Trying to stay warm

We have been battling bitter cold temperatures in the midwest this week. The temperature this morning when I woke up was literally -12 degrees. NEGATIVE TWELVE DEGREES!!! Are you kidding me? I feel like we are living in a frozen tundra. I hate to complain since I know how fortunate we are to have a roof over our heads and a working furnace, but it is ridiculous how many layers I have to wear in my own home just to stay warm...even with the thermostat set at 72 degrees.

Ben has been going absolutely stir crazy being trapped indoors. He plays indoor soccer on Thursday afternoons and we just started basketball on Saturday mornings but still, he has a TON of energy and not enough ways to release it right now so he has been begging me to go outside. There was so much beautiful snow this past Wednesday that I relented and we bundled up and went out to play. I think our fun only lasted about 15 minutes but oh well!

So other than snuggling up and trying to stay warm, we haven't had a whole lot going on. School started back up for Benjamin last week and I started back to work. It has been nice to get back into our normal routine and out of the holiday chaos! We have also had some great play dates....both of the adult and child variety!

Last Thursday night was a momentous occasion in our household. After 4.5 years of parenting, we had our very first babysitter! We have been so very, very blessed to have plenty of family members and very close friends (i.e. my Angelas and Jarin) who have watched the boys, but never have we paid someone outside of family to watch the boys. I had one of my high school youth group girls, Lorian, watch the boys so that Dean and I could go on a date with Michael and Angela! Angela treated us to dinner and great tickets to a Butler basketball game. We had a wonderful time. Ben was THRILLED to have a babysitter. On our way to pick up Lorian Ben was a little anxious and said "Mom, I don't even know what Lorian looks like." I said, "she is very pretty" as we pulled into her driveway. Lorian walked outside to meet us and Ben said "Yea she is!" HA! That's my boy. He sure does love the ladies.

On Saturday night my parents watched the boys so that Dean and I could go out to dinner to my favorite restaurant, Dawsons, and also go to the Murat to see an awesome comedy show featuring Frank Caliendo. Frank is know for his impersonations and I swear if I closed my eyes, I truly believed Charles Barkely, John Madden, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton were on stage. We had a great time and my jaw hurt from laughing so much.

The boys and I had a playdate this week with one of my best friends and her beautiful baby boy, Adam. He is 2 months old and such a cutie pie. Speaking of best friends. Here is a picture of my best friends (one since middle school and one since high school) and our kids at Build-a-Bear right after Christmas. Cherrylynn, Cadalyn Jane, Angela, Adam (at least the back of his head!), the boys and I. So cute!

Much to Ben's delight we have also been spending a lot of time with Kirin lately. Ben out of the blue informed me one day last week that I was "going to be a grandma some day." I told him that would be wonderful and asked him if he knew who he was going to marry so that he could make me a grandma, to which Ben responded as though I was daft to even ask "Kirin. I'm going to marry Kirin some day." Well, just in case that does happen, I have been snapping even more pictures of the two of them so I can have one awesome collage of photos to share at their wedding ;)

Some more random pictures from the past week of the boys screwing around...what they do best! Here is a good shot of the four top teeth that are coming in right now and caused us to take a trip to the pediatrician this week to see why Joe Bug was being such a grouch! Joe and Trey playing Playing with sissy and Cousin.

Joe Joe showing Sissy "where's the baby?!"