When I woke up this morning.........

It was still winter.

SNOW and COLD- not a good combination.

At least that is what the weather told me. 

It was conference morning and James wanted to go outside. Just as I opened the door to let him go play outside, there was a huge blanket of about 6 inches of snow on the ground. 

It made me sad.

I am in need of good, warm weather. I want to start going swimming with the kids,

 going for walks and playing at parks. Plus it just makes me extra happy when the weather is sunny and beaming. I really think James is getting to the point of discouragement when I don't allow him to go outside when he wants to (which is quite often), because of the worry that he will get sick. 

Well, while I got ready for Conference and company to come over for breakfast, I brought the snow to him once again. I filled the tub up with warm water and brought in bowls of snow. He loves snow, just not the idea of getting his fingers froze. He had all of his dinosaurs (his new obsession) in having a bath too. After about every 5 minutes, he would yell out "Momma, More Please!" Eventually the bath water became cold and it was time to have breakfast with friends and to try to listen to conference with half a dozen kids. 

Let's just say it wasn't to eventful, but it was great company and the kids seemed to have fun, along with yummy pancakes loaded with fruit and whip cream. 

Once the second session came on I had both my kids in bed and Josh and I actually got to listen to 3/4 of it in complete silence and tears because I was touched by Elder Richard G Scott and a speaker from the seventy. These were my favorite talks as they focused on family and raising children. I will defiantly go back and watch the others that I missed on DVR. I need this spiritual push. It always lifts me in ways that I need and reminds me of the ways in which I need to be better. I need to love more and teach with love and kindness, as well as through example.

Even though winter has been to long, we have still enjoyed ourselves inside. 

Here are a few fun things we have been up to.

 Learning our colors and the ABC's. So far we have only done A and B and it seems as though he can recognize these 2 letter, but never on demand (like most kids, right?). As you can see here, it was yellow day. James' favorite colors are red, blue and green and when asked what a color is, it is usually a pick between these three.

 Play-Dough is a huge hit. He plays with it for so long and stays very interested. Especially if he has his dinosaurs romping around in it. One of his good friends live downstairs and almost everyday he asks to play with Grace. They get along most of the time and have very similar interests.

We made some fun edible snowflakes.

We watch and feed his fish almost every other day.He loves to watch it swim up to its food and take a big bite.

Daddy's been to a number of BYU games with his buddies and us- supporting Jimmer in his last games playing for BYU.

James has been hanging out a ton with his cousins and Nana. We have visited Henderson, Nevada a few time and James and Rachel feels spoiled with how much attention they get from their awesome cousins, aunts and uncles.

Feeding ducks is fun if it were a bit warmer. He lasted for only a few minutes, we will for sure return when the weather is warmer.

Bath time is one of Rachel and James' favorite things to do in the morning. If James could, he would stay in there for hours. Rachel on the other hand loves to kick her feet and it doesn't bother her to have water poured on her head. I have a feeling we have another swimmer.

One of James favorite books to read (besides dino books) is "There's a Wocket in my Pocket" and " The Cat in the Hat". On Dr. Seuss Birthday James and I went on a date to Macy's. We decorated the Cat in the Hat cookies, read Dr. Seuss books and got to color and use stickers. We had a blast together.

We've had some family fun nights, movie nights, dinner nights and game nights. 

We are big time into our friends, we feel so blessed to have such fun and awesome people to hang out with and it's exciting to see our little ones get to know each other too.

We've created Dinosaur Caves and Forts, along with story time. We are creative and color a ton and make our own foamy dinosaurs (that he think are amazing).  His favorite movie presently is the Land Before Time.

Each day we watch Rachel learn new things and grow. James has been really good at learning that if he wants something baby has, he has to give her something else to replace it. James is still extra protective and sweet to his sister, most of the time.
Rachel loves playing with James' dinosaurs too. I really need to get some girly toys around this place. All we really have is boy toys. Oh well, it doesn't seem to bother her yet.

They are the funnest little ones to dance with and tickle. They laugh so much and their giggles are to die for.When I spin them around, Rach just grins her toothless little smile and James yells "again again" over and over again.
They are so much fun to have fun with.

James has been mesmerized with his growing T-Rex. It started this size and ended up to be larger than this cup. Thanks to the dollar store, this was pure entertainment for little James to watch.

We have found a trick in getting him to eat his vegetables and chicken. We ask him what dino's eat and he will say meat or trees and if we eat them like a dinosaur, he will mimic us and eat them up too, followed with Rarrr's. I guess us parents just do what ever it takes. And I am okay with that- I love acting like a dinosaur when I eat my food. But daddy is the most entertaining dinosaur to watch eat- James would agree.

Josh has been trucking through school and I have been sewing a bit more and playing around with the camera and photoshop. But they have taken a lot more time than I thought, it's all about learning how to use them and spending time doing it.

Being a mommy is priceless, worth every second and taking pictures freezes those little moments that pass by so quickly and you can never go back to. Creating  moments, creates memories and these are what we remember. 

We have had a complete blast together this winter doing tons of things......

But let's be honest- I am ready for Summer.