A Few Photos

Here are some random photos from the month of January.  I didn't blog much this month.  Busy time.  Lots going on.  Hopefully I can record some of the simple, everyday memories we experience through these pictures.

Chris working on his motorcycle.  He had it all torn apart to put on new parts.  I couldn't even begin to tell you what is new and what isn't.  But he's been hard at work in the garage all month long!  It is now put back together and, I think, about ready to ride again. 

I can always count on a the kitchen sink to keep Colson occupied for a length of time.  He usually gets soaking wet, as does the floor, but it's worth it!

One of my favorite stories of the month is when Colson and I were putting together puzzles.  We were just starting a puzzle of the United States and he picked out Arizona (from the 49 pieces left) and said that's where Grandma and Grandpa live!  Smart kid!  

I was gone one Saturday morning working at school and I came home to the boys out back playing with their trucks and trailers.  The sun had come out and it was warm on the back deck.  It sure felt good to get outside!  

The tablet has been a big hit lately...more than normal.  Both boys have their favorite apps.  Colson loves to play "Memory" and his "LEGO" game.  Cannon enjoys his truck games where he has to drive, back up and park trucks.  On this night, they crawled into Colson's bed and played together.  

Cannon's reading is continuing to improve and he can pick up almost any book and read it.  He's reading an Arthur book now for school.  In this picture, I came downstairs after putting Colson to bed and found Cannon on the living room floor reading a CARS book to himself.  

Enjoying every moment.

Literacy Night

Mountain Meadow hosted an amazing literacy night!

The halls were full of families and many students and teachers were dressed as their favorite book character. Students were able to visit classrooms and do an activity related to reading.  The PTA hosted a Scholastic Book Fair which is always a great resource at Literacy Night!  Another hit were the hundreds of cookies to choose from in the gym!  Also, each student was able to choose a FREE book to take with them!

Cannon and I enjoyed some time in his room first as he created a paper based on the book, There's A Wocket In My Pocket.  It was fun sitting with him and being a mom!  Then we headed to the gym for a cookie and Cannon chose his free book.  He didn't hesitate when he saw a Fly Guy book.  That is a great series for him!  After that, we headed to the book fair and he picked out another book and an eraser.

After that we headed to my classroom where the 4th graders were presenting Power Points they created about the 3 Branches of Government.  They each got up in front of the audience of students and parents and presented.  It's amazing to see their creations on Power Point and how much they know about the branches of government!  And getting up in front of a large group isn't easy!  What a great learning experience for them!

Fun times at Mountain Meadow!

Enjoying every moment.

Happy

Happy for the quick work week.
Happy that a student received a Kiwanas Student of the Month award.
Happy for the opportunity to see Cannon in class every day.
Happy for new learning.
Happy to listen to both boys read.  (you should hear Colson 'read' his books!)
Happy Chris can help with pick up and drop off of the boys when I have meetings.
Happy for quick dinners.
Happy that The Blacklist is back on.
Happy to watch my students write great explanatory paragraphs.
Happy to watch my students create Power Point presentations on the 3 Branches of Government.
Happy to get right home after work.
Happy that a long weekend is here.
Happy to catch up on some chores.
Happy to browse Pinterest.
Happy to have DC snuggle with us.
Happy for the steak Chris BBQ'd for dinner.
Happy for the warm fire.
Happy for a 4+ mile run.
Happy to watch Cannon make bracelets for his friends.
Happy to hang out with Colson and play, read and talk.
Happy to sit on the couch after a busy work week.

Smile.

Enjoying every moment.

Puzzles

Puzzles have been a hit at our house lately. We have quite a few.  Some we've bought.  Some I brought home from school when I switched grades, some that have been given as gifts.

Both Cannon and Colson enjoy putting them together.  Cannon is at the age where he wants to do it by himself.  If we offer help, he gets mad!

Colson is actually pretty good at putting together puzzles, too and can do many puzzles with only a little bit of help.  He is good at seeing how the pieces fit together.  We are impressed!

Fun times in the Ross house!

Enjoying every moment.

Quiet Sunday

It was a nice, quiet Sunday here.

Lots accomplished.
Lots more that wasn't accomplished.

We enjoyed a good church service and then spent the rest of the day at home.
I still continue to wish for a three-day weekend every week.  It would make all the difference in the world!

Here are a few photos from today:

Loving my new organizer for Project Life.  All of my cards at my finger tips. 

Blurry, but Colson likes using his car table.  Today he "read" many books on the way to church. 

Cannon is reading like crazy, too!  He loves to pick up a book and just read!

Cannon has been working on making bracelets with his new loom.  

We made cookies tonight and Cannon was my helper. 

Colson did a lot of cleaning this evening for me. 

Colson said he was Hard Hat Harry...I told him he was Hard Hat Colson!

Enjoying every moment!

Go Seahawks!

The Seahawks played in their first playoff game this season and we watched the game and celebrated over at Greg and Brenda's.  They invited some family and friends over for a typical football party.  Lots of food. Lots of yelling at the TV.  Lots of laughter.  Lots of cheering.

