Week of Randomness...

See you later week...this week quite frankly kicked my tail.  It's been long and crazy.  This little bit of randomness is all I have left!  :)  

Charley tested out Sam's skiing helmet!  It would have done her some good last Thursday when she decided to "try" and climb out of her crib!  I say try because I hardly call plummeting to the hardwood head first and busting her mouth successful.  I hope it was a one time thing because I'm not ready for her to move to a big girl bed!  I told Chris to look at the bright side...she made it about 8 months longer than Sam did!  Remember when we moved him to his big boy bed and Chris wouldn't let me open the door to check on him because the doors creaks and he thought Sam would wake up....So I did what any normal mother would do and made Chris get the ladder from the garage and climb to Sam's second story window to check on him.  When he got to the top Sam (who was still awake just laying in bed) looks up at him and says, "hey Daddy"!  It's one of my most favorite Mom moments!  Who makes their husband climb a ladder to check on their son...me..that's who!!  

And for no reason what so ever....  

Clearly a mom created the car DVD player with headphones...CAN.I.GET.A.WITNESS!!!!

It's all a little different when the kids come along!

This past weekend we went with Chris's Aunt and Uncle and their families and hit the slopes!  It was a WHOLE.NEW.BALLGAME with the kids along...it was still tons of fun but a different kind of fun (you guys know what I mean!)  I decided to not ski and stay with the kids and help Sam learn!  Yes, we took the plunge and rented skis for our 3 year old AND he LOVED them!  Here are the kids all bundled up!  

 Sam and his goggles cracked me up!

Snowshoe had a little slope for the kids and then a "mini lift" that was more like an escalator!  I literally put the skis on Sam and he was off!  He begged me not to take the skis off when we had to go in!  By the end of the day he could get on and off the lift by himself go all the way down the "mini slope", he even learned how to snow plow!  I kept yelling, "Sam make a pizza!"

 Here is the mini lift!

 All by himself!  See that face...pure joy!

 And sissy...well sissy was another story.  Sissy wanted to be in the Starbucks curled up  by the fire with a good book (or wait was that mommy :))  Cold weather sports may not be her "thang"!

 Chris decided to take Sam's ski home during lunch and after nap he went out with Sam on a hill near our house (we usually stay off the mountain in the Cass Scenic Railroad Company houses...you may feel like you are slightly "roughing it" but they are WAY cheap!).  It was a steep hill for a little boy and Sam would SPEED down it!  We would yell "bend your knees" and he would fly down the hill!

 Bend your knees Sam!!!

 Sam liked this "ski lift" best of all!!  Poor Daddy must have made this trip at least 15 times!!!  (See the company houses behind them...nothing to call home about but def. the way to go if you have a big group!)

We had a BLAST just spending time with the family!  I had a blast watching my son learn something new!  We hope to make this an "annual" event!!

Because every mom deserves a girls night!!

A couple of weekends ago Chris was gracious enough to watch both kids so I could meet the girls for a girls night!  And just where did we choose to go without kids???   Chick-Fil-A of course!!!!   And we didn't cut a single piece of chicken or have to take turns watching kids in the play place and we did some  serious and much deserved girl talking!!!   I may or may not have walked out passed the "kid zone" and mumbled to myself, "Not tonight, suckas, not tonight"!!  We ended the night with going to see Country Strong!  I liked it...I cried twice but ultimately my little heart was happy and deep inside I'm a huge country music fan even though I never actually listen to it, if that makes any sense which I'm sure it didn't! :)  I got the kids ready for Chris to take to eat pizza with the soccer boys and go to the PH basketball game!  Sam would live in this Brazil soccer jersey Gee-Jo got him for Christmas if I let him and Charley wore her I heart Daddy outfit that I got on clearance for all of $4.50!  Chris doesn't "do" bows so I sent her in a hat hoping that would help but Chris said she didn't keep it on for long!  haha!!  

 Charley looks a mess here!

