Salt Lake City together. My wonderful parents took our children (thanks again mom and dad!) and we went for a skiing adventure. We went away on a cruise last year without children for the first time and promised ourselves a yearly trip away by ourselves. I recommed it to anyone if you can. So this weekend ski trip was ours for this year. It was beautiful, and despite the little setback of Justin's ski's being stollen, it was great to reconnect and get away.

Grandma and Grandpa still had snow so the kids enjoyed a little bit of sledding. Fun for all!!

FHE

2009-02-11T19:00:00.009-07:00

So I don't claim to be the best at keeping up with the F.H.E. in our household, but lately we have been doing very well and loving it. But I did drop the ball this past Monday with nothing planned so we resorted to the same ol' stories from the Friend. Then I decided to teach the kids the chicken dance and the macarana dance and let me tell you it was a BIG HIT!! The kids had so much fun and Justin and I were laughing our heads off. If you ever have nothing to do I suggest doing this with your kids. Here's a few shots of the action.....

The Macarana...(please ignore Cody's thunder thighs)

The Chicken dance...

Then some High School Musical music came on and some serious break dancing went down. Did I ever tell everyone that Justin is a pro break dancer?! He took lessons as a youngster. I think my kids inherited his moves!

Here is Paige and Cody doing "the worm"

Alexa doing some hand stand thing, it did look pretty cool....

Cody's 2!!

2009-02-02T13:40:00.012-07:00

What a weekend!! My little man is now two years old! No more babies in this household. We had a fun CAR party that the girls loved decorating for. I must say Cody could have really cared less though. The fun was more for the rest of us than him. We did go out to dinner that night and Cody did entertain us with a good gag on his food and vomit all over the restaurant table. As my friend Angela would say "it was AWESOME!" By the end of the day I was glad Cody was two and now life could go back to normal.

So most of these shots are a little blurry. Sorry. I don't claim to be the best photographer. At least they are getting taken. That's big news in our family.

So here are the girls "helping" Cody open his gifts. They are always close by to help their baby brother......

And last but not least I took some pictures of Alexa's SECOND basketball game since I missed the first. (I know I'm the best mom ever) She sure does love to play even though she is the shortest girl out their. What she lacks in height she makes up for in energy!!

Our fun-filled weekend

2009-01-25T15:29:00.005-07:00

We had a fun weekend at the Winter household so I thought I would share some pictures with you. We started off Friday with a Family Movie Night featuring "Horton Hears a Who". We have done many Family Movie Nights in the past but Cody was always very disruptive and we would usually end frustrated, so we gave them up for a while. We resurrected the idea and had a lot of fun. He did make it through a good 30-40 minutes of the movie before his craziness started, but that's o.k. Movie night is fun because I buy TONS of candy and popcorn and we cuttle in blankets and pillows together. Talk about my kind of night!!

Saturday was adventurous with Alexa's first basketball game of the season (no pictures because I had the camera with Paige- tune in next week for those) and Paige had her ballet recital. Early morning ballet practice, afternoon basketball game, and evening ballet performance makes for one tiring day.

(Paige is the one on the end dancing as Belle to "Beauty and the Beast")

Today was church, not anything different or exciting, but I took pictures of the girls in their brown dresses from Grandma Winter so she could see them.

Little Cody

2009-01-19T18:23:00.003-07:00

We were going through our old pictures and I came across this and it just made me smile. Isn't it great how the simplest things are so joyful!

Rocco

2009-01-18T15:46:00.008-07:00

We got our dog about three months ago with a little anxiety and uncertainty, but I am suprised at how attached we have all become to him (even Justin though he won't admit it). He hurt his leg yesterday and my heart is breaking for him as though he was one of my children. My children LOVE him. It's fun having someone to greet you happily when you come home or wake up from sleeping. Here's our lovely ball of fluff.

We have a four day weekend with the girls due to MLK day, so of course part of our fun is playing the Wii together. We love that thing!

Bubble wrap popping and lego building are also fun past times.

And of course a movie or two. Do you sometimes feel the television sucks out their brains?!

The Replacement Car

2009-01-10T09:13:00.004-07:00

We went to the wreakage yard to get all of our things out of the car and I got a little better shot of the car. Not too shabby! Last night we took the family out on the town to find a replacement car for the same price........

It needs a little work, but all in all we're happy.

The girls and I also went through our MILLIONS of stuffed animals a little while ago and I wanted to include this picture for Uncle Aaron's sake. The girls did great at getting rid of a lot of the stuffed animals, but this one didn't make the cut. Uncle Aaron won this stuffed giraffe for Alexa at an amusment park when she was an infant, and at almost 9 years old she still can't part with it. She has slept with it almost every night of her life. I keep trying to convince her that it's time to part ways, but she will have nothing of that. Thanks a lot Aaron!

Justin's day

2009-01-06T20:05:00.002-07:00

So here ya go! On the way home from work Justin decided to crash our car! These pictures are via cell phone and he failed to get the side that was actually totalled. He is fine and walked away, but the car is a lost cause. Notice half of the guard rail is missing thanks to him. Never get in the same car with him!!!!!

A New Year

2009-01-03T10:43:00.003-07:00

So it's a new year and I have resolved to start my blog that Justin has created for me months and months ago. If you know me well you know that I am terrible about taking pictures and saving precious memories of my family. Perhaps doing this will help me to be better at that, and all my friends and family can watch and judge me as I try. :) Thanks to all that have wonderful blogs that I love to look at to give me this incentive.

Christmas was fantastic this year. Thanks mom and dad for a great visit. The kids had fun snowmobiling and sledding. Of course I have no pictures of these events, but it's a new year now, remember, and I'm going to do better. The kids loved their presents, and the boxes they came in were a big hit as well. They played in their "houses" for days until I was able to sneak them out to the trash.