A real snow day

I opened the window today and wow, it was snowing. Shawn had told me when he left for work this morning that it might snow today, but when I opened the blinds and saw the snow, it really caught me off guard. Coming from a place where it might snow once every 5-8 years, snow is kind of a big deal for us. Here is some video footage of our front and backyard this morning.

I actually had to get out of the house today. I had a homeschool meeting about 5 miles away that I wanted to attend. So, I packed up the 4 kids and myself and we headed out the door. What normally takes 10 minutes took 45. The pace was slow! We met at Subway and the kids did great while I was at the meeting. Sandwiches and cookies from Subway and books from home...a great combination! Here I am getting back in the car, I had snow all in my hair. First time for that and driving in the snow as well.

On the way back home I snapped some shots on the street leading into our neighborhood. Quite a bit of snow in our neck of the woods.

These pictures below of our a beautiful homestead. You can notice the main house is on the right and the barn is on the left. This is a beautiful piece of property and they normally have huge longhorns out front. This home is on the right-hand side of the road as you turn into our neighborhood.

And here is our home when arriving back home today. I had to try twice to get up the driveway. Jase was freaking out a bit. Ha! There was so much snow, I could not get traction to get in the garage. I finally got it and the kids were happy I was able to park in the garage!!

Here is some footage from late this afternoon of our backyard. What a difference from the video from this morning. It is probably 3-4 inches deep. Our poor dog was having a hard time finding a spot to use the restroom. He was also having a hard time breathing; he is the whistling sound you hear. Poor pup.

All of this snow reminds me of a song by Audrey Assad: Winter Snow. So good. Below are the lyrics and you can listen to it here. Take a listen if you have a few minutes; you'll have it on repeat before you know it!

 

Verse 1

Could’ve come like a mighty storm
with all the strength of a hurricane
You could’ve come like a forest fire

with the power of heaven in your flame

Chorus

But you came like a winter snow

quiet and soft and slow

Falling from the sky in the night

to the earth below

                        

Verse 2

Could’ve swept in like a tidal wave

or an ocean to ravish our hearts

You could have come through like a roaring flood

to wipe away the things we’ve scarred
 

Bridge

No, your voice wasn’t in a bush burning

No, your voice wasn’t in a rushing wind

It was still, it was small, it was hidden

Finn at The Little Gym

On Saturday I took Finn to a birthday party at The Little Gym in Frisco. At first he wasn't so sure about the new place {and people}.

But he soon warmed up and ended up having a good time!

Catch Finn in action!

 

 I'm glad I got to spend the afternoon with Finn; I had a great time.

Ok, so I have to share this video of Finn. This is one of those "show it to your girlfriend videos" for later on in life. Back in the middle of January when Nanny and PawPaw came up to visit for a day, Finn had some terrible, runny bowel movements. Poor thing, it left his rear raw for a good 2-3 days. We could not change his diaper fast enough or put enough cream on it. It was bad. Anyhow, when I took the girls to the doctor a couple of weeks ago, Finn {out of the blue} in the doctor's office told me how his hiney hurt when Nanny and PawPaw were here. Well, he has been telling us this short story over and over again since then. It is too cute and we act like we have never heard it each time he tells us. Some days he will tell us the same story 10 times and back to back to back. We were able to record him the other night since he kept telling us and telling us. And the cutest part is at the end when he tells you that "it feels better now". The accent he has on the word now is precious! Stay sweet, Finn!

Snow day...sort of

It was more like an ice day, but a snow day sounds a little more exciting!! We woke up this morning to ice hitting the windows. And then I looked outside and saw all the white!! We did not have much of this at all back home, so it was neat to see this morning.

Since we homeschool, we do not really participate in the "snow days" like public school. The show must go on. Plus we were playing catch up a little from last week, so we had our work cut out for us. But I am happy to report that we pushed through and finished it all. Back on schedule for tomorrow! I will sleep better tonight! ;-)

The kids bundled up and headed outside for a bit after school was over. Finn was talking to me and Maebry on the other side of the window. It was just a bit chilly to bring Mae outside.

Our driveway...it is probably one of my least favorite things about the house. It has a huge slope. Not ideal for shooting hoops or riding your bike on. But what it is good for is sledding!! And we put it to good use today! All of us, except Finn and Mae joined in on the fun. Watch our videos below!

I was reading this afternoon in Isaiah 55 and when I came across these verses, it was perfect for today.

¹⁰ “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
    and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
    giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
¹¹ so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
    it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
    and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

God has a plan and a purpose for everything. My job is not to always come up with the plan, but to trust the One who has the plan. The bible says that His word will not return empty or void, but will fulfill exactly what He set out to accomplish. So reassuring as I read this today. I don't have to have it all figured out, I have to simply trust in the One who has already figured out.

