Snow

3 snow days this week!  I felt like we lived in Cleveland again with the amount of snow we had this week. 

It's a Party on the Stair..airr...way...

This is one of the girls and Will's favorite indoor activities...turning the staircase into a house or hotel or whatever else they can think of.  I often get very frustrated with this activity as you might understand.  However, when they did this yesterday I just decided, why not and I got out my camera.  I really want to start documenting these fun things they do on cold winter days.  Saturday they had a pet daycare all set up and so cute in Emmie's closet.  They also regularly make hotel rooms in each others' closets and spend the night there.  These are the days.
Oh, and yes, I do have a b&w obsession lately. 

Rockstar

I realized that I never posted these pics on my blog....just on Facebook.  Anyway, a couple of weeks ago the girls and Will put on the best concert for us.  There was singing and dancing and outfit changes and spotlights.  Allie was the main performer.  I still have to get through all of the pics but here are a few I took of Allie.  It was very dark and they had a flashlight on her from the balcony.  (ISO H2 for you photography lovers....really embraced the grain on these.)

 

Allie told me today that she wants to take some singing/performing classes.  I don't even know where to look but am going to figure something out.  :)

...and then there were 8

Ha, ha, ha....we've evened the score at 4 girls and 4 boys now.  It's crazy over here.

Almost 2 weeks ago, we brought this cute little guy into our home.  Rich has always liked Russian Blue cats.  I thought that someday we would get one and then someone mentioned to me that we should get one while Max is young so they are buddies.  I contacted the breeder who said a litter was coming in the Spring.  A few days later I received an email that one of her kittens from the last litter had a plane ticket to Connecticut but then the lady had something come up and couldn't take him....of course she attached pictures to that email.  After receiving 'permission' from Rich, I set up a time to pick him up and surprise Rich.  Katie was the only one who knew when the kitten was coming home and we went out shopping to get ready for him.  Katie was soooo excited to get a kitten.  That Wednesday everyone, but Katie, was surprised when they came home.  The girls made a little paw print trail from the door across the house and up the stairs to a bedroom where we were all waiting for Rich to come home.

He was named Rudy after Rudy the Flyer from the University of Dayton.  Although Allie has called him Rudy-kins and that name is also starting to catch on around here.

Rudy and Max seem to be buddies.  On day 1 there was a lot of this...Max was so interested in him.

Day 2 in natural light...you can really see his color in the light.  Russian Blues are known to ride around on shoulders and Rudy is no exception.  I'll have to take a picture of this soon. 

Buddies...

Rudy is the best cuddler and he seems to like everyone equally.  Everyone loves him...even Emmie...who didn't want a cat but is found all the time playing with him.  Katie has worked hard to make him toys out of yarn and thinks we have 'the cutest kitty ever'.  Allie does not leave him alone.  Will also thinks he is very fun.  When Rudy climbs on him he says "Oh hi, kiddy" and pets him.  Max is also much better behaved now that he has someone new to play with.  I have a new saying to those who can't believe our busy household.  I saw it somewhere the other day.  'If you can't believe how full my house is, you should see my heart'.  Ok, that's cheesy, I know...but true.  :)

Monkeyin' Around

Katie's birthday party with her friends was last night at the Rec Center gym.  Her theme was monkeyin' around at the gym.  She requested ice cream sundaes stating that she 'doesn't like cake that much'. After having sundaes and opening presents, we went to the gym for some fun and games.  Katie said that she had a lot of fun but that it went by too fast and only seemed to take 'like a minute'.

 

Sweet boy

When the girls were 2, I took them for a black and white picture in white dresses.  It's not what I would choose to have done anymore but wanted to do it for Will so that they could all hang together.  This morning I tried to recreate the little studio set up.  He's not really interested in smiling for my camera so I was just glad that he sat still with his Lightning McQueen car in his left hand.  Here is what I came up with...maybe now I can actually hang them all up,  ha. 

And, here are a couple more that totally portray him at this age...always a car in his hand.  Even in his sleep, he has a car in his hand and wakes up if it drops out of his hand.

Katie is 7!!!

Seven!  Seven?  Seriously?  How is this possible?  In the past we have always traveled from St. Louis to Indiana on Katie's birthday.  This year we gave her the option to not have to spend 6+ hours in the car on her birthday.  She chose to travel because she likes to have one birthday party in the morning with Grandma and Grandpa H and one at night with Grandma and Grandpa B. 

I think this is her 3rd year of making her special lunch request from Grandpa and Grandma H.  She loves Beef Stroganoff and the infamous (and named by Emmie) 'Dreamy Bread'.  (It really is dreamy).  Then she enjoys an Oreo Sundae Pie cake and opens gifts.  We then drive to Indiana and she chooses dinner along the way which was Wendy's this year.  Then, we have a cake and presents when we get to Indiana.  Katie will have her birthday party with friends in 2 weeks.  We like to save it for January when there isn't much going on.

Happy Birthday Katie!  We love you!

 

I just had to include this one.  Grandma H said "Happy Birthday Sweetheart!" to Katie and Will immediately repeated in the cutest little 2-year-old voice "Happy Bir-day Sweet Haaart!" and got this adorable sweet smile on this face.

Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa H and B for helping to make Katie's birthday so special!!!