I love my big brother!

Claire is crazy about Jack. She loves her Nienie as well but she is with Jack more because he only goes to school in the afternoons unlike big sis who is gone all day! Jack is so sweet and affectionate with her, it is so adorable. I snapped a few pics of this. Notice, she even goes to the bathroom with him and he does not mind at all. Yes, that is her with a gameboy but don't worry it is broken, she really is not playing! She also loves to stand in the same chair as Jack eats his lunch. Jack does not seem to mind at all this constant little intrusion into his personal space.

Snow Day!

The kids enjoyed their first snow day this year!

Snow day at the pool

Today my girlfriend Stephanie and I packed up our kids and spent MLK day at the Germantown indoor recreation pool. The kids had a blast on the waterslides and Claire was content to splash around with goggles on all day. We could see the snow fall out the windows while we were swimming. Afterwards, we enjoyed lunch, ice cream and the play area at Chick Fil-A.

Playdate gone BAD!

You could not see the floor! This also covered the hallway and was all over the other bedrooms as well..

Jack had a playdate after school today with his friend Noah. I had just remarked to my mom while chatting on the phone that they were playing so well upstairs together. Well, about 5 minutes later, Caroline comes running into the kitchen saying, "You are going to be furious, you will not believe what those boys did Mom". I walk upstairs and literally had to take a minute to absorb it all. The boys had decided to empty the bean bag. I mean, you just can't comprehend how many little little styrofoam(spell??) balls are in one. On top of this mess, both boys were doing snow angels and singing Jingle Bells(too bad I did

not get a picture of that, right). I took the kid home immediately and we spent hours that night cleaning up. Fun times...

My girls

Today we spent the afternoon at the mall while Jack attended a "Build A Bear" birthday party and Chris stayed home locked in his office trying to get a project finished. I was reminded as I hung out with my girls how lucky I am to have them. Don't get me wrong, I love that boy of mine more than ever and often think of maybe trying to have another just like him...am I crazy, maybe... but watching my girls together, one a mature 8 yr old and the other a curious, exploring everything 19 mo old, I am so thrilled that they have each other. I'm so excited to have these little companions and to just watch them interact with each other. Caroline is so good with her, I swear if she was not just 8, I would trust her to babysit in a minute! Claire is so much like her sister, very independent with her own agenda, minus the hitting(Caroline was a bit aggressive as a toddler, we won't go into that,ha). Caroline has told me on many occasions how happy she is to have Claire, she has added "even though sometimes she can be inconvenient mom but I wouldn't trade her"!

Ski trip to Snowshoe, WV

We enjoyed a ski trip to Snowshoe, WV with Chris's parents and sister Amy's family. It was Jack and Caroline's first time to ski so we put them in ski school and then just played around with them on the bunny slope. Caroline got brave and attempted a green run but after her first fall down a hill, she decided to try again next year! Chris and I got a few runs in as well. Thanks so much grandmom who helped out with Claire who is a little small to ski yet. As always, we had fun with Jay and Amy and our kids love to be with Finn and Virginia. The plan is to make this a yearly trip.

Visit from the Sandlin family!

We enjoyed a visit from granddad, grandmom and cousins; Hope, Phoebe and Chris for a few days after Christmas. We went to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum which Chris loved and also granddad(let's not forget he is a former Navy jet f-14 pilot)! The kids seemed to enjoy themselves especially when they got a chance to ride the simulators. Jack loved to have his 13 year old cousin Chris to visit. Chris graciously hung out with a 5 year old and helped him with his new lego batmobile from Santa. Caroline and Hope were in their own little world as usual. They have such a special bond together. Caroline was also thrilled to have Phoebe who was so polite and insightful. The kids had a blast playing on the new ping pong table(gift from Santa) and Wii(gift from Nana). We enjoyed them so much and hope to have them this summer. It was also wonderful to have grandmom and granddad here from Kentucky. We enjoyed the blokus and dominoes on New Year's Eve!