A great recipe...

Ingredients:

-  3 kids (we like toddlers and squishy babies, but any type will do)

-  1 retro air-popper and enough melted butter and salt to make mama happy 

-  slide show

Directions:

Step 1: Any fabulous recipe should start with a happy baby.  The blues eyes aren't necessary, but always add a kick. 

Step 2: Find a couple of willing toddlers to assist in the popping of the popcorn.  Note: microwave popcorn is acceptable, but kids go crazy over the air-popped...

Step 3: Be married to a tech-savvy hubby that hooks your TV up to your computer so you can watch a slide show of digiral pictures from the last 5 years on a big screen.  If it's 1988, you can wheel out your projector, screen, and boxes of slides. {Joking aside, that is one of my favorite things to do when going home to my parents house. anyone else?}

Step 4: Drench your popcorn in melted butter and salt, then sit and enjoy your toddlers watching all the pictures...every child LOVES to see themselves, especially up on the wall.  {Bianca had to point out EVERY single picture of herself...and Jack...and Delaney....and mom & dad.  There was a lot of pointing going on.}

 "Who's that, mom?"

 {one of the reasons I love the picture below is because you can actually see the adorable lisp Bianca has...can you tell?}

"Hey, that's me!"

Step 5:  finish the popcorn and the slide show, then check up on the happy baby, who has turned into the sleeping baby.  

See how easy that was!?! Only a few ingredients, and the best part is...it's nearly fool-proof.  success every time.

Give it a try! 

You know you have too many couch cushions...

...When they line up from the front of the house, all the way to the back of the house.

Er, wait a minute, maybe that means your house is too small. I haven't decided yet.

Most winter days around here are dark, soggy, and drizzley {yeah, that's a word}.  I usually don't feel like taking three little kiddos anywhere so we spend a lot of time at home.  And when you spend a lot of time around the house, your playtime needs to get creative.  So if you have a couch with 11 cushions, it only makes sense to use them for some mean fort building.  I think we make atleast one fort a day around here. 

This time, after the fort fell apart, Jack thought all the cushions needed to be in a line to make a road.  I never argue with an idea I KNOW is going to keep these two occupied for an extra hour {I know, call me crazy}.  They ran back and forth along this road ALL afternoon.

And Laney was thoroughly entertained watching the two monkeys playing {at a safe distance of course, Nana}.  

Everybody wins!

Every few minutes Jack has to check in with Baby D just to make sure she's watchin' the action...

Happy fort building/road making everyone!

Oh, and I'd like to know...what do you all do to entertain your little ones in these gross winter months?

Christmas aftermath...

I've decided that Christmas is the best.

This year Santa delivered a few sweet gifts (in years past, Santa thought it was ridiculous to spend a bunch of money on gifts for kids who aren't even old enough to care. I know I know, just call me the Grinch).  I swear, since Chistmas I have hardly seen the kids.  They are both usually upstairs entertained with a "Car Bridge" or Princess Castle (which is so adorable by the way. I love Melissa & Doug toys) and completely engulfed in their hilarious imaginary play.

Yeah, um, notice that skateboard?!? I am banking on at least one broken bone and one set of stiches caused by that thing before this year is over.  And just for the record, it was Scott's idea, not mine.

The company I work for gave us iPods for Christmas and that thing has been as good as gold at our house.  It's the perfect "leverage" for a techy loving 4 year old.  He knows his way around that thing better than I do. It's bordeline creepy. 

Delaney got this play mat from Gramma Susie...she loves it, which means I do too :)

Bianca recieved this little puppy from our cousin gift exchange and it's with her ALL. DAY. LONG.  And that big doggy purse is full of all her "trinkets"...

Hope you enjoy that puppy babe, because it is the closest thing you will EVER get to a pet at this house. 

Mark my words.



****

On a totally different note, Miss Delaney will be 4 months old in a couple of days.  This gal has got to be the happiest baby that ever lived.  I'm not kidding.  She is smiles and giggles all day, then sleeps all night.  If every baby were like her, I would probably have 5 more kids.  Just kidding. {But seriously}

She is rolling all over the place, and especially likes to roll onto her belly and lift herself as for off the ground as she can.  She is one strong girl...but I suppose you have to be when you have a 4 year old and 2 year old trying to pummel you all day long. 



Laney LOVES Jack.  He gets her giggling harder than anyone. 

From her end...

From his end...

 

Pure joy.





2010 - Our Year of "Firsts"

2010 was a busy year for the Springer family, and if I had to define it, it would be our year of "firsts".  Let's do a little re-cap...

- In February, Bianca experienced her first set of stitches.  Jack also got stitches this year, but sadly, it wasn't his first.  That kid is a constant accident waiting to happen.  I wish I could say this was our first trip to the ER, but it wasn't....and this trip would be accompanied by a 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th trip.  Awesome. I especially love the ER co-pays, they're the best {insert hint of sarcasm}.

