Snow-mageddon-pocalypse 2013

Hello? Can you hear me? We're buried under lots of snow here in Kansas! Mother Nature is having a field day with us at the end of winter.
We were home starting Thursday, and didn't get mobile again until Saturday. The snow-plow man must have it in for our neighborhood. I feel like we are always the last street to get plowed!

Day 1 of snow was pretty fun. Day 2 of snow was a little harder to take. Oliver kept looking at me on Friday like, c'mon Mom, get it together and create some fun up in this joint. Getting a toddler ready to go outside in this kind of weather is seriously a workout in itself, and most of the time, it takes longer just to get out the door than it does being out the door! Oh well, this snow doesn't come around too often (thank goodness) so I guess we should just enjoy it while it lasts. Here are some pics from our winter wonderland.

Here is Oliver's tiny snowman he made from the light snow we had a week before. And I thought that small amount of snowfall was annoying. Little did I know what was coming...

The task of getting ready to go outside and play/shovel

Let's do this.

Will work for gummy worms or Spiderman tattoos.

Amusing ourselves.

We did manage to make it out to see Yo Gabba Gabba Live! in Kansas City. Oliver sat mesmerized for most of the show. He had fun and got to see some friends from school there too! Entertainment in any form was sorely needed so DJ Lance and the gang from Yo Gabba came just in time.

Life-size

Oliver, Ayana (possible future wife?), Quinn & her brother Cade

Getting the "sillies" out!

On Sunday we went over to the Clothiers' house for some sledding fun. I think it might be the first or maybe second time in life that I have gone sledding. Definitely Oliver's first. Well, to be honest, "sledding" took the form of green plastic round things like saucers courtesy of the Clothier family. I think actual sleds sold out in Lawrence in record time last week. But, it was fun and he was brave! He even went down by himself a few times.

Sledding with Noah & Madeline Clothier!

Now it's time to see how many more inches will be falling tonight/tomorrow. Anyone with a snow blower is welcome to stop by! :)

Life in the country

Happy Fat Tuesday!

We visited Faxon, Oklahoma this weekend, driving 6 hours on Friday night, and 6 hours back on Sunday, but it was totally worth it to let Oliver wreak havoc enthusiastically explore life at Nana and Pa-Pa's house! The weather was decent enough for O to get a few runs in on "Herbie", Pa-Pa's big tractor. There is also little Herbie, a riding lawn mower, but big Herbie takes the cake in Oliver's universe. This is probably not a big deal to alot of you out there in blog world, but to me, growing up a "city girl" by any definition, visiting my parents' new place outside of town is pretty foreign. They have actual acreage. And cows just across the fence. (There may have been an inside the fence incident once with said cows!) There is also a beautiful view of the Wichita Mountains, which I believe is the reason for the particular spot of land chosen for their life after children/work/responsibility. It just needs to rain some more down there in southwestern Oklahoma, and they will really have it made.

We all visited my grandparents, who were completely enthralled with our wild little ball of energy, and I got to visit some dear friends I have known since we were, what, maybe 5, 6 years old? I tell ya, they do make some good people down in Lawton. I always say it's a nice place to be from... ;) 

We finished off the trip with a drive through the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge and lunch at Meers. If you have not experienced a juicy Meersburger, well, you have not lived!

It was a long car ride, but to Matt's and my amazement, Oliver told us every time when he had to go potty, and he held it until we found a bathroom! Yippeee! Corner, meet Turn. More on this achievement next time! 

Oliver gets some drive time.

Four Generations of Youngblood blood! 

Sporting Nana and Pa-Pa's Valentine present: OSU Band Aids! Don't worry, no injuries were inflicted to get this photo. :)

Finally, February!

Hear that?
It's the sound of an intense sigh of relief. January was the worst month on record for the Coles household, medically speaking.
Between colds, flus, ear infections, bronchitis, we have experienced our annual share of illness all in the first month of 2013!!!! Special thanks to Grammy and Grandpa who were unlucky enough to be here when Oliver came down with the flu.

Praying for health to take hold and stay there!

February did start quite nicely, thank goodness. Charlie Griffith's 3rd birthday party was a hit, and OSU beat KU in basketball on the same day! Unexpected bonus that I will definitely take, thank you very much. Sorry, Jayhawks. I am allowed to be a Poke fan on days we play you. It's a written law somewhere, I'm pretty sure.

Batman theme! There is lots of talk about Batman and Spiderman at our house these days. We're not really sure whether they are good guys or bad guys, though. It changes on an hourly basis.

January did have some highlights, such as taking Oliver to see Sesame Street Live! at the Sprint Center in KC. He loved it! Then, he got to eat lunch at T-Rex Cafe with all of his friends. It's his favorite restaurant, surprise, surprise. This trip was a good warm up for Yo Gabba Gabba Live! which we will be taking him to see here at the end of February. Unfortunately, he has already gotten wind of this next performance, and every morning when he wakes up, he tells me he is ready to go see DJ Lance. Patience, kid! I know, I know, exclamation points out the wahzoo on this paragraph. :)

Charlie, Samantha Whaley and Oliver. 1 for 3 on smiles. 

Oliver and Mia Kenkel digging for dino bones at T Rex. They maybe lost our reservation for 20 people. It was a long, late lunch, but the kids were troopers.

This weekend we will be making the long drive down to my parents' house. Lawton, are you ready for us? I'm not sure we are for you, but we're coming all the same! Fingers crossed it's nice enough outside for Oliver to get in lots of rides on "Herbie", Paw Paw's tractor extraordinaire! (Note, I'm aware that I am not consistent on my spelling of Pawpaw. Is it Paw Paw? Pa Pa? Papa? Pawpaw? Pa-Pa? Paw-Paw? I could go on, but sense you see my confusion on this subject. Perhaps he who cannot be named will shed some light on this issue this weekend.)

Ciao for now! Or as Oliver is fond of saying these days, "See you later, allie-gater."