 Other random pics:
Look who can't wait for it to warm up...he's still been practicing his game and he has been tearing up some Tiger Woods on the Wii!

 This past weekend we went with Chris's Aunt, Uncle, and cousins skiing (more to come later) but this pretty much sums up Charley's feelings on cold weather sports...look at that face...doesn't that explain it all!

It's actually Skype's fault...

or maybe this puzzle's...

It's clearly their fault that I haven't been blogging! 

I just have the blogger blues!  I mean who wouldn't want to work on that puzzle or have 2 hour conversations with your pregnant sister because clearly the decision to use Dr. Browns vs. Drop In bottles takes at LEAST two hours to decide!   That being said...maybe it's just the cold weather, maybe I suffer from Blog Seasonal Disorder?  All this leaves me with 2 questions:

1. Am I a dork for being a puzzle nerd?  You can be honest with me here...I'm the only one aren't I?  My mom still gets me a puzzle every Christmas.  I always shake the box and then reply "Oh Mom, I wonder what this could be???"  because that joke...it NEVER gets old!!

and


2. What in the world did Amy Jo and I do before Skype?  I'm pretty sure it was invented by two sisters who  lived 4 hours apart who got tired of talking on the phone and wanted to stare at each other in their sweats and glasses and their no make-up and talk for hours at a time because who would want to pick up the phone when they could use their computer to call and you could actually see that your sister is STILL wearing the same Carson Newman sweatshirt that she was wearing the last 3 nights and then her adorably cute no way could he be almost four year old could perform "Chubby Snowman" for her LIVE and IN PERSON (sort of in person except for the whole being 4 hours apart thing)....ohhh wait...no Amy and I didn't invent it...we just abuse it that's all!!!  :)

The point of the story is this:  Don't blame me....it's clearly my passion for being a nerd and my equally dorky sister's fault!!!

What do you do on a snow day when there's no snow???

Your Dad builds you your very own "indoor ski slope" and teaches you how to snowboard of course!

Yep, it's official...he is 100 percent the fun parent!  How can I compete with this...I wouldn't let him do this in a million years!! 

I don't believe any snow was needed to have the time of his life!  It's a good thing we have the fun parent around!  He keeps us on our toes!!  (Amy Jo and Greg witness the whole thing unfold on Skype...they can bear witness of the giddyness that was Sam the ENTIRE time he was "dropping in"!!  (Just in case you are wondering...that would be our loveseat flipped over with an extra mattress from the basement as the ramp and the couch pillows to help with the landing!!)

Happy Snow Day to Me!!!

On Tuesday we had a snow day!  We only actually got a dusting so Chris only got a 2 hour delay but I was glad to have off with my babies!  Whenever my first graders ask me what I did on my snow day I always tell them "I hugged and kissed on my babies all day long" and they always laugh!!   Here is a look into our snow day.  I finally braved the "Moon Dough" farm.  If any of you have played with this toy you know it was NOT made by a mother.  While it's great that the "clay" doesn't dry out, it leaves little bits and pieces everywhere!  Sam loved it though!   

 You put the clay in the top of the farm and then you turn the crank and these little guys pop out!  (They are chickens, cows, pigs, and horses)  Of course little Monk had to put them in order in a straight line...Bless his heart!

 We also got out their tent and tunnel that Aunt Rosemarie and Uncle Dip gave them for Christmas!  They LOVE this little tent!  Sissy loves to take her "babies" and lay them "night-night" in the tent!  Here is Sam apparently doing a little gymnastics for the camera!

 Bless sissy's hair!

I love snow days but they ALWAYS make me want to cry :(  If I were a stay-at-home mom these would be my "everyday":(:(  I LOVE hanging out with my kids, doing chores around the house...and YES I even cooked an awesome dinner!  I LOVED every second of it which makes going back to work even harder!  Instead of sitting around and complaining I'm going to count my blessings...at least I have summers off and I'm home by 4...and I get "fake" snow days!!!!  

