Slow...

There really hasn't been too much going on lately. We've gotten back into our routine of school, gym, homework, etc. Nothing too exciting. January and February aren't really months where we have too much going on. It's winter, winter is cold, and cold means we are pretty house-bound. It stinks and we get sort of bored, but that's just the way it is. Well, because of our winter blues, I don't really have much to report, but I did take a few pictures this week so here they are:
On Monday, Clayton had his half-birthday. He was super excited about it and, because I like to celebrate ANY and ALL holidays - real or imagined - we celebrated. It wasn't anything too big, just a cake with half a candle in it and a game of Chinese Checkers afterward, but it was special to Clayton and that's what's really important!
Josie has decided that she's a drummer. Rock and Roll!
This picture cracks me up. She looks totally evil, thanks to the remote in her hand. Anytime she gets the remote she gets crazy happy. Something about having something you're not supposed to have I guess.
That's all I have for now. It's not much, but that's where we're at these days. Hopefully I'll have something more exciting to report eventually!

Finally!

After months of waiting and hoping, Clayton finally lost his first tooth! He's been waiting for almost two years now to loose a tooth. Today he was wiggling it like crazy and right before bed we got it out! It's fun to see how excited he is. He couldn't wait to get that tooth under his pillow. I can't remember the last time he got ready for bed so fast.
Congratulations Clayton! I can't wait to see what the tooth fairy brings you!

Snow Day

I looked outside today and all I saw was this:
The view of the house across the street (which I can usually see perfectly).
The neighbor boy's car.
As soon as I saw this I changed whatever plans I had for the day that were going to take me out of the house. Being Saturday, I didn't have many plans (phew) and I figured the kids and I would just hunker down inside the house and watch/wait out the storm. Coming from Vermont, we're no stranger to storms, and truthfully, Indiana storms are more tolerable than Vermont ones (those Nor'easters are brutal). However, I'm not a fan of snow - in any form - and do whatever I can to avoid spending time in it.
My boys had a different opinion. "It's snowing!" Clayton screamed when he looked out the back window this morning. "I'm going to go change so I can go out in it!" "Me too! Me too!" shouted Noah (a.k.a. - Repeat). In record time, both boys were dressed and ready for the snow. When Disco saw them thundering down the stairs all excited and looking for snow clothes, he too got caught up in the excitement. He started running laps from the back door to the closet with the snow clothes, encouraging the boys to be faster so that they could all get outside! As I helped my little men put on snow pants, sweaters, scarves, hats, mittens, coats, etc. I told them that if they were going to go outside they had to be out for at least 10 minutes (I have a strict rule that if you are going to go play in the snow, you have to be out there AT LEAST double the time it takes me to get you into your gear). "Okay, but what if we want to be out there longer?" asked Clayton. I told them that they could stay out there as long as they wanted (feeling confident that they wouldn't last the ten minutes).
I was wrong. The three of them (I'm including the dog) bolted out the door and proceeded to have the time of their lives.
The snow came up past Clayton's knees. He loved that!
At first, Noah could hardly walk in the snow. He didn't let that stop him though.
Clayton and Disco taking the first ride down the slide. It was so full of snow that they did less actual sliding and more pushing the snow off the slide. Fun either way!
Noah and Disco got the second trip down the slide (a smoother ride for sure)!
The bottom of the slide.
Disco was going CRAZY! The boys would throw the snow and he'd go nuts chasing it all down. It was very entertaining to watch.
The boys ended up staying outside for about 30 minutes (much longer than I'd anticipated). Noah came in first because he'd lost a mitten (and I'm not about to go out there and find it), and Clayton followed shortly after. What better to help you warm up after playing out in the snow than a nice cup of hot chocolate!?!
So now everyone is warm and cozy inside the house while the storm continues on outside. Today I'm thankful for a warm home, delicious hot chocolate, and two little boys who are able to see the fun and adventure in a storm that would normally make me cringe.

Fun Stuff

As usual, I'm a little behind with posts, so here we go - dropping a bunch of random pics in!
This was at Justin's work holiday party. One thing I love so much about this residency program is how family friendly they are.
Noah showing off some of his Santa loot!
Josie wouldn't go near Santa, but she was okay with Mrs. Claus. I love the look she's giving Santa.
We finally made it to the College Football Hall of Fame. It was actually a lot more awesome than I thought it'd be. It was really hands on and pretty kid friendly. We had a great time!

Coach Justin giving his player a pep talk.
Noah wants to hike the ball too!
I hope our team wins!
Justin wants to be put in the game!
Clayton learning how to kick a field goal.
Justin was the pro at kicking the field goals!
Noah practicing his defensive moves.
Our beautiful homecoming queen!
We had Justin's dad in town and we went to Amish country. They had a really cool old carousel that had been restored. Of course the kids needed a ride and Grandpa Smith was perfectly willing to oblige!


We went to dinner at the big Amish restraunt Das Deutschman Essenhaus. It was very delicious. We all had a great time. I love this face that Josie's making.



Aunt Ashley got these cool hats for the kids when she went to Disneyland. The boys call them their helmets and love to wear them around the house. Pretty funny.

There is much more that we've been up to. We had a fun Christmas Day breakfast and Minute to Win it games with Jared and Kerstin, as well as a super fun visit from the Zinkes. I do have pictures of some of that, but I feel like this post is getting a little long so I'll post those later. It's been a fun and busy couple of weeks but it's going to be nice getting back into our regular routine!