- The same weekend of Bianca's stitches marked the kids' first car accident.  It was awful.  Luckily they were fine, but I was knocked unconscious and ended up with 10 staples in my head...oooh, my first set of staples! see, this IS our year of firsts! 

- We purchased our first Minivan this year...I am officially a minivan-for-life kind of gal now.

- I met my first celebrity...The Pioneer Woman! I loved her, and she thought my hair was cute so I'm pretty sure that makes me her BFF. 



- In August we purchasd our first house! With our growing family, we knew it was time to say goodbye to the apartment dwelling days.  The homebuying process proved challenging, but it was well worth it.  We have loved the change!

August also marked our first ever camping trip.  We accompanied our friends, the Kleins to beautiful Crescent Lake and had such a great time...I can't wait to go camping again this summer and NOT be 8 1/2 months pregnant!

- In September, Sweet Delaney joined our family.  I know that she wasn't our first, but she was most definately a highlight.   I guess she kind of qualifies because she was our first baby over 9 lbs AND our first red head, {which is getting more red every day}.  She fits perfectly in our little family.  We love this gal. 

Man, we had a great year and are excited to see what 2011 brings...I'm espcially looking forward to Jack starting preschool and Scotty graduating from grad school. Wahoo!

Happy New Year everyone!



Christmas Eve...

Christmas Eve has always been my favorite day of the year.  The excitement, the anticipation, and magic...I live for it.  This year we started Christmas Eve off with Christmas movies and relaxation for most of the day...it was so nice to have a little down time.  We also opened a new pair of jammies from Nana Cindy. 

When clothing is involved, there MUST be a fashion show, especially for Bianca.

"How do I look?"

"Ok, how about now?!?"

"Alright, here's your money shot, mom"

Next, My little sous chef helped make cookies for Santa. Nana Cindy bought Jack this "Manly" apron...he LOVES helping me measure ingredients.

We were thinking that Santa gets sick of regular chocolate chip cookies, so we opted for Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cups...perfect for a 4 year old to help with too! 

Grandma Susie and Grandpa Terry Came over for some dinner.  We made LOTS of cookies for Santa so they were kind enough to help us eat a few...heaven knows Santa doesn't need to eat 40 of those cookies.

And let's not forget our sweet baby D...always happy and chubby as can be.  And growing like a weed.

The evening was perfect, and Christmas morning was even better {pics to come later}. 

We have enjoyed this season and all that it entails...the gifts, lights, treats, magic, and most importantly the true meaning of Christmas with the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Merry Christmas!!  

Life is good.

No.

Life is great.

I can't believe it's been over a month since I have posted last.  Not much has been happening around the Springer house.  Well, except for the trip to the ER after Jack slammed Bianca's finger in the door fracturing her knuckle.  That was a fun day.   Nothing like a mangled finger to get the adrenaline pumping, right?!? We also took a short trip to Utah for Thanksgiving, which became REALLY short because of nasty weather and treacherous roads.  Sadly, I don't think I snapped a single picture all weekend.  Oh, and winter craft shows took up a good portion of November.  Glad those are done!  So, I suppose a fair amount has been happening around here :)

But life is great, because of sweet Delaney.  We can't get enough of her sweet temperment, giggles, and big smiles.  I can already tell she will be the "peacemaker" of the family.  I don't think there has ever been a more mild mannered baby.  My only complaints were her sleeping habits, but those are long gone and have been replaced with a full nights sleep starting at about 10 pm.  It feels good to sleep again!

Here is a little glimpse of what we get to enjoy all day... (pardon my dorky voice)

This Christmas season has been lots of fun with Jack and Bianca being a little older.  We have the house decked out with lots of christmas cheer. Stockings have been hung, lights have been strung, and a beautiful Natavity sits on top of a bookshelf to help us remember the true meaning of this holiday.  The kids have been loving every minute of it all! Christmas is so magical to a 4 year old, and we have been eating it up.

Ok,  If you have little kiddos, you need to go to this website http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/home  and make one of these videos.  It only takes a few minutes, and it will NOT dissapoint!  We told Jack that Santa wanted to "skype" him, you should have seen his face when Santa knew his name and had a picture of him. it was priceless.   Santa "skyped" Bianca the next day and I caught a little snippet.  It's pretty cute... (I love Jack in the background responding to Santa.)

I hope you are all enjoying the season!

I'll be back soon.

But don't hold your breath.

So true...

I watched this video and laughed. so. hard. 

Because it's true.

Sleep is crucial.

Which is why I am not in love with Laney's sleep schedule as of late.  The little peanut is bright eyed and bushy tailed from 10 PM to 2:30 AM every night...but then she sleeps until 2 the next day (which I am totally not complaing about).  It wouldn't be so bad, but Jack and Bianca are up at or before 7 AM.   5 1/2 hours is ok for now, but I don't think it will take long before the devil gets ahold of me :)  I think I might need to start keeping a *gasp* diet coke in the fridge for emergencies.