Dear snow, please do your "thang"
Love, "Wanna-be" Stay at Home Mom!!!

Championship Game!

We had the Collins' over on Monday for the Championship game!  Chris really wanted to grill out so he pulled the grill out and started her up...in his shorts...while it was calling for snow!  I'm sure the neighbors think we're crazy!  

 My kids LOVE Emery!  I am constantly saying, "Get out of the baby's face"!  Sam calls her his girlfriend and he is dead serious...so are we, but shhhh don't say anything...arranged marriages are frowned upon. 

It should be a requirement...

all parents should have to go on a mandatory weekend vacation without the kids!  Don't get us wrong...we LOVE our kids and and our favorite times our with our kids but there is something special about one on one time with your best friend!   This weekend we packed up the kids....  

 shipped them to the grandparents house (with a bag full of homemade cookies courtesy of Daddy!)...

and went snowboarding and skiing at Snowshoe!!!!  We had such a great time!  Get this....we sat through 7 YES 7 meals without having to cut food, negotiate how many more bites, clean up spills, or hide dessert!  It was blissful!  We left after school on Friday and got back around lunch time on Sunday!  Let me tell you it was COLD on top of the mountain!  We "hit the slopes" 3 different times and when we went night skiing it was -5 degrees (before the windchill!!)  And yes this is what I looked like...you could not have anything exposed!  (And yes my husband said he was glad I was  in blazing yellow because he could find me easy!)

When Chris was at a golf tournament this fall he put a bid for this trip at a silent auction and he won!  We got a condo for 2 nights and 2 lift tickets for a fraction of the price (we have our own equipment which helped keep the price down!)  We're pretty sure it was meant to be!!  We stayed right on top of the mountain and we were able to ski out right from the condo!  That also meant we were directly beside all the restaurants and cute little shops!!  Because we got to start skiing right at 9:00 we rarely waited in a line for a lift and when it was the slops "prime-time" we came in for lunch and even caught a nap before heading back out for some afternoon skiing!   The night ski was great because you had to be a pure fool to go out in those condidtions but that meant NO lines!!  We literally got to ski down and get right back on a lift!  We were the last ones period on the mountain and the ski patrol even let us go one more quick time before roping off the last slope!  

We skied over 7 hours and had SO much fun!  I love going with Chris because he challenges me to go faster and try new things (I even went down the terrain park and hit a jump and went on a board slide...I'm not even lying...I'm pretty sure I could teach Shawn White a thing or two!!!!  HAHA!  Actually even though Chris thought it was AWESOME that I at least tried it he had to confess that it was all very comical!!!    Thanks hubby for an AMAZING weekend!   When we got home I was so excited to see the kids!  Sam ran over to us and I got a big hug!  I said, "Sam I missed SOOO much!!!" In his super sweet voice he said, "Mamma I missed you mucher"!  And then my heart melted!

We just may have a ballerina on our hands!

I took Charley's dress off after church so she wouldn't get it dirty (by the look of her onesie I'd say that was a good idea!)  I couldn't help but think that she looked like a little dancer in her leotard and tights!!  Might I have a shot of having a girly girl after all??  Are ALL the bows and ALL the smocking finally going to pay off??  

Do you see what she is playing with??? A dump truck and a train set!!!  I think it's safe to say that no matter what I put her in (or the dance classes I'll force her to take :) ) Charley is just fine being an all out tom boy!!!  And part of me smiles just thinking about it!! :) 

WILD and CRAZY here at the Dowdy House

We had the Collins, Wolford's, and Miller's over for NYE and let me just tell you we got a little wild and crazy!  We may have even eaten dinner on the Christmas china..like I said WILD!  We really meant to do a better job at "entertaining" but somehow the girls ended up in the kitchen talking and the boys ended up playing playstation down stairs...see what I mean about Crazy! :)  We did make them toast with sparkling grape juice at midnight just so we didn't feel like the worst host ever!  If you ask me good fellowship with great friends is the perfect end to a year!  

