February Flew!

The older we get...the faster time flies.  Shawn always talks about how we are going to wake up and the kids are going to be heading to high school.  The way the past couple of have months have flown by, I am starting to agree with him.

We started February with a visit from Grandma and Papa John!  It had been a year since we last saw them so we were very excited for their visit.  We started off their first day with a trip to the zoo!  Here the kids are dragging Grandma and Papa John into the zoo.  You've gotta keep up when a 2 and 4 year old are in charge!

Here are the kiddos posing on the Komodo Dragon!

Up next brother rode a camel!

It was Super Bowl weekend while they were here so we had to throw a little party.  It was complete with themed food like New York Pretzels (homemade by Papa John!), New England Clam Chowder, Italian Sausage Rolls, etc.  Yum-o!

Here is Kenleigh helping Papa John cook dinner, she is still my little domestic diva!!

Another big event for Miss K was her getting her big girl bed!  She moved into her toddler bed last summer and last month she graduated to her full size bed.  She really looks like a little pea in the giant bed that is literally just a foot from the ceiling...it's so high!  As with most things with her, she took right to it.  Climbed up, cozied up and went right to sleep.  The most special part is her beautiful quilt on the bed.  Last year when we were in Virginia my mom and I picked out all the fabric and my mom made it for her bed.  It turned out so perfect and I am so happy that Sis will also have this special keepsake from her Grandma!

While February was filled with fun it was also filled with sickness.  The kids went through about a month of being sick.  We've had strep throat, ear infections and a pneumonia.  It has been unreal and I am looking forward to cold and flu season being done in our house.  While it's no fun to be sick, we made the best of it.

Here is K logging a little tv time with dinner on her tv tray!

Hair is finally long enough for the bath mohawk!

Okay, let's try soccer!

A new spring is upon us which means it's a new sport season in the Blubaum house.  We enjoyed giving T-ball a try last year...up next, soccer!

I am not sure if it's because he is a year older or if he maybe just really likes soccer better than t-ball (shhh...don't tell his dad!!).  Either way, soccer is going great!  Here are some pictures from Cole's recent game.  It's no World Cup, but these kids are cute!

Jersey distribution day!  Yeah for #6!

Game day!  His games are often at 8am...yikes!  The kids are barely awake by then so those Saturday's are a little rough around here.  Not only is it early, but the mornings are COLD!

 

He's already started talking about football, but luckily he has to be 5 to do that...so we have a few months.  Add this to his continued request for guitar lessons and his recent obsession with the Wizards of Waverly Place and we have one eclectic kiddo!  Love my boy!

Domestic Diva!

Kenleigh's teachers at school describe her as "the mommy."  She loves to help with everything, clean things up, help her friends, etc.  She is the same way at home.  Each night as we cook dinner, she gets her stool out and announces, "I help you!"

Last Sunday was no exception.  I decided to make some cookies and Miss K was first in line to assist me.  She ended up doing most of the work!  Love to see her so happy and excited about rolling dough, cutting cookies and being the most adorable domestic diva! 

Finished product!  Getting ready for Valentine's Day already!

Boise or Bust!

Thursday we packed up and headed off for 4 days in Boise with my sister and her family.  The kids have been so excited for this trip.  Cole was telling everyone he could that he was "going to Idaho, actually Boise, in xx days."  He's been counting down since early December.

The 4 cousins are adorable together.  They are all about a year apart at ages 5,4, 3 and 2.  It was fun to watch them play and it also reminded me how happy I am to only have 2 kids of my own! :)

Each night they "camped out" in the living room to watch movies and wind down for bed. 

Here they are all snuggled up again enjoying a morning viewing of Star Wars...Autumn's favorite!  I could listen to her say Darf Mall and Obi Nobi all day long.  Love that sweet, sweet girl!

Saturday we headed out to the Boise Aquarium!  It just recently opened and we weren't quite sure what we were getting ourselves into.  The kids had fun, so that's all that mattered! 

Equally as fun was cousin bath time...boys vs girls!

It was so much fun to all be together and made me hope we can make our annual Sunriver trip work this year.  Fingers are crossed, can't imagine missing it!  At the end of the trip all the cousins gave good hugs and loves goodbye and 2 Aunties cried as they said goodbye.  Miss you already Sister!

More Holiday Fun...

I forgot to share a couple of other fun things that happened in December.  The most exciting was that Auntie came to visit!  The kids love their Auntie and I quickly move to #2 when she's in town.  Here she is spending some time reading with the kids.

Rarely pictured with just each other...sisters!  We were bundled up headed out of church, it was so cold!