Gymnast of the Month

Both of the kids really enjoy gymnastics. I can tell their strength has improved since beginning last fall. I'm proud of them for trying new things in class, even when it is out of their comfort zone.

 

Jase was chosen for Gymnast of the Month. Here is the corresponding write up: "Jase French continues to amaze his coach with his strength and agility that he shows. He always listens and tries his best. Great work Jase!" Super proud Mom moment! 

Miracles DO happen

I had just posted about wrapping up Jase's basketball season a few days ago and commented how we will probably not win a game. Well, I spoke too soon! The boys pulled off a win on the season closer. Jase played great and even made the last two points to secure the win.

The boys were so so excited! I was able to catch the last few seconds of the game on video and their reaction. I love it!

What a fun game for the boys. I think this is the only game all season where my blood pressure was elevated. When you're down by 20 points, you're really not on the edge of your seat, if you know what I mean! So happy they were able to get a W.

What we've been up to

 

These pictures basically sum up what we've been doing. For nearly the last month it seems like someone has had some type of ailment {tummy, cough, fever, snot, you name it}. This is not normal for us at all. I usually have a pretty healthy crew. Our latest bout was last Thursday, Allyson started running a fever and it lasted through Friday night and broke Saturday morning. I thought we were in the free and clear, but by Sunday night she was back to feeling bad again and feel asleep while eating dinner. I also noticed a barking sound in Maebry's cough, so I decided to call first thing Monday morning for an appointment for the girls. Mae tested negative for both RSV and the flu. Allyson; however, tested positive for Type B Flu. Then later that evening I felt like I had come down with it. Fast forward to today, Allyson and I are on the upswing {still a lingering cough}, but Finn has been pretty whiny and snotty. Praying all of this flushes out of our house soon.

 

On February 3rd we finished our Whole30, which is 30 days of eating meats, veggies, fruits and nuts. This is our 3rd one to finish and it is always a great refocus on what we should be eating. During the course of the 30 days, we both lost 12-14 lbs. Yeah...our scale stopped working a few days before our 30 days was up, of course! Ha! The plan is to keep eating healthy the best when can...we have to!

We are wrapping up basketball with Jase tomorrow and he had his first baseball practice this past week. Shawn said he did a great job at his tryout this past weekend and he ended up getting on a team who won the division last year, without a loss. Would be nice to have a winning record this year! LOL! Last spring we only had 1 win...it was a long season. And it looks like we will not get a win this basketball season either. Now miracles do happen. Ha. Jase has gotten some great exercise and has improved over the season, so I'm not saying it is all about winning. But it is nice to win a game or two. I'm not asking for the championship trophy!

 

Today our little Finn was in rare form. A sure fire pistol; I think it goes along with the sickness. He needed a super hero shirt! And he loved it! Watch him walking into gymnastics!

After we got home and had lunch, he crashed hard.

We are continuing to pray for healthy Frenches in our home.

3 Months

Yesterday, our sweet Mae turned 3 months old. The picture in the middle {below} is the only picture where she was actually looking at me. She was more interested in taking off her 3 month old sticker!

So, we ended up just taking it off!

She currently weighs 12 lb 8 oz and has developed quite the chunky leg, which I love! She is really a happy baby these days. Car rides; however, are still hit or miss with her. She can now roll over from her belly to her back and from her back to her belly. She is a nosy rosy, just like her brothers and sister were. Here eyes still appear to be a deep blue, like her daddy's. We love watching her grow!

Beach time

A couple of weeks ago, the weather was slated to be very nice in the afternoon, so we took advantage of it. We met some friends down at the local beach.

After we played a while at the beach, we went to a newly opened restaurant. We had a nice evening with great people.

Meet Wendy

For Christmas Allyson received an American Girl Doll for her "want". I tried the best I could to find a doll that looked similar to her. It was tough matching her hair, eye and skin color. I do like that her doll has wavy hair like her. :)

"Peter Pan Live", the live Broadway show, aired on TV a couple of months ago and the kids really enjoyed it. They love singing and dancing along with the musical. When it came time to name her doll, she named her "Wendy" from Peter Pan. 

Yesterday, she picked her clothes out for herself and for Wendy! It was the super cute to see them dressed alike for the entire day and again for bed. 

 

 

Jersey Night

Sunday night at church, the kids had jersey night during their AWANA class. Jase broke out his JJ Watt jersey (Defenesive player of the year baby!). Ally borrowed a Texas jersey from Jase (Hook 'Em). And Finn was sporting an old football shirt of mine from when I was a toddler. I would wear it to Deer Park High School football games when my Uncle Randy played. At one time or another all of my kids have worn it. :)