Why do they sleep on the floor??

Ok, so now it's official, all three kids have been found sleeping on the floor after being put to bed. I don't know what it is...the floor is HARD! Guess they just want to be close to us :) I'll take it while I can get it. Here's Hannah a couple of days ago...

Hannah & Friends

Little Miss Hannah had a birthday party to go to for her friend Brooke today. She had so much fun. I took her and her friend Emma and dropped them off at Sweets N Treats it was called. They all decorated cookies, drank from a punch fountain, created a pucker powder sugar tube, and had lots of fun! The birthday girl's mom sent me this pic...

Birthday Boys' Party

We tried to have Josh and Ryan's birthday party a little later in the month this year due to the usually nasty weather for traveling, and here it got pushed all the way to Feb. 4. We also did their party a little low key this year with a smaller group. I had to add in this picture of the boys in their Dr. Seuss hats since they were so proud of them :)

J & R with their Dr. Seuss hats from preschool that week

This year for their birthday, they each wanted a different cake from Cars 2. Josh got Finn McMissile and Ryan got Shu Todoroki. The funniest thing I overheard during their planning of their cake requests, was Ryan telling Josh, "Just tell mommy what you want, she can do ANYTHING!" It was cute and a little scary! Ha! It's possible that my cake decorating hobby has "created a monster" with requests and expectations now. The first thing that Ryan said when he saw his cake for the first time was, "Mommy! You didn't do the eyes right!" Oh boy...

 We had a great time with family sharing dinner together from Lou Malnati's, eating cake and ice cream, and opening presents. Our kids just LOVE to play with their cousins! They all played so well together, or separately sometimes when Josh discovered his cousins' DS games! Eric brought their cool big race track too, and I can't believe I didn't get a pic! (maybe Sarah got one?) Ryan didn't leave that track for what may have been hours. So cute...

Hey, that's not clothes!

Shu Todoroki

Finn McMissile

Daddy Daughter Dance

When it's February, Hannah starts thinking Daddy Daughter Dance time! This was Hannah and Pat's second Dance, and it's become a cute yearly tradition. This year's theme was An Enchanted Evening. Hannah got to wear her new dress from Great Grandma Bursley and her new shoes, and Pat dressed in his finest too. Hannah said he was "so handsome!" (he was). Pat was cute as he went around outside to the front door to pick Hannah up and gave her a corsage before they left. Hannah was very surprised. At the dance, she said they danced to Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, and Hannah Montana. She and Daddy had another great time making memories...

First "big" snow of 2012

Here's Hannah shoveling the snow today. I guess it had to snow sometime.

Happy 5th Birthday Josh and Ryan!!

I can't believe today is Josh and Ryan's 5th birthday. It seems like just yesterday when we were feeding two babies at a time, constantly changing diapers and clothes, pushing a stroller and a cart at the grocery store, and fighting to keep two babies asleep at the same nap times. The boys just won't stop growing up and changing no matter how hard I try to keep them little ;) I am so proud of how my little babies have grown and become nice little boys. Love you Josh and Ryan!!!

Christmas Day at our house

We drove home on Christmas Day after retrieving all our beef from Grandma and Grandpa's house and when we got home, we had our Christmas together. The kids were so excited to see that Santa had indeed visited our house while we were gone and had left them full stockings and presents under the tree. He even ate the cookies and drank the milk we'd left him! They were sad, though, to see that Elfie Christmas Kelly, our Elf on the Shelf, had gone back to the North Pole like he does every Christmas Eve not to return again until next December. We turned on some Christmas music and opened our gifts before turning in to sleep after a fun and tiring celebration of Christmas 2011!