Snow Dayz

The snow is dumping down like crazy here.

Does it snow where you live?

It's such a beautiful experience to see everything be transformed by a sparkly white blanket of fresh snow.

I'm always reminded of Narnia.

As a kid growing up in California, snow was something we intentionally drove to for the sole purpose of "going to the snow".

There were "bibs", "moon boots" and gloves involved.

Oh and chains were required to get us there.

It was a production and at the end of the very long, fun but extremely cold and tiring day we would come home to a bare driveway and pack the snow gear up for the next planned snow day.

Not here people.

When we get home we shovel the PILES of fresh snow off our driveway before we go inside to make dinner.  

And the snow gear lives in the entry way for 6 months of the year.

We live in the snow.

It's so different than visiting once a season!

It is so beautiful. 

One of the perks to living in a place that snows is having an opportunity daily to appreciate another one of God's amazing, creative and majestic miracles...instead of grumbling about the shovelling.

{not that I would ever do THAT}

This year we are choosing JOY!

The fluffy white stuff floats down like feathers.

Everything is silent.

Incredible!

Snowy Family Pictures By Simone

 Hey!  My Christmas cards have most likely made their way to their final destinations so I can finally share the fun photos from our photo shoot with Simone.

{most of which you have already seen plastered all over the blog!}

Originally I envisioned sun-drenched autumn photos with tan kids and fall leaves.  

~But~

 By the time I got my act together and scheduled the session, it was cold and the forecast called for SNOW!!! 

I had a slight panic the night before

{wet shoes, red noses, whiny kids, cold hands...}

 but Simone reassured me that all would turn out fantastic and she was soo right!

I love how unique these photos are.

The snow makes them amazing!!

Look at my cute kiddos!

This Narnia-like photo is my favourite!

The girls:)

Mikayla

Mailee

Maddie

Caleb

Cait played shy for her close up.

Caitlyn

{Simone even made Cait's pouting look adorable!}

Cambria

Love.

A big family hug.

My love!

In case you are thinking that your family hates getting their pictures taken and mine loves it, here's my dose of reality...

As we were getting out of the truck Mike instructed the kids "Do exactly what she says so we can get this over with as quickly as possible"

{no offense to Simone of course:)}

I am not sure why men are not into pictures but ever since our wedding day (and the hours of photos he endured) I have known that it is an act of love when Mike willingly agrees to a photo shoot:)

{Thanks honey!}

I am working on a post with some tips for planning a fabulous family photo complete with a mini tutorial, color scheme thoughts and some prop ideas.

Does your family enjoy photos as much as you do?

Or is it just me fighting the masses to get a pretty pic?

A Good Reason To Have Lots Of Kids...

Snow Removal goes very quickly:)

Check out Mikayla's NEW BLOG.

Her post from yesterday had me crying.

Snow Day, School Day

 This morning we geared up and headed outside to enjoy one of God's miracles...SNOW!!  A foot and a half of snow was blanketing everything.  It was so beautiful!!

 Caleb's snow angel.

Mailee looking at how much snow has accumulated on the post!

 Maddie with a  snowy hat.

 We trudged up the path to the top of the hill behind the park.  Would have been more enjoyable if Cait would have walked...perhaps I need a little sled:)

We did this shot in the summer.  The kids tried it in the snow...it was a little more difficult!!

Look at Mikayla, she voluntarily picked Cait up so that she could get some air too!

Caiters catching some flakes.

Mikayla catching some flakes too!

This week school has gone really well.  It seems like every day we have {many} moments of frustrations, kids not listening, little spats between siblings, and it seems there is never enough time to fit everything in and get the table cleared for meals and snacks. 

 I am trying not to focus on those details.  The kids are having a lot of fun, we are praying together and learning to work together and the positive experiences outweigh the craziness.  When I think about how much time I used to have with the kids when they were in school, the ratio of meltdowns and arguments/ time together is WAY down from last year.  This is a good thing! 

 Sometimes it is difficult to keep this in perspective when we are together all the time.  There are not many quiet, peaceful, alone moments for me these days.  I suppose one day when I have lots of quiet time and no little people around, I will be so thankful that I chose to have them home and embrace hours of fun, loud kid-filled moments!!!

I hope you {if you live in Canada} get a chance to enjoy the snow with your kids today.  I did not enjoy putting the gear on OR cleaning up the gear afterward BUT it was so worth it to get outside and have fun together!

Snow Days Are Here!

It snowed today in Kelowna! We have our snow tires on, everyone has jackets, boots and mits that fit and we are excited! The kids had fun introducing Caitlyn to her very first snow.

Pretty snowflakes!

Giving the baby a sister squeeze!

First taste of snow....brrr, it's cold!!

Our little crew!

Maddie was wearing the "wrong shoes" and did not want to get in the picture.