Matching Makes Me Happy

But two wiggly boys make it hard to get a good pic.

Eleven

How can it be that this little dude is 11 months old? He is not looking so much like a baby anymore, but quickly transitioning into a little boy. He is pure joy and delight. He is also my star sleeper. He was a slow starter in the sleep department, perhaps because we kept trekking him across the world and back again. Now, he sleeps about 11 hours at night and naps about 3 hours during the day. He loves his bed and says "nigh nigh" when he is tired.  

He is the happiest little guy, always smiling and squealing and on the go. He eats whatever we eat, and he loves everything. He has not met a food that he doesn't like. I hope that continues! He adores his big brother and sis and gets so excited to see them each day. They love him, too, and it is so fun to see them all play together. We do have our share of fighting, especially when the baby giant destroys big kid creations.

A year ago this week is when we found out we had been chosen to parent this sweet baby - so amazingly thankful and can't imagine our family without him in it! God has been so good to us!!

Once Upon a Time*

Once upon a time, there was a sweet little 3 year old boy. He rode the bus to preschool with his sister every morning. One day, he apparently was so tired that he fell asleep on the way to school! His backpack was at the front of the bus, so his sister grabbed it and took it to his class, thinking he had already gotten off the bus.
After a little while, his sweet teacher wondered why there was a backpack, but no boy. His sister was questioned and insisted that he had been on the bus. A search ensued. The bus driver was finally contacted and searched the bus. He found the little boy asleep in his seat and returned him to school.
 Fortunately, his mother knew none of this until he was found safe and sound. They all lived happily ever after. The End.

*A purely fictional account, of course.

Mornings are wonderful!

From Larry-

No words necessary.

Ski In, Ski Out

The Stanteen Ski School was in full swing this weekend! 

You can't beat being able to strap on the skis and walk out the back door. We have two kids that have fallen in love with skiing, and a third banging on the back door wanting to be out there with them!

Chelsea mastered skiing from the top of our backyard down the narrow hill to the frontyard. 

You might be from Texas if you tie a hose to a tree and use it as the ski lift. 

Amazing how good they have gotten in just a few days!

Such fun!! 

Seize the Day (or Night)

The snow continues to fall, so we are making the most of it! Larry is an awesome dad and rented skis for the kids for the weekend.  Our back yard, or garden if we want to sound European, has just enough slope to make a nice ski practice area. So, the kids donned their gear, strapped on their skis, and enjoyed some night time backyard skiing. 

First time for Logan to be fully outfitted in the marshmallow suit. 

 Cade was thrilled to ski. He did great, but we only caught the face plant on camera. 

Full concentration as she heads down the hill. 

Fun family Friday night!

Let it Snow. And Snow, and Snow, and Snow.

Our mild winter last year has been more than made up for this year. We had our first big snowfall in early December. Since then, snow has been a regular visitor. We still enjoy it, knowing that one day we will miss these snowy winters!

Sledding is a favorite activity, and Logan got in on the action last week. He loved it!

Our biggest snowfall to date came on Monday, when we had about 6 inches of snow. The kids actually had an official snow day, and we enjoyed playing in it!

First thing in the morning, Chelsea was able to slide down the stairs on the right because there was so much snow!

This year, we are taking advantage of the snow by enrolling the kids in ski school! They started this week and love it!! Cade cries at the end of each lesson because he wants to keep skiing!

Filed under "Things you would never see in America"...an open fire pit inside the changing room at the ski school. Nice place to stay warm while the kids ski!!

The Journey Home

Everyone asks us how we do this trip with all the kids, luggage, etc. The actual journey is certainly not our favorite thing to do, but I will say we have it down to a pretty good system. This Christmas, we put the system to the test. We ended up with 15 checked bags/boxes and probably about 7 carry ons. Out of control!!!  Because Larry has so many frequent flier miles, we are allowed 3 bags each, hence the 15 bags.  But, there is no need for so much stuff....my mantra since moving here has been to simplify and downsize the amount of stuff we have. I certainly blew it this time! Oh well. 

Our master plan is this - Larry packs all the bags. He is a master packer. This time, we included some boxes and that worked well. He and my dad put everything in the garage, sorted it, and somehow got it all in. We load my parents' SUV with all the luggage, and then we take 2 cars to the airport. We return the rent car and then they meet us at the drop-off zone with all the luggage. We find a porter or carts, and viola...15 bags transported without too much effort. 

Once on board, thankfully it is an overnight flight and the little people crash. This is how we spent our New Year's Eve this year...pretty exciting! Chelsea had her first meltdown this flight - we didn't have any extra seats, and she cried and cried about how she could only sleep if her legs were straight. Thankfully, she finslly slept. I, not so much. 

We had a 5 hour layover in Frankfurt this time around. We were blessed that our friends, the McLendon's, were on our same flights! Frankfurt has a fun play area, and having someone else to play with made all the difference. Happy kids=happy layover. 

Boarding our last flight...the short trip from Frankfurt to Budapest is the easy part of the journey. Almost there! Once in Budapest, we found a porter for the luggage and had a van pick us up, so the 15 bags were not too difficult.  Now, 2 weeks later, we are finally unpacked and settled. Cade walks around the house and says,"I so happy to be home. I like my home."

Nothing Says Christmas Like..

small children shooting BB guns. 

Only in Texas. 

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12 Days of Christmas

Our family is blessed with many Christmas celebrations throughout December. We love celebrating with our families and each of our kids birth families. It adds up to a lot of Christmas!

                            

                                                 

Our first day of Christmas was a little family celebration before we left Budapest to head to TX. One of my favorite additions to our traditions this year was to do the "Truth in the Tinsel" advent activities. Each night, we did a short devotional and the kids made some kind of ornament. It was a special family time and we all loved it. 

                      

 We went to Texas on December 12th. Logan was happy to spend his first Christmas in the USA!

We found this pile waiting for us at my parents' house. Yikes! We really like Amazon!!

 We celebrated with my family on Christmas Eve.

We were super sad that my sister's family got the flu, and therefore they couldn't be there. 

Thankful for Skype!

 Cade was so happy to get some Reese's...he would've been totally content with just that.
                             

Our last stop was Harlingen to celebrate with Larry's family. A few more gifts were waiting for us!

 We are so blessed and thankful for everyone that we were able spend time with this year. 

Our Little Ballerina

After we saw the Nutcracker, Chelsea got to perform in the Nutcracker at her school. 

She was a beautiful little snowflake and did a great job! 

Boys Day Out

While Chelsea and I were getting cultured at the Nutcracker, the boys had a day out of their own at a Mikulas (Hungarian Santa) party. My last words to Larry were, "Please get a picture of Logan with Santa." Shortly after they arrived at the party, he sends me the picture below.

I am pretty laid back about a lot of things, but I did not want Logan to have a mustache in his first Santa picture!! Thankfully, my husband is a wise man and cleaned Logan's face before Santa time. 

Girls Day Out

We are back to Budapest and back in a routine, so now I must catch up on blogging our December! 

So, we rewind a few weeks. Chelsea and I had a special mommy-daughter date mid-December and went to the Budapest Opera House to see The Nutcracker. 

We splurged on box seats and we felt so fancy sitting up in our little box! It was a great performance and a great day with my little girl!