Beautiful Chaos: Winter Months 2017

It's been a long winter. It's always hard for us to avoid going stir-crazy when we are bound to the walls of our house each and every day.

We were fortunate to dodge major bad weather, and we did have enough snow for the kids to go out and play once. It was a Friday evening, and while we were tired, I knew if they didn't take advantage of the chance to get out, they wouldn't get another opportunity. Vera and Adam had so much fun. Vince, on the other hand, did lots of crying. He threw a fit about getting dressed in boots and snow pants, and he absolutely hated his gloves. He wouldn't leave them on, even after I had tried several pairs. Finally, I went outside, scooped him up, and brought him inside to stay. He was cold and grouchy, and nothing was going to please him. Vera and her dad stayed out until dark, and they were really proud of their snowman family.

He did look cute dressed like a marshmallow.

This is Snowman Vera.

Annie went out with me to rescue Vin, but she mostly stayed inside and ate crackers.

We definitely had our share of sickness in February and March. Vin tested positive for Influenza A, and as a result, the entire family was treated with Tamaflu. He bounced back quickly, but we weren't so lucky with the fever virus that went around. All 3 kids ran high fevers, diarrhea, and horrible coughs that lasted forever. Ultimately, all 3 ended up with ear infections and a round of antibiotics. All 3 went to Doctor's Care at different times, which was no fun. Mom and dad are so ready for the germs to scram!

Influenza A Positive: This boy was miserable, and he was such a trooper despite the 5 hours we spent waiting.

Isn't this ridiculous?! Adam said our house was like a Sweat Shop for a few days. We took temperatures, distributed medication, rubbed oils, and filled humidifiers like robots each night.

This was the norm for what felt like forever!

The kids sometimes play together nicely without squealing and fighting. It is quite heartwarming, in the rare moments, when all 3 of them are friends.

The iPad usually causes fights. These are rare moments of peace.

Vin and Annie are really starting to play together. Because they're so close in age, they are really great friends and worst enemies at the same time. They both have a strong will and know just how to fight back. Vince steals Annie's toys regularly, and Annie has a death grip that is incredibly strong.

The kids aren't getting any less-ornery. Annie is the worst one with her mischief. She knows just how to get by with mischief. She cannot be trusted alone for long, especially in the bedrooms or bathroom. She's a master at emptying drawers or cabinets. We've had to crack down on the pacifiers and blankets; she can find them anywhere. Sometimes I swear she has a hidden stash of them, because every time I turn, she has one or the other.

Her dad sometimes contributes to the orneriness.

So does her brother. This was the Sunday of Spring Forward. They were up roaming around, and managed to empty the closet of diapers. They had loose diapers spread throughout the hallway. They couldn't manage to open these packs, so they served as seats. Vince took off his PJs and then assisted Annie in removing hers. I thought it was pretty cute how they played together. #harmlessfun

Annie's hair cracks me up. And their little toes...

During the bout of fevers, we went through plenty of Gatorade. Annie thought she needed some, so she climbed on the table to get a left-behind, half-full cup. I love when sticky drinks spill...

She can get everywhere she needs to go by crawling and walking on her knees. Her preferred method of travel is on her knees. It's crazy to watch her maneuver around. We so wish she'd stand up and walk!!

Anytime she plays with a phone she says "cheese."

Here she's taking a selfie. She's no dummy.

She is the best eater of the 3. We can always count on her to eat whatever we serve.

She has a super-ornery grin and cute brown eyes.

We've experimented with a few new hairdos.

She looks so different with a ponytail.

It was unseasonably warm in February, and it was awesome! It was so, so nice to get outside and play in just sweatshirts. It was hard to get the kids inside each evening, and our basement managed to stay picked-up. We love being outside, our yard and our huge driveway. It was such a good decision to move to a home with these nice spaces.

The trampoline went up for a few days, and the kids were thrilled. Vera spent the entire evening jumping and playing pretend on the trampoline. We also discovered that it's the perfect "cage" for Annie. I so appreciated being able to put her out with Vera and not have to watch her constantly.

Vinners is quite the Vinners. I get such a kick out of him; he's growing up so much. His speech has really improved and we can carry on a conversation with him now that is real. Some of my favorites from him are "joo me" (juice [for] me), "bat room" (bathroom), "booda" (Beluga, my nickname for him), "wi hee" (right here), "dom dom" (dump truck), and "Pat how" (Patty's house). I've discovered he has trouble with two-syllable words. He calls Vera "Vay" and Adam "Ah." We've been working for 2 months on his mom's name, and he cannot for the life of him, remember it. Vince loves to help out, and he is not to be left-out of anything. He could spend an entire day racing trucks, especially dump trucks, around the house. He really dislikes it when we call him anything but Vin. If we call him buddy, Vinners, Beluga, Rascal, or any other name, he always corrects us and says "I Vin."

He always wants to be like Vera. Sometimes he has to wear a backpack like her, and if she packs her lunch, he MUST have a "lunch pack" too.

We discovered that he knows how to use a scissors. Thanks, Vin, for cutting my shoelaces instead of your sister's hair or the furniture. Scissor went up higher after this episode. Look how clean these cuts are...as if he's done this before. Hmm...

Vera is still doing well in Kindergarten. I can't believe it's mid-March already. She's started talking about 1st grade a little bit. We signed her up for girls softball this summer, and mentioned swim team. I'm not ready for all of these activities. Currently, she's doing gymnastics. Though she doesn't always want to go, she does well when she gets there. She has improved so, so much since the first session in January.

She's almost mastered the cartwheel by herself. Landing on her feet has been the biggest challenge for her.

100th Day of School. They had to wear 100 of something, so we designed this flower made of buttons.

She loves crafts. This is a holographic butterfly project from Santa. It took her a few weeks to finish, but it turned out cute. She was proud of the finished product.

I love looking at words she sounds out and writes. Her handwriting has improved a lot since this picture. She's also getting better at reversals. The numbers at the end of each line reflect the number of letters in the word. Good job, Vera!