I haven't really been fighting Laney's schedule for a couple of reasons.  First, I really like that I have the morning to get a lot done, and spend time with Jack and Bianca.  Also, with life as crazy as it is, I'm glad I am getting to take the time in the quiet hours of the night to snuggle her, because she is growing up much to quickly.

Having said that, I am also looking forward to month 4 when I can start sleep training this gal and get on a more routine schedule...because Nazi schedules are how we stay sane at this house, er, how I stay sane at this house. 

Speaking of getting to month 4, I can't believe that month 2 is creeping up on us this week!! Crazy that she is already that old. Time is flying by! 

Along with keeping me up until the wee hours of the night, Laney also loves her swing and laying under the lamp in the living/family room.  If she isn't being held, those are the two places you can always find her.

When she is on the floor, it isn't without eagle eye supervision of course...do you think I would leave her on the floor unattended with Jack and Bianca around?!?  Yeah, I don't think so.

Because this is what happens when she is on the floor...

She is instantly attacked with slobbery kisses (among other things).

When she isn't being poked and prodded, she will kick for a bit then pass out. 

(The picture above and the one below were taken within minutes of each other...talk about a crash napper!)

And totally off the subject, I love this tiny foot.  So dainty.

I hear the Delaney calling, time for my snuggling hours.

Good night!





 

The Halloween Happenings...

Halloween is in full swing this week at the Springer house.  On Monday night for Family Home Evening, we decided some pumpkin carving was in order to get us in the holiday mood.  Me and Bianca had a blast taking out the "guts" while Jack stood by and complained that it was gross and "gisdusting"

Bianca wanted to show you what the guts looked like...



And here is me.  There is little evidence on the blog that I actually exist, so there you have it.

Hey Jack, do you want to join in on some family fun?

"No fankyou"

{see that little gash on Jacks cheek? Um, yeah...that was a trip to the ER for 3 stitches after an unfortunate stumble off the couch onto the corner our ottoman. Man, that kid is always keeping me on my toes.}

There are no pictures of the finished pumpkin, daddy had to step in to do the carving and I had my hands full trying to keep two curious kiddos from getting their fingers chopped off.   But it's a dandy...triangle eyes, a square nose, and a crescent moon for a mouth.  We kept it simple as the attention spans were dwindling :)

****

Tonight we had the annual Trunk-or-treat.  Bianca and Delaney each have an adorable tutu, so I decided to make them into charming little garden fairies...it's amazing what can be done with some hot glue and dollar store flowers and wings!

  

Bianca was beyond ecstatic to have such a pretty outfit to wear...

There you go, work it girl.

Baby D was pretty indifferent. 

 Or maybe she didn't love it afterall.

And then we had an outlaw.  It is impossible to get a good picture of Jack if there is ANYTHING going on around him...this kid won't sit still for a second.  I'll see if I can snap a better picture on halloween.

We have already had a fun filled two days...we'll have to see what the rest of the week brings!! stay tuned for more!

This n' that...

I can't believe how quickly time is flying by around here.  Baby Laney will be FIVE weeks old tomorrow...I seriously feel like we JUST brought her home from the hospital. 

My parents came last week to see the kiddos and give Laney the love-ups for the a couple of days.  It was a perfectly low key weekend filled with stories, couch lounging, baby holding, Bianca giggling, and Jack chasing. 

Here's my cute mom...man I miss this lady.

Bianca couldn't get enough of my dad.  I don't think I have ever heard her giggle so hard as when Papa was around.

****

Over the last few weeks Delaney has been surprised us with some crazy red hair!! Every day it gets a little more red...I suppose scotty's red whiskers and my Grandma's fiery red hair is where she gets it.

I love that I have a blonde, a brunette, and a redhead...not many people get to have a "neapolitan family"

I can't wait to see how red it will really come in.... 



****

This is DEFINATELY worth mentioning...drumroll please...

We replaced Bianca's gross fliplops!!

With these adorable rainboots...

 It sure felt good to toss those awful shoes in the trash. 

****

I still have a million pictures to post...Delaney's sweet Blessing, Jack's FOURTH birthday, and other random things. 

Be patient my friends, I'll get there!!

checking in...

 I know I've been a bit of an absentee blogger these days, but I will jump back on the wagon soon.  For now, you can all rest assured that this little darling does this for most of the day{and night, lucky us}...

Infact, we rarely hear a peep out of her.

I have to say, the transition from 2 to 3 has not been as bad as I anticipated.  Ask me again when I venture out in public on my own for the first time though...I might have something different to say!  I do look forward to 5 o'clock more than ever lately...when daddy walks through the door and gives me a little break. 

And I still have yet to experience ALL three kiddos crying at once.  shhh, don't tell.  I don't want to jinx myself.  

Life is good.

No, life is great.

I have lots of great pictures to post, stay tuned!