Well, hello my long lost friends.  Okay... so you weren't the ones that were long lost, and I haven't really been lost either... just really busy.  Good Busy, but busy.  :)  I will try to do better.  I almost cried when I realized that the last time I updated this site was in February, and it was SNOWING!!!  Thank goodness there is no more snow but lots of pretty flowers blooming.

These next few pictures are from our picnic at the beach.  We have a beach in our neighborhood within walking distance from our house.  We loaded up the wagon and took our lunch to the beach. Allie's friend from next door and my niece went with us too.  It was a beautiful day and everyone had a great time.  Sorry I didn't take too many pictures... I was too busy enjoying myself.  :)

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Chase loves to help us with absolutely everything.  It doesn't matter if it's unloading the dishwasher or helping Daddy with a project.  He has to help.  Most days this is fine... I will admit there are some days when I really don't feel like spending three times as long to get something done.  Oh well, he's happy... and maybe, just maybe he will keep this up when he gets older.  Don't worry... I'm not holding my breath on that one.  :)  So anyway... Troy was unloading bags of mulch and adding them to the flower beds.  Chase was, of course, helping.  Troy took off his work gloves and put them in his back pocket.  Then you see Mini-Troy take off his work gloves and try to stick them in his back pocket.  He needed a little help with getting them in there, but it was just too cute.

  

I love my guys!!!!

Well, that's it for now.  I promise to update again soon... maybe even tonight... I still have Easter and Soccer pictures to share with you!!!

It's Snowing... Again!

So... once again, we are getting a snow storm.  I love snow.  I get to stay home with the kids, watch them play and make hot chocolate and cookies.  I especially love the snow when it's enough to keep Troy home with me.  I've always been excited to hear "snow" in the forecast.  I even like driving in it.  Not when it's so bad that it's dangerous, but when the flakes are hitting your windshield... at night when it looks like you are driving through a million tiny stars... snow is great.

So you think I would be really excited when this is what it looked like before I went to bed last night.  I couldn't even get a great shot of that tree... There were too many flakes coming down.. I'm sure there is some setting on my camera that would have done it, but I was tired and it was cold out there.  :)

Then the excitement should have really been flowing when I got up and looked out back.  Yeah... more snow!

Here is the horse swing the kids love to play on in the summer.  It can't do much swinging now! 

And when I stuck my ruler in the snow and thought I might lose it ( a few more inches and I will)... You would think I would be jumping for joy.  SNOW, SNOW, SNOW!!!!

But this one time, just this one time.... I'm not jumping for joy... There is a little sadness in me towards all that snow... All that snow that just keeps falling... All that wonderful snow that would keep us snowed in together all weekend... That wonderful excuse to not really do anything but play games and watch movies and just have great snow days...  to just be together...

Yeah, you would think I would love it.

But guess what... not this time... Tonight we were supposed to go to Connie and Steve's for my birthday dinner.  Now, I'm a big girl... I can handle missing my birthday dinner.  But guess what we were having.....

Yep... LOBSTER!

It might have looked like this....

or maybe like this....

maybe even like this...

Yuuuummmmmmmmy!

I won't know until we can once again get out of our driveway.  Oh well... at least I have my family snowed in with me.  That wonderful, beautiful lobster will just have to wait to get in my belly.  :)

Oh... and ... that wonderful, fabulous, fantastic man that I'm married to bought me diamond earrings for my birthday.... even though my birthday dinner has to wait, I am a VERY lucky girl.

My Little Cheerleader!!!

Allie is Cheerleading!  She had her first game today.  She did great.  I was really afraid that she wouldn't get up in front of all those people to do her cheers, but SHE DID!  And she did wonderful.  Daddy was in charge of the camera AND Chase while I was helping the Coach.  :)  Thank goodness for Daddy. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

I know this is a few days late, but we truly hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.  Ours was magical as always.  Allie and Chase make it so special.  Chase was at a really fun age this year.  He could open his presents all by himself, and he would get so excited when he opened things.  I love it!!!  Allie, of course, takes great pride in helping him with any ribbon he can't get off the package.  She is such a fantastic big sister.  I love watching the two of them together... usually... not always... they are, after all, still brother and sister.  :)  Daddy was in charge of the camera this year. 

