Below is a picture of my dear *little* Courtney....and her dear little belly in which Hannah Grace is residing. Aren't they ADORABLE?! :)
Court is about 22 weeks along...due around Valentines Day! HOW ROMANTIC!!!
How does my family celebrate an all-snowed-in day???
Sitting in front of the fire....sipping hot chocolate (that I bought specifically for such an occasion)...reading stories....spending time together???
Oh No.
They are all piled in the living room watching Nacho Libre.
N-A-C-H-O L-I-B-R-E
Not kidding.
The only thing that could make this day better would be if they decided to all play Playstation games. Count. Me. In.
I wish I could get out of my driveway.....and go SHOPPING. I need a daughter (or a niece!) :)
Yesterday evening Josiah and the boys played baseball in the backyard till it was dark. Then, after dinner, we walked down the street to our neighbors home to play some games. (we had a BLAST!) Off to bed we went around 10 p.m.
Fast forward about 8 hours.
There is almost a foot of snow!!!!!!
Between being 65 degrees yesterday....riding bikes.....playing baseball....walking outside with no coats....it snowed a TON. I will post pictures when it stops later today...ya know, for the full effect. Josiah had to go outside and knock the snow off some of the trees that still had leaves on them so the trees would not snap. There's a first!!! :)
And no lazy snowflakes falling to the ground. Nope. The snow is blowing SIDEWAYS the wind is so strong. I have snow built up on my window sills....inside my front porch! This may be the biggest snow we have had yet since moving here. The snow last October was a foot deep...so we will see what this ends up being. And last year....two days later, it was almost 70 degrees and we went hiking with the kids! I love this place :)
Introducing Baby Roscoe.
Presley has confiscated the doll I use for my childbirth classes....named him Roscoe...and goes everywhere with him.
He holds him, pats him, kisses him...etc. He will lay him down with a blanket because "baby needs night-night" and walk away......and start crying.... "Oh! Baby Roscoe needs me!!!!" and he runs to pick him up. (good little attached daddy!!!)
Josiah says that he should be upset at this....but it is just to darn cute. Thankfully Presley also carries his cap gun everywhere he goes. And his light saber. And cowboy hat.
The boys this afternoon swinging on the front porch. It was 65 degrees today....and tonight it is supposed to snow 3-5 inches! There is even a winter storm warning!!! Yeah! :) It all just makes me want to go Christmas shopping. 
Josiah and I actually hired a babysitter last Friday evening and went out to a friends home for dinner. We had a great time!!! :)
a Halloween E-card. SO scary....watch till the end...hhoooohhhaaaa!!! :)
http://www.bluemountain.com/view.pd?i=149486103&m=5946&rr=y&source=bma999
We awoke this morning to about 4-6 inches of snow!!!! The trees in the backyard were SO pretty....I say "were" because now at 10:30 a.m. the snow is already melting. It will be gone by this afternoon....and tomorrow the weather will be back in the 60's :)
The boys ate breakfast and bundled up for some fun in the snow.
Presley is interested in only one thing....eating the snow :)
My little snow angel :)
The boys got the sled and it actually worked for about 3 feet in the front yard!
The past few minutes have been jam packed with excitement!!!
First, we saw a little puppy dog in our back yard. Our fully fenced back yard. Apparently the back gate had been left open and a little doggy meandered in the yard. We coaxed him inside...he was shivering violently...and dried him off. The boys said they knew who he belonged to so I called and we returned him. Well.....talk about opening a can of worms. The boys are now ALL ABOUT getting a puppy. Presley cried when we gave him back. (Pres bonded with him in that total of 10 minutes we had him in the house) So now the fight is on.....4 boys, one husband against...Mom. Dog or no dog....that is the question.
Tarin is Superman tonight. So he wanted me to take a picture of him "flying." :)
So....the biggest news of the night is the loss of Kellen's tooth!!!!! Him and Tarin were wrestling in the living-room when n ear-piercing scream rocked the house. Tarin hit him in the face and the tooth (that had been VERY loose...it twisted in his mouth...it stuck straight forward...etc) had been knocked out. This is quite a relief, actually, because he had been having trouble eating....and if you know my kids, you know how bad that can be. They are bottomless pits and consume any and all food available.