Bless his heart...Sam tried to make it but he was just so tired!!  

 "Hey, Layna...how's the Madden game?"!!!   Lincoln is multi-tasking at his finest...playing Madden while holding a newborn!   Chris, go put that dessert on the Christmas china!!! :)

As far a "New Year's Resolution" I'm going simple....Stress LESS, Enjoy MORE!!!!   Feel free to join me and hold me accountable!

She obviously gets it from her dad...

Chris is always joking around trying to "rap"!  Every time he does Charley "gets on down"!  Homegirl can flat dance!  I had to add these pictures 1. because my girl...she's cute AND 2. Chris dressed her!  Hence the skinny jeans and Nike's!  I had to add the hat and bow because bless.his.heart!   Notice Sam is in his Brazil soccer jersey...one guess at who dressed him too! :)  

 Charley getting down!

 Way down!

 Take it away Sam....freestyle!

 Is it Daddy's turn??   Ohh yes it is!

See...they get it from their Dad...because I can't even beat my own mother! :)

Christmas '10!

Oh the excitement of Christmas morning!!  Sam was so excited we had to let them open one present before we did the rest of the morning traditions!  Charley opened these princess shoes and she was done...she would have been satisfied with just that one gift!  (Santa let me in on a little secret that he got these as Big Lots for 2 dollars...Santa would also like to state that it was the best 2 dollars ever spent...ever!) 

 Everything is wrapped at the Dowdy House!!  I didn't realize that Santa doesn't wrap at some houses but Chris and I both grew up with everything wrapped so that is what happens here!:)  I guess we lucked out by having the same tradition!  Sam had already opened his Wii golf club (Santa must love him some Big Lots because he got this for only 3 dollars and it is a HUGE hit!  Chris and Sam can now play a whole round on the the Wii...Chris doesn't even have to help him hold buttons.  Sam has even been known to drive it farther than his Daddy...I'm just saying!)

 See the heels....they had to stay on the whole time!

 Happy Christmas Morning!!  Chris was actually upset he didn't have Christmas PJ's!  (Maybe they have some left at Big Lots:)...ohh I kid!)

 We (and by we I mean Chris) made an AWESOME Christmas breakfast!  We started this tradition last year so the kids didn't have to rush in the morning and we could have some family time!  It is my FAVORITE tradition by far!!!!  Do you see our white Christmas out the window!!

 We headed to Chris's parents after we enjoyed breakfast to open gifts and have lunch!  The kids went on a super fun scavenger hunt to find their play kitchen!  They love it!  Right now Sam plays with it more than Charley but given the fact that in our family Chris is in the real kitchen more than me I'm not surprised! :)  This is only picture I have at the Dowdy's but than again that's one more picture than I took with the English's!  After the kids napped we headed to Mom and Kenny's in the snow for more presents and dinner!  We had a great but BUSY Christmas enjoying spending time with family!

 I may not have pictures from Christmas with my side of the family but after Christmas we have the tradition of the girls going shopping (heck no the snow didn't stop us) and than meeting up with everyone at our house for left overs!  We talked the fam into playing Just Dance and IT.DID.NOT.DISAPPOINT!!!
Here is Mom and Amy Jo going at it!!  Get it Am!!!  Love the Disco finger!

 Roll with it!

 Get her Sam!!  Look at that pregnant belly!  She may kill me for this but it's my blog and I can I do as I please and just look at them all in sync!!! !:):)  That being said I can fully admit that I, Emily Dowdy, who took dance for umpteen years LOST to my mother...and YES I was 100 percent trying!!!   Jo's got some moves people...apparently I could not hang! :)

 Even Papa Kenny got in on the action!  He is such a good sport!!

Do you know how much these pictures make my little heart happy??  My favorite "gift" of the season was time spent with the family...the dancing just added to the fun!!