...and Sometimes Orange.

It's SNOWING today!

I've been saying how beautiful it is for most of the day.

Now Gracie sits looking out the window and asks, "Mom, do you like that snow?" After I tell her again that I do, she says that she doesn't. We HAVE been getting excited about spring, AKA "outside time," so I'm not too surprised. I ask her why she doesn't like it. "Because it's WHITE. I like purple and pink and blue...and sometimes orange."

Of course.

A Bird in the Hand...

the big sister

the little brother

New Joshua Tricks

SNUGGLING with stuffed animals, blankets, or anything soft


And STAIRS!!!! He climbed the whole set with Dad right behind him a few nights ago. Yikes!

Pizza Night with Joel and Sarabeth

Gracie got to COOK with us the other night! Watch out, world...next she'll be wanting to stay up for games, too!

THE Soup

I just had to document...this vegetable soup has been a staple in our family the last few weeks as Jeff gets closer to his fitness goal. It really is a delicious, low-calorie soup and we've liked it (as much as you can like eating vegetables!). But I knew today the soup had reached the end of its life when Jeff asked if we could have SALAD for dinner instead. Ha!

Off to the Boat Races

When Mom says no...ask Grandma!

Gracie loves her grandmas. We are lucky enough to live close enough to see them quite often, and Grace talks about them non-stop. :)

Grace's arch-nemesis is the automated car wash. She really doesn't care for it. I'm terrible, and each time we drive by it I ask if we should get the car washed today. Lately this is her response: "No, not today. How about me and Joshy go to G'ma Colleen's house and you can wash the car then? [Insert head tilt here] Is that a good plan, Mommy? ." She's always looking for a good excuse to go to Grandma's house...


One night when I was putting Grace to bed, I was talking to her about God and told her that He was with us, she just couldn't see him. Her response was, "God and Jesus are in my BIBLE, Mom." When I said that Jesus can live in her heart she lifted her jammies' top, looks at her belly and said, "That's silly!" I realized she's a little too small to get these abstract thoughts, so when I kissed her goodnight and told her I loved her, I asked: "And do you know who loves you even MORE than Mommy?"
Gracie: "G'ma Joan!"

Ah, that's so cute.

Joshua-wa-wa

We've already recognized that there is something sly

about Josh's grin...

...and for better or worse, he has inherited

the mouth-wide-open Moser laugh...

...currently he's wrapping Mom around his finger

by crawling to her over and over

and saying "Mama" as he crawls up her pantleg...

...and boy, does he like to move!

Gone are the days of drinking an entire bottle in one sitting,

snuggling with mom or dad for more than 2 seconds,

and simply watching Grace move around the house...hello, go, go, GO!

I Heart...

...grilled cheese sandwiches...

...toast...

...Valentines in the mail from Brooke, Abby, and Megan, a trip to the pet store, a row of ironed shirts for Daddy, new pajamas, the two non-cheesiest V-Day cards sniffed out and purchased from Fred Meyer, Ellie letting Jeff win in cribbage (during a kids-in-bed, sneak out date to the Service Station--thanks, Auntie Debbie!), a scavenger hunt for Daddy, knowing that God loves us best. Happy Heart Day.

Happy Valentine's Day!

A Joshua Milestone

I should probably get up before our kids wake so I can be showered and ready for the day before they are. But instead, I have been hovering in the camp that believes I should get every wink of sleep that I possibly can before the kids' "on" button is pushed. So, my mornings with the kids usually involve me snuggling in bed with Gracie until we hear Josh on the monitor. Then Grace pops up and says, "Joshy's up!" She's then out of our bed like a light, charging into Josh's peacefully awakening room--I hear the lightswitch popping on. On this particular morning last week, I then hear her exclaim, "Joshy! You're such a BIG BOY!!!" Then she runs back in to me to announce, in shrieks, that Joshy is STANDING UP in his crib for the first time.

Was he proud of himself, or what? For the last week, he's been standing up when I put him down for nap, and crying for minutes before I come to check on him because he doesn't know how to lay back down. :)

Landing on Daddy Island

This was one of those nights when Daddy came home very tired from work. It's not uncommon to see our kids "swimming" to land on a sleeping "Daddy Island" on our evenings at home. So sweet.

Won't You COOPERATE...and Be My Valentine?

I thought we'd get a head-start on February pictures for our Valentines...

...but instead, kids wanted to crawl...

...pick...

...and cry.

Take five! We'll try another day.

I Caught a Marlin!

The Van Sickles invited us to be guests at the YMCA indoor pool on Sunday night, and we jumped at the chance! The only thing Gracie loves more than the pool is probably those Van Sickle girls. :) Here she is with Kalei...

"One, two, THREE!" She jumped in to daddy over and over and over...

Daddy's marlin. (Joshy is still getting his sea legs...he was needing to check things out from the side with mom). And mom was fit-to-be-tied as her camera battery died after three pics!

Happy Birthday, Granny!

Our sweet Granny Dorothy turned...a year older last week! We couldn't stay away--Gracie brought her a balloon, Joshy brought her flowers (he and Harvey think alike!) and Jeff and I brought dinner. We are so blessed by this lady. Happy Birthday, Granny!