You Win Some, You Lose Some

Yep, you win some and you lose some. But I've got to tell you, there was a whole heck of a lot of winning going on around here this weekend.

Congrats to the Steelers on their record sixth Super Bowl victory!

The whole fam, decked out in our black and gold (or pink and white in Taylor's case).

Wow, what a great game! Can I get a "woot" for Super Bowl MVP and former Buckeye Santonio Holmes? That was an incredible catch. Gotta give the guy props for stepping up his game when it mattered most.

Those are some strong toes.

Mike was so nervous at the end of the game. It's funny to see, because he never appears nervous when he's coaching or pretty much any other time. I'm happy for him. He's a real fan to the core. I'd also like to point out that the Steelers won the Super Bowl when Taylor was 1 and when Michael was 1. No, we're not having more kids. :)

Mike, pre-game.

There was another big win this weekend. Mike earned his 100th career coaching victory Friday night at Amelia. I'm so proud of him, not because of the numbers, but how he handles himself as a coach. He teaches his players about so much more than basketball. His goal as a coach is to see his players succeed in life. It sounds cliche, but with him, it's right on. He's been blessed to coach some great kids and I've thoroughly enjoyed coming along for the ride. I love it when his former players come to visit. Hats off to Mike and the current and former players from Wabash and Wilmington.

In between all of this winning business, we had some time for shenanigans. The weather finally improved, so we got to play outside! Champ got two long walks this weekend and Taylor and I built a really cute snowman on Sunday. The snow was almost like clay yesterday.

Our masterpiece.

She's so proud. Side note: Did you know that Super Glue works on carrots? Taylor insisted on a carrot nose, but all we have are mini carrot sticks. I glued a few together for the nose.

Champ was beat after his long walks. This picture totally describes Taylor, by the way. She's in a football jersey and pink Princess dress, relaxing with her beloved dog.

I've resigned to changing Michael on our bed now. He almost flips himself off the changing table and just takes off when I attempt to change him on the floor. The kid is so strong! He gets distracted by the fan in our room so I get about 3 seconds to change him. What an adorable smile.

He's in the "attack the camera" stage. It's so hard to get a picture of him without being charged.

I have to admit, we skipped Mike's game Friday. It was over an hour away and the weather was still pretty bad. Instead, we got him a cookie cake and congrats card. To pass the time, I took the kids to McDonald's PlayLand (and brought the Clorox wipes and hand sanitizer).

Taylor loves playing at McDonald's.

Michael is getting big enough to enjoy the smaller playsets!

We do have a playset at home, but it didn't look too appealing this weekend...

Back to work now. Hope you have a great start to your week!

Until next time,

Mommy Kel

Snow Days

Global warming, schmobal warming.

Winter is in full force here in Ohio. We were hit hard with snow and ice on Tuesday and Wednesday and schools have been cancelled since Monday. Taylor's school is also cancelled if there is a two-hour delay at the high school, so she's been to school a total of three days in January. We pay the same no matter how many days she actually goes, so when you break it down, each of those classes cost about $23. Yikes!!

I get major cabin fever. There's only so many board games you can play, pictures you can color and puzzles you can put together. The weather has been so bad that a trip to McDonald's Germland, er Playland or Walgreens was out of the question. Taylor really wanted to play outside, so we got really, really bundled up and headed outside. It was Michael's first time "playing" in the snow. I gave him about five minutes, then bundled him up in the wagon. We followed snow prints, looking for snow monsters.

You can see her snow angel in the background.

He thought the snow was pretty cool and even walked around in it a little.

The perfect after-playing-in-the-snow treat - hot chocolate and Teddy Grahams! Okay, Michael really just got warmed milk. And my darling Taylor, doesn't venture outside her comfort zone of food/drink, so she got very slightly warmed milk with a tiny squirt of chocolate. She's not a big fan of chocolate milk, but she insisted on hot chocolate because that's what Max and Ruby drink.

We actually snuck out to BW3s (or whatever they call it now) for dinner, before the storm got too bad. Yay for 4-wheel drive! Here are some pictures from that night:

On Wednesday, I had big plans for the day. Taylor and I put on a circus for the boys! We made costumes, set up props and rehearsed our parts while Michael took his morning nap. Our spectators also received a handmade program and bag of popcorn. Our acts included: Taylor the crazy clown, Mommy juggling, magic trick (pulled a white rabbit out of an "empty" bucket), tight rope acts by Taylor's bears and elephants and the grand finale - Taylor dressed as a tiger jumping through a fiery hoop (construction paper attach to bent clothes hangers). We caught it all on tape, but I don't know how to add it here. You get pictures instead.

Act one - Crazy clown.

Our spectators with their popcorn and noise maker.

Dogs riding elephants, who were walking on hind legs.

Lanie Bear on the tight rope.

Little tiger, jumping through the flames.

The animals that performed.

The Pear couldn't wait to check out the tight rope. It took him all of about two minutes to get the rope wrapped around his head and neck, which is exactly why I keep it up on a really high shelf.

Mommy, did you know that the AAP recommends children under 4 not eat popcorn?

So, that's how we got through. I'm back at work today and Mike is home with the kids. I noticed that the sun is shining...finally.

Until next time,



Mommy Kel

Let it Snow!

Autumn in Ohio - changing leaves, beautiful harvests and a final few days of shorts weather quickly followed by snow. I've lived in Ohio all but three of my 35 years and it's pretty much guaranteed to happen like that. Well we've gotten our snow the last three days. Nothing big, but enough to kind of get you in the Christmas spirit. Mike must have felt it too, because he wanted to get the Christmas village and train set up last night. I take care of the rest of the Christmas decorating, but that's Mike's little project. He and Taylor had a good time getting it put together! It's up on the poker table, but we'll still have to be sure the Pear doesn't get his little hands on anything.

Part of the Christmas village.

Yay, the Christmas village!

Daddy and the kids, pre-bath.

Post-bath.

The kidlets and I.

The Pear and I played while Taylor and Mike did most of the work. Michael has become so much fun in the last month. He loves to play peek-a-boo and does silly things that he knows will make us laugh. Tonight at dinner he kept putting the lid to my Gladware on his head and laughing hysterically. It was so cute. He also likes playing ball - he has a pretty good arm! I've noticed that he's been cuddlier than ever lately. I just melt when he puts his little head on me and nuzzles.

Michael loves putting the ball in this musical tree. Note to self: dark gray is not a good color for a teething, drooling child.

Snot, drool, a little leftover dinner and a yellowing bruise on his noggin. Still, the Pear is adorable. (Don't worry, I was there the whole time he was on the steps and pulled him off after this picture. He thinks it's funny to climb up a few steps then laugh until one of us grabs him.)

All cleaned up and in a comfy pair of fuzzy jammies.

Whoa Mom, it snowed!

Givin' a little love to Champy.

Like most moms, I get horrible mom guilt if I think I've not paid enough attention to one of my kids. Champ, my first "baby", is no exception. I felt bad that he hadn't gotten a walk in a few days, so we headed out in the elements after I put the kids to bed.

Just like the old days - Champy and I out for a late-night walk. Gotta love my ensemble. Eh, I was warm.

A picture of our snowy deck.

Gotta get some sleep now. I'll update this weekend with pictures from Taylor's Thanksgiving program.

Until next time,

Mommy Kel