Jeff and "mini Jeff" :) eating their bread and butter.
Keith and Jacob and Kara have had fun teaching Simon to play with the new farm he got for Christmas. What does a cow say? MOOOOOOO!
Simon posing with his farm and animals. He is quite sweet to share with everyone else in the family :)! One of the older siblings must have shown him how to line them up b/c he was busy moving the "line up" from the barn to the feeding trough. He loves making them smack their lips as they eat. Oh, and his latest words - "sna = snack"; kaka = kara. He loves his big brothers and often catches them with big hugs and slobbery kisses - he really misses their "entertainment" when they're at school! Yesterday he held his finger up to me . . . I thought he had hurt it and needed a kiss. He then proceeded to stick that finger in his nose. See we've had runny noses, and I had missed the part right before he held his finger out to me. Oh, the joys of motherhood :)! I must say the huge hugs I get millions of times a day and the hair stroking I get at bed times make up for a taste of snot!!!!!

On Tuesday, Keith's class had an "inaugural ball". He dressed up (don't forget to notice the Converse flame sneakers). He IS his father's son :)! This sweet big brother took time to dance with his little sis before leaving for school:)! I think he told me that no one else at school knew a "ball" was a dance (don't know all of that story :)?? But they did watch the inauguration. We sent Gran's peanut butter balls for the celebration (and also to celebrate Keith's birthday a day late).

Hot new single from the Littlest Ortlings: "Loud and Clanky"! Enjoy! There may be many more years of musical genius from these two :)! Oh, Uncle Dave, we may have inherited that music gene - we'll take lessons from you anytime :)!

Today was Keith's 9th birthday :)! Lots of birthday lovin' and goofin' off with his family :)!

He's been learning juggling in gym class, so we're excited to see him practice with his new juggling set! But of course, he'll have to share time with his multitude of other treasures (esp. Star Wars and Ninja Turtle figures :)!
Keith's "little piece" of his favorite dessert for his birthday . . . CHEESECAKE! Don't worry, he did share :)!

Like a warm cup of coffee: 10 Days To Modest! FASHION SHOW - Link Up!

Like a warm cup of coffee: 10 Days To Modest! FASHION SHOW - Link Up!

likeawarmcupofcoffee.blogspot.com
Fashion show day :)! I've been encouraged by Sarah Mae's gracious, encouraging words on her blog (see link above). I'm still open to learning more on the topic of modesty, but I'm usually put off by the condemning attitude of some. Her thoughts over the last few days have been kindly and lovingly presented, and I'm feeling much more receptive to thinking about the topic ;)! Today, she hosted a fashion show, so Kara and I attempted to join in. It is a little difficult to take pics of yourselves (especially with the dog and little brother trying to enter the scene :)! I LOVE jeans - not too fond of tights . . . So living in Montana, I've started a fun habit of pairing my jeans or slacks with skirts or dresses. Last Sunday, I even put a gray wool dress with a black sweater over my jeans. Maybe a bit quirky, but I like it :)! This skirt was a thrift store find (my favorite place to shop) which couldn't be mended, so it had to be cut off. It's a bit short on it's own, but on top of my jeans, it works. I would also wear this jean jacket everyday if it didn't get dirty!! I love to layer!
I've also joined her 5:16 club. I think God must like the idea of me getting up early, too, because either Hazel (the dog) or Simon wake me each morning before my alarm (causing me to get out of bed instead of hitting snooze). Gratefully, Simon seems to fall right back to sleep, so I still have time to read my Bible and peacefully drink my coffee (free tip: grind the coffee the night before, if you don't want the whole house to awake with you).
kara (loves typing her name, k-a-r-a are the best letters in the alphabet if you didn't know :)

Snow continues to fall. We probably have close to 3 feet of snow outside right now. It was certainly a good opportunity to get to know neighbors as we all helped each other shovel, free our cars, ... Simon was overwhelmed by the wind and the snow taller than he, but maybe on a warmer day, he'll enjoy it more. The boys worked hard clearing snow off Dad's car and digging tunnels and "caves/dens". Kara loved following her big brothers around and seeing what fun ideas they had (she even dug her own den).

My boys :)! Keith and Jacob have enjoyed making a few "lists" as to what they need to accomplish before they head back to school. Video game night was on their list yesterday. Simon was thrilled to copy his brothers with the extra controller!

We've been bunny sitting for the last few days, and Kara has LOVED this responsibility. Simon was a bit unsure at first, but he's been as eager as Kara to head to the garage and check on the bunny. He even held it for a split second yesterday, giving it a hug. Kara was so proud of him!