Surprise!

A late night visitor showed up at our door tonight- Nikki flew in by surprise from Arizona. Grandma Joann has been sick for a long time but has taken a turn for the worse. Ben surprised us all by flying Nikki out for the weekend to be with the family!

Creativity is messy

And so are four year olds. So here's what you get when you mix the two:

 It makes my heart smile to see her snipping, gluing and glittering away at her little work station. An added bonus- Mack is excellent at cleaning up after herself at the end of most days.

Catching up

Being sick meant lots of time at home  but we didn't have time to be bored! Here's a peek at what we've been up to:

Mason perfected his pulling up skills

Sickness, especially the tummy kind, means lots of extra baths

Mack used every single art utensil this last week!

Lots of extra cuddles around here . Mike and Mack
reading Beverly Cleary's "Socks"

Playing together is fun!

We visited the park on one warm afternoon

Lots of time to paint nails

Once we were all mostly illness free ( aside from Mason's amazing
ever-flowing nose) we broke free and spent the afternoon at the science museum.

Under the weather

Pardon our absence! We've all been battling another round of viruses which started out as a cough/cold variety which was compounded by a tummy virus that Mason picked up at the church nursery ( and quickly passed to each of us ( including Ellie! and my parents)). Because of it, we've been been adhereing to a self imposed quarantine.  And so it goes in the winter with little ones.  I think we're back on track now!

Real life

My attempt to snap a quick picture of my little family catches , instead,a glimpse of how life really goes . Not always sweet smiles around here.

It thrives!

Not only is Mack's preschool pumpkin plant from way back in October still alive, it's thriving, show casing a bright orange flower!

2013

We rang in the new year with bellies full of peanut pad Thai ( courtesy of Mike). After Mason went to bed, Mike, Mack and I cranked up the Wii and played Wii Resort ( Mackenzie is freakishly good at many of those games) and shared snacks until the new year came early to our house. At 9 pm, we toasted with sparkling blueberry juice ( thinking of Aunt Janet) and talked about our plans for 2013. On Mack's agenda for '13: learning to tie her shoes and growing freckles.

A peaceful house on a cozy new years eve

Working on our banner

Mason won't be left out.

2012 was a time of change for our family. Going from a family of three to a family of four with the addition of our fiery Mason erased life as we knew it and brought about a new kind of normal. He is by far the brightest star in our 2012.  We look forward to lots more memories being made in 2013. With the possibility of a trip to Arizona in February, celebrating a five year old in March and a one year old in April, a planned trip to Michigan in May/June, there won't be time to hesitate! Off we go!