We went to Troy's parents on Christmas Eve like always.  We have a nice dinner and then open all the presents.  They also came to our house on Christmas day with my family this year.  It was great.  I hope it's a new tradition.  I loved getting them both days.  :)

There is some unwritten law somewhere that states that Mommy can never get a good picture with both of her children.  He is just like his father... always making some face when I want a nice picture.

Allie and Chase with Grandpa.

Chase was helping Nannie open one of her presents.

Daddy and Chase playing with Allie's new Karaoke machine.  I had gotten Chase new Christmas pajamas too, but he insisted on wearing the new Elmo pjs that Nannie and Grandpa gave him. 

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This was on Christmas morning.  Allie is checking out her stocking.  Every year I promise myself I am going to get better and more pictures on Christmas day.  Every year I get so caught up in just enjoying the moments with the kids that I forget to grab the camera.  Oh well.  :)

This is Chase coming down the stairs in the morning.  Allie had to wake him.  He sat down on the steps as soon as he could see the Christmas tree with all the gifts.  Then he saw the little train set that Santa had set up.  His eyes lit up, and he ran over to play with it.  I wish I would have gotten a picture of his face, but I was busy enjoying his face.  :)

There was a house full of people,  very loud, everyone having a great time.... my baby boy was exhausted.  He crawled up in the chair and took a nap.  :)

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow... and IT DID!!!

YAY... we finally got a GOOD snow storm.  My girl could finally make a snow angel without getting up and seeing dirt underneath. Poor Troy had to keep going out and trying to plow in it.  Then of course, his four-wheeler was having issues so it didn't get done as well as he would have liked.  That's okay... as least we weren't snowed in for days.  :)  We have a long driveway that four houses share.

I never went out for a final measurement.  I stuck the ruler in before it finished snowing.  :)

Troy and Allie heading over to the neighbor's house.

We just found out recently that my girl needed glasses.  :(  Of course she couldn't get her father's SuperMan vision... she had to get my horrible vision.  Oh well, at least she looks cute in glasses.  They had just come in from the snow so her cheeks are still a little pink.

Williamsburg

First, I have to say I am sorry for taking so long to update this blog.  I know you all had a hard time sleeping at night not knowing what the Wick Family was up to.  :)  The pictures below are actually from November when we went on our annual shopping trip to Williamsburg, Virginia.  We always have a great time, and Connie always helps keep me sane during our several days of shopping with two kids.  :)  We went to see Santa at one of his workshops.  He was sitting at his desk looking over his lists and writing letters to all of the good girls and boys.  Somehow, miraculously, my kids were actually on the good list.  Just kidding... sort of.  :)

Santa has this magic village in his workshop.  When you blow towards it all of the lights go off.  When you blow again, they come  back on.

Here Fishy, Fishy, Fishy...

We went out fishing one day last week.  It turned out to be a beautiful Fall day.  We had a blast.  We didn't even have all of our lines in the water before the first one started going off.  At one point, we only had one line in the water because we were reeling in the other ones or getting fish off of them.  In less than one hour we had our maximum allowed catch for the day (12 Rockfish).  We also caught some fish that we had to throw back (too small).  It was pretty crazy.

Here is Chase getting ready to start fishing.

Allie reeled in several fish.  Troy is holding the rod for her, but she COMPLETELY reeled it in all by herself.  We even asked her if she wanted us to help, but she was determined to do it by herself.

Imagine our surprise when she not only managed to reel it in alone, but she reeled in a doubler... Two fish on the same rig!  That's my girl!

Chase reeled in some fish too, but Daddy helped a little more with him.  :)

It was Allie's turn again... Mommy helped hold the rod this time.  Again, she did it by herself.

And the fish Allie caught that time.

This was the sunset as we were heading back to the dock.

Our catch for the day... and our dinner the next few nights.  :)

Allie and Chase with their Pop Pop.

Allie playing photographer... she actually does a really good job with taking pictures.

Chase holding his fish...

Daddy kissing a fish...

Well, if Daddy can do it...