Icemageddon 2013

 Texas Weather....

One day the kids were outside blowing bubbles and drawing with chalk - no jackets needed and I was wearing flip-flops....the next day the temperature dropped and we were iced in...

Little boy was very concerned that the kickball was going to blow away and not come back...

I want to go back inside!  I'm cold!

Terrified or having fun?  She said "AGAIN" when she got to the bottom....so let's say she's enjoying it!

Crazy that just the day before we'd been blowing bubbles?  And I'm sad we failed to take other bubbles out into the ice to see if they really do freeze like I saw on Pinterest????? Somebody please let me know if this really works!!! :)

 By the last ice day he cracked a smile and seemed to be happier outside...

Snow Ice Men

So what do you do while iced in??

There was lots of time spent in jammies....and tv and technology time...

But we also tried to stay busy with some other fun...

 Measure up to Super Frog

 Paint!

Break out the Christmas decorations!   This was our first year not traveling for the Holidays so we were excited to set up the tree with the little helpers!

 

 Stamping and drawing

Keeping Micky hydrated...

 Playing...

We were thankful for the time to just stay home and enjoy some quiet time.  I tend to be guilty of keep the calendar pretty jam packed - so it was a nice change to have to slow down and just relax...and not go anywhere...a nice little pre-holiday break.  When it was time to head back to school and work, Bryce declared that he didn't want to go to school, he wanted to "stay home in his jammies all day".....so I think it's safe to say he enjoyed the break!

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Christmas update to come!  It's been fabulous - stay tuned!

Pictures and Catch Up

Fun at the Park!

Best Friends!

How I'm loving watching the two of them play together.  They giggle and  shriek with excitement, and they push and shove and wrestle, but they love each other and it is such a treat to see their sibling bond blossoming.
 

 Love when they grow into toys.  The other day I was blown away when they sat down with this toy and they both started correctly placing each piece with the matching color.   Have I mentioned that I love Melissa and Doug toys???

 ICE! 

We joined some fellow members of the Down Syndrome Partnership of North Texas at ICE!  The favorite part was probably just seeing the hotel lights and miniature train.  While I initially thought it was such a deal that my kiddos are of an age that didn't require purchasing a ticket, we quickly realized this is because kiddos aren't impressed with putting on some giant parka and entering a freezing building with lots of people - even if there is a bunch of ice sculptures.  The giant ice slide helped lighten the mode a bit....but Brianne was telling us she was done from the time we entered the ICE exhibit.

Grinning and bearing it

This picture pretty much sums up how Brianne felt about ICE...

Team Madison 5K/1K Run For Down Syndrome!

One of Brianne's fellow classmates put together a 5k/1k Run For Down Syndrome - so we happily headed out to this since it was promoting awareness about Down syndrome and raising funds for KinderFrogs!  It was a very chilly morning, but we bundled up and we partook in the 1k.

Chugging hot cocoa!

 After the run, we headed to Chic-Fil-A for a quick breakfast and to let the little ones run off some more energy.  This was the most delightful cup of coffee I've enjoyed in a LONG time.  The indoor playground was just the right size for them so they were happily (and safely!) playing while I sat back and watched and sipped happily on my coffee - it was a little bit of paradise.

Additional Cuteness and Happenings