Monster Trucks

 Oh how the Lew boys love them some monster trucks! We have gone the last 4 years to see them and when we found out they were going to be in Abilene, Scott insisted we go again. It was on a much smaller scale this year, but the boys still loved it! We got to go down and get up close to the trucks before the show. They thought that was super cool! We also had light up checkered flags to wave through out the show which was right up Bryton's alley. Until next year...

State Park exploring

 While everyone else in the country is experiencing crazy cold temperatures and insane amounts of snow we have 70 degree days perfect for exploring the state park. We went and walked the trails and watched the fish. Of course, Cohen "fell in" as he does every. single. time. It never fails when he is near a body of water. For the very cold wet winter that El Nino was supposed to bring us, good ole west Texas has been very warm and dry so far! 

Cohen is 5

 How in the world did 5 years just flash before my eyes? I don't understand it one bit. I feel like the 5th birthday is a big one. No long a toddler or preschooler but a big kid all of the sudden. Oh sweet boy, you will always hold a special place in your momma's heart. You have proven time and time again that you are strong and will succeed in your own time. I am blown away by your kind heart and sweet spirit. I can't believe we ever did life without you but I am beyond grateful that God has trusted us to be your Mom and Dad. 

 C is still an anti-birthday boy but agreed this year to celebrate in a small way with the four of us. We even got to sing this year! We celebrated a few days early so Dad could participate and enjoy the festivities. He chose spaghetti and meatballs for his birthday dinner with cupcakes for dessert. On his actual birthday, Bryton and I took him to McAlister's for dinner. 

 A bat mobile and a Star Wars book for a special treat. 

The last time he went to bed as a 4 year old. All snuggled up with favorite blanky and his teddy bear. Melts my heart every. single. time. 

 He got lots of goodies in the mail to open on his birthday. 

 Bryton stayed up on the night before his birthday to help me decorate cookies for him to take to school. Batman cookies and #5s were what we made for his special birthday treat. 

January randomness

 Bryton ate a Hamburger!!! He is almost 8 and never eaten a burger....can't you tell he's thrilled.

 Rascal may be confused and think he is a lap dog. 

 Roller Skating with Dad

 Visiting the local theater to see Shrek Jr. It was adorable and so well done!

 Fire pits on the weekend! 

 Checkers at Cracker Barrel. Can't you see the concentration. 

 Park days with C

B flying high at the gym

B and Mom date

 Bryton and I went on a little date over the holidays. We went to Painting with a Twist and painted some fun animals together. He chose the giraffe and I chose the rainbow zebra. They are perfect hanging up in the boys' bathroom. We had so much fun getting to hang out! He did such a good job and we are hoping to get to go back again soon. 

New Year's Eve

 New Year's Eve has never been our favorite holiday, so we haven't ever really done anything special for it. It is rare that we even make it until midnight honestly. The one thing that we do always do as a family on New Year's Eve is open our Happy Things Jar. Throughout the year, we write down all the fun, happy, memorable things that we experience so we can have them to remember. There are ticket stubs, funny sayings, etc that we sit and read together. Every year it is getting to be more fun because the boys remember the events and they are getting more into it as we talk about them. 

Happy 2016! 

We can't wait to see what next adventure is ahead of us for this year! 

snow days

We got a few snow days over the Christmas holidays. It went from 70 degrees to 30 in the matter of hours. The first day was full of sleet and freezing rain, but the boys were so excited to see any precipitation that they wanted to to be outside even though it was pelting against their skin! 

 The next morning we woke up to a blanket of new snow! It was wonderful as it lasted for one day and was done! 

 Mom had brought us my grandmother's sled when she came for Christmas and so it was perfect for our snow day! We walked to the one hill in our area and did some sledding. There were crazy winds, so the kids didn't last too long! 

All my boys...love them!