Thank goodness the Seahawks came out on top today against the Saints.  It ended up to be a closer game than we would have wanted it to be.

Cannon and Colson enjoyed playing the toys and running around the house.  They were really good given that there was a house full of adults screaming at the TV for a few hours.  :)

Enjoying every moment.

A Few Photos From the Week

We made it through the first week back to school.  It was a good week but we are all tired from reacquainting ourselves with the weekday routine.

This week we enjoyed some great family time together after dinner.  We spent a lot of time just hanging out in the living room...the boys playing and talking; Chris and I watching.  There were a number of tickle wars and lots of belly laughing.  Colson ran around the house too many times to count, and both boys ran and tackled Chris over and over.  There was some reading.  There were some snacks.  Cannon did some homework.  Colson did some drawing.

Family time.

Enjoying every moment.  

First Day Back

The first day back after a long break is always hard.  I have to admit, I didn't want to go back.  I really enjoyed the time off and loved the stress free days!  It was wonderful to be at home and just focus on our family.  We didn't do a whole lot, but we had the freedom to do what we wanted, when we wanted and everyone was happy.

However....we did not have a choice about going back!  We had to. So we did.  And it was fine, of course. It was nice to get back into a routine.  It was great to see all of my students.  We enjoyed hearing about the holidays from everyone.  I loved seeing the new clothes the kids were wearing and hearing about their favorite presents.

Cannon seemed happy and I loved (as always) checking in on him during the day.  It's great to see him working and I love the kisses I get.  I wonder how long that will last?!

Colson has had some "terrible two's" issues lately.  He's so good 90% of the day but when he gets mad or doesn't get his way, watch out.  So I was happy to be back into a routine for his sake and was hoping that he would be kind and polite for Jessica, which he was.

The day went fast.  Tomorrow it will be easier.

Enjoying every moment.

Grateful

Grateful for the sunshine and the happy feelings that it brings.
Grateful for 25 minutes of quiet time before Colson woke up, even though I had to get up at 5:45 am to get it.
Grateful for clean(ish) windows.
Grateful for being able to stay in my sweats all day long.
Grateful for snuggle time with both boys this morning.
Grateful that Cannon got to ride around on his motorcycle today.
Grateful that Chris took Cannon to the Monster Truck Show today and made some great memories together.
Grateful for time with Colson, building and talking and watching him play.
Grateful for workouts.
Grateful for hats and gloves to keep us warm as we enjoyed blowing bubbles outside.
Grateful that Chris brought home pizza for dinner.
Grateful for some time to catch up on some reading...book, magazines and blogs.
Grateful for Pinterest.
Grateful for sitting on the couch and relaxing.
Grateful for DVR'd shows.

Enjoying every moment.

Out for Lunch

After completing some errands and stopping by to see Chris at his work, we all headed to Pizza Hut for lunch.  Cannon had Book-It Reading certificates to use.  So each of the boys got a free mini pizza!

It was great to sit down for lunch as a family and just relax.  We enjoyed some family conversation and laughs.  The pizza place had a guessing game at the table, so as Cannon and Colson were finishing up, we read through some of the cards and tried to get each other to guess the correct answer. It was pretty funny!

Enjoying every moment.

Lists

A few lists about random things:

Cannon loves to...
...draw trucks and trailers.
...sleep in.
...watch RC trucks and trailers on Youtube.
...eat pumpkin pie.
...bother his little brother.
...play games on the tablet.
...read.
...ride his bike.
...count and think mathematically.
...eat apples.
...go to school with me in the morning.
...do whatever dad is doing.
...cook.
...stay in his jammies whenever he can.
...go to Claire's.
...use his imagination.
...play with his friends.

Colson loves to...
...wake up early (very early!)
...get his own way.
...play with trucks.
...make muffins.
...eat waffles almost every morning.
...throw things when he doesn't get his way.
...suck his thumb when he is tired.
...annoy his brother.
...say no.
...watch Paw Patrol and Bubble Guppies.
...play with playdough.
...put together puzzles.
...be with mom.
...run around the house.
...make messes.
...help with laundry.

Enjoying every moment!

Happy New Year!

Welcome 2014!

We enjoyed a nice evening at Dan and Claire's house on New Year's Eve.  I took ZERO pictures!  But had a great time!  I headed home early with Colson.  Cannon spent the night and Chris stayed up and partied with Dan, Kevin and a few others.

New Years Day we spent at home.  We didn't leave the house, stayed in sweats all day and relaxed.  After watching the Rose Parade, we had football on for the rest of the day.  There were some good bowl games to watch!

The boys enjoyed painting and putting together their New Years gift from Claire.  They had to paint all of the wood parts for a fire truck, train and a plane, then glue them together.  Colson did such a great job painting. He loved doing it and he painted for over an hour, mostly by himself.  Cannon didn't start on his projects until later and did everything by himself.  He was working and quiet for a couple of hours and didn't even finish.

Colson painting.

Cannon painting.

Lots of fun times!

Here's to a great 2014.  We are looking forward to it!

Enjoying every moment.