TTT: Season 4, Episode 3

1. Mid-January is the perfect time of the year to have not much to report. 'Cause really, November and December have way, way, way more than their fair share. So I'm happy to say that life is plain, uneventful...normal. Work, pre-school, playing, laundry, library, Bible study, cooking, dishes. Regular life. And it's grand. We did finally have a real winter spell this week. Can I report on that? Like highs in the thirties instead of sixties. It lasted about two and a half days and was back to in-the-sixties today. I've got to give it to Houston though; it knows how to the thirties. With no wind, thirty-eight is somewhat tolerable. Believe me; I spent a good chunk of time watching boys ride scooters in it.

A family trip to Home Depot never disappoints!

2. I've yet to compile my goals list for 2013. In my head I have (in a British accent, no less!), I've just yet to write it out. Something about putting it down on paper makes it so final. Like if I write it down, there's no turning back...so do I really want to do it? But one goal that I can report on that I'm already putting in to action is an overall healthier diet for our family. And really, I won't get much more detailed than "healthier." I'm not one to buy in to lots of diet fads, trendy eating habits, etc. God has greatly blessed me with a family that isn't allergic to anything at all so no mandatory health requirements either... which I am so thankful for! It seems that now-a-days practically everyone I know has at least one kid who can't eat this or is allergic to that. I suppose if I was given that lot, I'd learn how to deal with it, but praise the Lord, we all love food and can eat it all! That's a good thing, but can be bad, too. As in, yes, I do have a few pounds hanging around from Christmas that I'd like to shed. And Grantness has a big round belly he's been working on, too. (Just kidding, of course!) But like I said, it's not a diet I'm after...just a general stronger effort on my part to eat healthier meals. Don't get me wrong, we don't sit here pounding Big Macs or eating fast food daily. I have always made an effort to feed my kids meats, fruits, vegetables, etc. I've just always leaned more toward easy and familiar, and my childhood eating consisted largely of chicken nuggets, spaghetti, fish sticks, mac-n-cheese, PBJs, tacos, etc. (No offense, Mom! They were all delicious and hey, all five of your kids are fairly skinny! Ha!)  I'm also blessed in that my kids (other than Grant) are usually willing to try anything. Yes, anything! So why not try new things? Why not be more willing to swing by the grocery store for more fresh produce even though I just went a few days ago? Why not be excited about the healthy meals instead of the more "comforting" ones? There's no need to be extreme with us...I'm fairly certain that children who have extreme diets are bound to go buckwild once they get into college and discover Whataburger. I'd much rather try to teach our kids the joy of eating and eating well with an all things in moderation approach so that they can enjoy food the right way in years to come.

3. Tantrums, Treasures, and Tidbits

Only treasures to report this week. In the form of videos and photos. I love these boys!

Kolbe working on his QB skills with Dada!

Grant is convince that he's the same size as the big boys. So when he's sees them riding their scooters down the driveway, he's convinced he should be able to do it, too. So he just improvises with his little car. Crazy fella!

These boys LOVE their scooters. (And yes, I know they should have their helmets on. We were being rebellious.) Kolbe certainly has the speed, but Rudy is so, so graceful. Both of them are already attempting to do "tricks" on them...maybe we should invest in knee pads and elbow pads, too. I just love my little Rudy's voice and face in this one. I wish he could stay like this forever.

My least favorite part of winter. Ugh!
Fingers: Raynauds overload (zero circulation). Skin: 85 years old. Knuckles: Lost Cause

When it's too cold to go out, we burn energy in other ways.

This guy.
And the part that's not caught in pictures is where I took him out, stood him on the counter while Dada wiped water from the floor. Stripped the wet clothes, pulled off the five pound diaper and he immediately started peeing on us both. Thanks son, thanks.