Fun in the snow, but wishing for Spring

McQueen and his cousin sledding with their Daddy's at one of the first snowfalls in Dec.
McQueen LOVES playing in the snow
McQueen and Daddy building a snowman
Building a snow tunnel (Mommy and Sis must have been inside where it is WARM)
McQueen and Sis love bathtime, especially after playing in the snow!
I just realized I need to take more pictures of Sis, she is growing so fast! She wears only one size smaller in t-shirts than McQueen. She is our little dare devil but also loves purses, combs, dresses and strollers. I just wish she would let me do her hair! She has been walking now for a few weeks, and is all over the place but we enjoy it and she is much happier.
These days McQueen is into Little Einsteins and Thomas. The cars seem to be on the backburner for now. He also likes to help Mommy do ANYTHING, but especially cook and do the dishes(I better keep him doing both of those!). We are "trying" to potty train, but it is not going so well. I try all sorts of bribes ~ things he especially wants. The conversation goes something like this:
Mommy: "McQueen, do you want to go potty on the toilet like a big boy?"
McQueen: "No, I am a little boy."
Mommy: "If you go potty on the toilet, we will get right in the car and go to Toys R Us and buy Harold."
McQueen: "OK!" (He proceeds to run into the bathroom, take off all his clothes, reluctantly sit on the toilet for about 2 seconds, and then scream for a "new diaper".)
Mommy: "Ok, well we are not going to Toys R Us anymore, you didn't go potty on the toilet like a big boy."
McQueen: "Yeah(a new favorite word) mommy, I am a little boy and I don't want Harold right now. Mommy, can I have a star on my chart?" (He gets stars for various good choices)
Mommy: "No, you didn't go potty."
MQueen: "Ok, McQueen will just stay a little boy"

This is everyday, and as you can see I am not getting anywhere. If any of you have ideas, I would love to hear them. We are pretty sure Sis will be potty trained before him.

As for the snow, we are really, really sick of it. It snows almost everyday. Every winter we say we are moving back to Cal. but the Spring comes and we love it again. But it doesn't mean we don't love Cal. more!

Well I have a fish tank and a house to clean!

Holidays in Napa

We spent Christmas this year in Napa at my parents house. We didn't get much of a break from the cold, but a break from the snow! It was a lot of fun to relax and watch the kids interact with everyone. I am happy I got a picture of the kids with my parents even if they are not looking at the camera. I got the best I could hope for ~ they are not crying! They were both very excited to go to the park one day with no snow on the slides! McQueen and Sis both LOVE slides. My sweet baby girl also loves anything she can climb. ANYTHING. I think they were also just happy to be with Grandma and Grandpa for a while. I love the picture of McQueen and my dad on the swing.
One of the days we were at home we went to Six Flags. It was at night and they were doing a Christmas theme in the park. It was fun, but REALLY cold. I think the kids had a good time ~ there was a Thomas the Train area where you could ride on Thomas and Harold and there was also a large shark tank the kids loved. Hubby, my sister and I decided it had been awhile since we had been on a good roller coaster, so we went on 2 of them a few times. It was great! For some reason we didn't notice the cold........
We all had a wonderful Christmas being with family and seeing some old friends. It was great to have a few days to relax. The kids had a fun Christmas morning. McQueen and Sis love seeing all of their family.

Turn on your speakers!
So I thought I would change our blog a bit....and I love these two pictures. They are the perfect reminder of how long people have been documenting their lives through pictures and journals. I have always loved old things, anything to do with history(I hope hubby sees this and goes on a journey to find me an old typewriter I can display!). My mom has a picture album of her mom and dad when they were first married. It is the perfect piece of history ~ all black pages with some faded and torn black and white pictures. Some with photo corners and some without. It makes me want to go back in time.
Hubby and I both also love quotes. So I put a few on here that I like, and describe us. The new blog title, Take a Picture, comes from a song Hubby likes by Filter. I also like this song and I love Nickelback. When I get in the car with the kids to go out, I usually ask McQueen if he wants to listen to Country or Rock n Roll(because sometimes Hubby will leave in something like a Metallica or Led Zepplin cd). His usual response is Country, but every once in a while he will respond with Rock n Roll. So I will pop in one of Hubby's cd's, McQueen will rock out for about a minute, then ask for Country. I love it. Though I do enjoy a little ACDC or Guns n Roses once in while. Takes me back. Oh and Bon Jovi ~ can't forget him. =)
Anyway, I am in the process of setting up a little scrapbooking area in our basement. Must I add, FAAAREEEEZZING basement. I will have to get about 5 space heaters to keep myself warm. But, I think it will be fun and I am looking forward to finally documenting my children's lives and the most perfect wedding day ever of Hubby and I. He might not see me for all of 2008, but I will get caught up!

Fly Me To The Moon....

I guess Frank Sinatra had the right idea when he wrote this song, because that is what McQueen wants to do! The last month or so he has found a new fascination with space and all the planets. So for Christmas his Grampa and Auntie Laura found him 2 books on planets. I couldn't find a picture of the second book, which is called The Planets in Our Solar System.(The second picture is just one I found that I thought looked cool). Both this book and Voyage Through Space are fantastic books which I have found that I also love. I have learned A LOT from reading them! For instance, did you know there is a place called Eagle Nebula, which is a star nursery? It contains hydrogen, the raw material for making stars. This is where new stars are born. The Eagle Nebula is 7,000 light years away! I guess I am going back to my Space Camp days .......Kim, I never thought I would! Very interesting though, all there is to learn.
So McQueen says to me at least once a day while he is gazing at the sky, "Mommy, McQueen wants to go to space." "Mommy, where is Jupiter and Saturn? Where is Neptune? How big is the moon? McQueen walk on the moon Mommy?" I just think that at age 2-1/2 if he wants to know about space, I will find ways to teach him all I can! I just think it's great he's interested in these things already. He LOVES his new books and wants me to read them to him over and over. Thanks Grampa and Auntie!