So now Kell can eat. And we are hoping that the tooth fairy can fly here through the snow. :)
It is 6 p.m. and still snowing! The day has been so fun....we love watching the snowflakes fall lazily to the ground. Therapeutic. I love seeing the world covered in a fresh, white blanket of snow!
Grandad with his boyz.
Tarin and Pres, looking adorable (not difficult to do...)
If you ask Pres if he is a little boy, he usually says, "No. I a MAN." However, it is now changed to, "I a COWBOY."
As we were sitting in the livingroom a few minutes ago doing some schoolwork, Kell began screaming, "SNOW! It's snowing!" Sure enough, we looked outside and the snow is falling. Being the first snow of the fall/winter, the kids are quite excited. Just try doing school after that. Also....it is 36 degrees outside. Colorado is the only place I have even been where it snows at less than 32 degrees. Heck, in Georgia it will be 30 degrees and raining.
Yesterday it was 70 degrees under clear, blue skys. We played outside all day....rode bikes....porch swing....the whole bit. The low last night was around 50 degrees....and today, the temp has been dropping.
I LOVE THIS PLACE!
Where else can one enjoy all both seasons....in a matter of a few hours?! :)
I love the snowflakes flying past.....
A small bit of snow building up....
I wonder how much snow will fall by tomorrow???? Maybe my dad (who is visiting from Georgia) will be stuck here! :)
My Dad is a Marine (once a Marine, always a Marine). So when my kids asked him to draw a picture for them to copy, he was happy to do so.
Ethan's drawing before Dad got involved. Fishing in a serene lake....la, la, la, la, la....
My Dad's picture that he drew for the boys to copy. Notice all the tanks, artillery, gunfire and airplanes dropping bombs.....
Ethan's attempt at warfare. At least everyone is smiling.
The MAKE WOMEN HAPPY Game
Make the Woman HAPPY.
Do something she likes, and you get points.
Do something she dislikes and points are subtracted.
You don't get any points for doing something she expects.........sorry, that's the way the game is played. Now for the GAME - Here is a guide to the point system - ENJOY!
SIMPLE DUTIES
-- You make the bed (+1)
-- You make the bed, but forget the decorative pillow (0)
-- You throw the bedspread over rumpled sheets (-1)
-- You go out to buy her what she wants (+5)
-- In the rain (+8)
-- But return with Beer (-5)
-- You check out a suspicious noise at night (0)
-- You check out a suspicious noise, and it is nothing (0)
-- You check out a suspicious noise and it is something (+5)
-- You pummel it with iron rod (+10)
-- It's her pet (-10)
SOCIAL ENGAGEMENTS
-- You stay by her side the entire party (0)
-- You stay by her side for a while, then leave to chat with a college buddy (-2)
-- Named Tina (-4)
-- Tina is a dancer (-10)
HER BIRTHDAY
-- You take her out to dinner (0)
-- You take her out to dinner and it's not a sports bar (+1)
-- Okay, it's a sports bar (-2)
-- And it's all-you-can-eat night (-3)
-- It's a sports bar, it's all-you-can-eat night, and your face is painted the colors of your favorite team (-10)
A NIGHT OUT
-- You take her to a movie (+2)
-- You take her to a movie she likes (+4)
-- You take her to a movie you hate (+6)
-- You take her to a movie you like (-2)
-- It's called 'DeathCop' (-3)
-- You lied and said it was a foreign film about orphans (-15)
YOUR PHYSIQUE
-- You develop a noticeable potbelly (-15)
-- You develop a noticeable potbelly and exercise to get rid of it (+10)
-- You develop a noticeable potbelly and resort to baggy jeans and baggy Hawaiian shirts (-30)
-- You say, "It doesn't matter, you ha ve one too." (-8000)
ENJOY THE 'BIG' QUESTION
-- She asks, "Do I look fat?" (-5) [Yes, you LOSE points no matter WHAT]
-- You hesitate in responding (-10)
-- You reply, "Where?" (-35)
-- Any other response (-20)
COMMUNICATION
-- When she wants to talk about a problem , you listen, displaying what looks like a concerned expression (0)
-- You listen, for over 30 minutes (+50)
-- You listen for more than 30 minutes without looking at the TV (+500)
-- She realizes this is because you have fallen asleep (-10000)
Okay.
We really are not celebrity freaks. Perhaps if Brad Pitt came walking down the street I might let out a faint squeal before passing out...but any "normal" celebrity....I can handle.
Apparently, not Josiah.