The next weekend we hosted the Inaugural Blubaum Holiday Open House.  Growing up my parents always had a Holiday Open House and I have such fun memories of their party.  We've wanted to start having one...but the last few years have been filled with newborns and nursing Mom and not really in the mood to party.  This year there were no excuses...so we had a party!  It was so much fun and we had a great turn out.  There will definitely be a 2nd Annual!

The highlight of the party (other than the chocolate fountain!) was that we had Santa make an appearance.  There were about 15 kids at the party and to see the look on their faces when they heard Santa's sleigh bells and all of a sudden he came in with presents for each kid was priceless!  While excited to see him, Cole was actually quite freaked out that Santa was actually in his house and for once Cole was speechless!  Here they are enjoying some time with the "big man."

They also got their picture taken with the creepy mall Santa a couple of weeks later.  Seriously...who's the chubby kid with the mug shot on the left?  Smile girl...he just might bring you presents if you do!

I always like to put a copy of our holiday cards on the blog.  By now you've all received yours so I am not spoiling anything.  Kacey Droz did another amazing job.  We've been working with her for 5 years now and each year the pictures and cards get better...we feel so blessed that she shares her amazing talents with our family.  Thank you Kacey!

The fun and the festivities!

Another Christmas, survived!  We had a lot of fun leading up to the big day...

Thursday we headed out to Zoo Lights with our friends Sean, Rachel and their 2 little ones.  It was a chilly, chilly night in Phoenix.  I think I was the only mom who didn't have gloves on her kids.  Who the heck owns gloves when you live in Phoenix?  Apparently everyone but us!  Here we are, ready to head out!

Here are 3 of the 4 little ones, including our friend Haley.  Zach is not yet 1 so he was easy to contain.  These 3 on the other hand, not so much.  We had them convinced to hold hands...but then they would run off at top speed.  They had so much fun!

We ate dinner before we left, but leave it to my kids to "get hungry" about an hour in.  We had to stop and wait in the massive lines for some emergency chicken nuggets.

The next night we headed over for a pre-Christmas Eve dinner at Grammy & Papa's house.  Cole has been interested in Star Wars lately (thanks to cousin Lukas).  Grammy truly saves everything and had pulled out all of Shawn's Star Wars toys from when he was a kid.  The kids had a blast playing with them!  Kenleigh especially liked Chubaka and kept calling him "Waka." She slept with the figurine that night.

Grammy had set up a special table for the kids to enjoy their dinner.  Cole of course didn't want to sit at the "baby table." Kenleigh enjoyed her meal and Papa joined her for entertainment.  Love this picture, pretty much sums up their relationship!

Here are Shawn and his parents on Christmas Eve!

We had a great time reading 'Twas the Night Before Christmas (the version recorded by Grandma & Papa John) and setting out cookies for Santa.  Unfortunately the kids got thirsty and drank all of Santa's milk.  The kids posed quickly before bedtime.

By midnight we had everything assembled and wrapped.  It was a long night!  In the end it looked so magical with the lights on the tree on and all the presents around.  I wanted to have a glass of wine, sit on the couch and enjoy it...but knew little feet would be up early the next morning, so off to bed we went.





Santa brought lots of great presents...here the kids are enjoying a few!

Dress up clothes are a hit in our house.  Cole is always dressing up in the fairy and princess dress up clothes so Santa decided it was time for some boy dress up clothes.  Up first...Captain Amerca!

Then a sweet little Tinkerbell wanted to join in on the fun (post nap hair do included!).







Couldn't miss the chance to picture them together.  Here they are posing with the neighbors outdoor plastic light up nativity set (don't ask!).

It was truly a fantastic Christmas and I am so sad it's already over!  A special gift arrived for Christmas.  Marcia sent me a DVD of the photo slide show we showed at my dad's service last October.  The kids and I sat and watched it on Christmas Day...I cried and smiled, it was so nice to see him on a day that I miss him so much.



Snuggies!

Today is day #1 of vaca...and today is Mom vs Kids.  My list was a bit lengthy of chores that had to get done.  The toughest task?  Operation grocery store.  Somehow as they have gotten older, this has become a more challenging task.  Today the kids were rock stars.  Both rode the entire time in the car cart, ate their cookies from Damien, our friend in the bakery and allowed me to get my shopping done.  I had to reward them for their great behavior.  The purchase?  Kids sized Snuggies!  Cole picked out Toy Story and Kenleigh got Tinkerbell.  They are hilarious and adorable.  Here they are snuggied up waiting for their lunch.

The bonus of the Snuggies is that both kids were so excited to wear them that they raced upstairs to their bedrooms for nap time.  Thank you Snuggie!

We have to be well rested for our outing tonight at Zoo Lights.  Time to bundle up in the Valley of the Sun...it's a cold one today.  Happy Holidays!