Time to start blogging again!

So I've been a blogger slacker lately, but in my defense, adding 2 extra kids every week, taxes, etc seemed to eat up all my time.  But, things are finally starting to settle down.  Carter loves having Cade and Avery come over to play.  We're slowly working into a pretty good routine on the days they are here which makes things easier on everyone.  I have to admit, Carter is the live wire of the bunch.  It's pandemonium and chaos on the days all four kids are running around, but when Carter is gone with her dad and I just have three, it's actually pretty quiet. 

Chase is really starting to develop into quite the little person.  He's big into climbing on everything and gives me at least two or three heart attacks daily.  His Gramma Howell sent him a spring horse for Christmas.  It took him awhile to figure it out, but after carefully watching the big kids try to wear the paint off it, he really got into it.  He likes to ride it best when he has a loud appreciative audience, naturally. 

Carter hates to miss out on a good photo opportunity!

The best way to ride your spring horse, is loudly of course!

My little office helper

Monkey see, monkey do...  Chase is utterly fascinated by phones, computers, remotes, like most little kids.  He wants to do just whatever he sees mom or dad do, much to the destruction of those electronics!  He's named Carter "Sis Sis" and Robert is "Bobba".  It sounds pretty cute!

Not sure who he was talking to, but he was talking up a storm.  Even funnier, he would gibber for awhile, then laugh uproariously, make a few "uh huh" noises, then start laughing again.  He wasn't supposed to be on the desk, which seems to make all the more determined to get up there, but it was so funny to watch him. 

Rub a dub dub, four kids in a tub

I don't remember the particular disaster that prompted me to toss all four kids in the tub, but I'm sure it was good.  All it seems to take is one needing a bath and they all want to hop in.  What a mess!

Winter

 We've nearly had a record number of days the ground has been covered with snow.  I think it's over 70+ now, and getting old fast!  Luckily, it mostly hasn't been terribly cold.  The snow makes it hard to get outside with the little kids who take two steps in the deep snow and just fall over.  Chase got pretty tired of being in the house and happily started going with his dad, anywhere, just so he could get to see something new!  Between my car being broke down for several months and all the snow, he didn't get much excitement around our house.  One of the last storms brought in a lot of fog and it coated the trees and fences with a heavy layer of frost.  It make everything look so beautiful. 

Carter and Pete

Carter sat out in the snowbank with Pete, giving him a little attention.  She was so mean to Pete when she was younger that he is pretty suspicious of her now, and she is very happy on the few occasions he lets her pet him. 

Chase was feeling left out too...

He loves being outside and loves all the critters almost as much as Carter does, although they aren't very crazy about him yet.  Little kids offer up pretty tough love at this size.

Sledding, Cowboy Style

My darling husband is a firm believer in overkill.  I sent him to town to buy a couple of sleds for the kids since all ours had managed to dissapear or get broken.  He came home with a huge calf sled.  It took the horse Picky awhile to decide that the big black thing chasing after him wasn't going to eat him or attack him on the sly.  Robert must have worked with him for a least an hour before deciding it was safe enough to load up the kids. 

Carter LOVED it and had a ball.  Chase was much less impressed.