He saw Julianne Moore today while out working.
And about freaked out. Picture him staring at her....pointing. For a full 60 seconds.
Yeah.
Thankfully, I was not there. That kind of mortification I can heap on myself...I do not need him to do so.
So poor Josiah. Well, not really. He is stoked. (maybe out of shear jealousy....he did not see Alias -Jennifer Garner- last summer like I did.) All he could say to me was, "Actress. Red hair. Plays in dramatic movies" and left me to find out her "real" name. Google "actress from dramatic movies with red hair" and see what happends. (ha)
So he saw Julianne Moore. It only took 5 hours to find her name and the movies she was in that we had seen. Then he was positive it was her.
Gosh....he could have made this SO much easier if he had said, "Actress. Dramatic movies. Red hair. Has homebirths." DUH.
Yesterday my Daddy flew in from Atlanta (home of humidity) for a week-long visit. YEAH!!! We have not seen him since last Christmas, so his visit has been much anticipated.
After a leisurely day, I put the kiddos to bed and Josiah and Dad ran some errands. Low and behold, they came home with....
....a brand spanking new bike for M-E!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have not had a bike since my wedded bliss took place (over 10 years) so I was VERY surprised and SO SO SO excited. I am admittedly sick of running after the boys as they fly down the trails. Now I can have them eat my dust. :)
The boys at the airport waiting for Grandad. Each kid made a sign picture and they held them up as Dad came up the escalator.
Me and my new bike!!!! And my messy garage......
Ah, that is better. No messy garage. And yes, I do wear a helmet. However, I look like a nerd (and a male since my recent hair choppage) so I choose only to wear it when actually moving on the bicycle.
Dad worked on everyone's bike to make then ship-shape.
He fixed any air leak that might have been there or occurred in the future :) oiled all chains, adjusted seats...etc.
Thanks Dad!!!!
So far, October has been a very busy month....which we have LOVED :)
Josiah's family came for 3-ish days on their way to California. Sarah (Josiah's sis) is moving to Cali to begin a new chapter in her life. With college finished and a ton of opportunity in front of her, she is heading west to find adventure. So with a truck full of her belongings (and her car) they drove through here on their way towards her new beginning.
The babe on the truck is Sarah :)
Aaaww....Aunt Sarah and little Presley
Grandpa (Poo-Pa) putting together Tarins' new bike!!!! Thanks Moo-Ma and Poo-Pa!!! :)
Grandma (Moo-Ma) and all her Grandsons
The guys. Josiah, David (his dad) and Ryan (his bro)
Tarin L-O-V-E-S his new bicycle and rides it allll the time.
Two days after the Flamm's left, our very good (great, wonderful) friends the Grigg's came for a few days! Jon, Noelle, Brennah and Maggie drove up from Ft. Worth, Tx to hang out for a while. We all had a blast and a half and already miss them.
Pres.....watching TV
All the other kids sitting on the couch watching TV.
Noelle and I decided to live on the wild side and take all 6 kids to the mall, shopping, and for cookies. Yeah. Fabulous idea.
Noelle, Dawn and myself took the kids to the corn maze. The weather was perfect and the kids had a blast. Notice how they all walked holding hands.....they are best buds.
The clan.....minus one. Pres was AWFUL that day and refused to do anything else besides hang on to my leg screaming. So these pictures were bravely taken by me while Pres was *literally* hanging on my leg hysterically crying. I held him for hours on end.
The kids would all put their hands in and them yell and throw them in the air....too cute!!!
"Oh. A dead end. Where do we go???"
Auntie Noelle calmed Pres down for a moment. Whew. And little Maggie was such a doll!!!
Brennah holding the ever so popular and coveted bag of popcorn.
Gorgeous, darling.
Aaaawww......best friends. This picture will be SO CUTE to display at their wedding! :)
On Sunday we all went up to....Breckenridge, of course!!!! I have a class up there that I teach so it is a great excuse for a weekly trip to the high country. Here we are at our famous Starbucks. We go there every time we go to Breck. It is the most photographed Starbucks in the USA.
Aaawww....look at Brennah staring at Ethan. Another cute on for their wedding :)
Eating in Frisco at a yummy little Italian place.
The day they left for home Noelle and I went to lunch at Maggianno's. Yummmmmmmy.
The kids last lunch together for a while :(
Goodbye, Griggs family. We love you!!!!
