The Lastest and Greatest

It has been awhile since I updated our blog.  Here are a few things that have been going on in the LaFroth household lately:

Archer
Baby Archer is trouble, trouble, trouble! 

I truly adore him, but I have to remember to remove the dog bowls when he is awake or I'll find him eating dog food and swimming in the water.  I have to remember to close the bathroom door or I'll find him splashing in the toilet.  I have to clear all horizontal surfaces within his reach or he'll clear them for me.  I have to be sure not to leave a glass of water sitting within his reach or it will be dumped.  Anything that can possibly be dumped will be dumped.  I have locks on most of my kitchen cupboards and drawers, but the few that aren't locked are quickly emptied.  He was sick this past week and I felt so bad for him, but I must confess I enjoyed him cuddling with me a little more than usual.  He actually laid his head my shoulder a few times which he hasn't done once since his fever broke!  He is busy, busy, busy and leaves a tornado in his wake!  In spite of the messes he makes, I love watching him explore.  He smiles all of the time and always makes me smile too.  His latest accomplishment is walking.  Here is a little video clip:

Tanner
Tanner had a birthday!

He is 5-years-old now and I can hardly believe it! For his birthday breakfast he requested crepes, bacon, and juice. As usual, we brought it to him in bed. You can see my big kids had just rolled out of bed themselves.

Love the hair!

He had corn dogs and cupcakes for lunch and we went to Chuck E. Cheese for dinner. It was a happy day! 

Tanner is such a pleasant child and I'm so thankful for him. He is going to preschool at 4 R's right now and I can't say enough good things about that place. He will be in kindergarten next year. I asked him if he wants to go to school or do kindergarten at home like the big kids. He said he wants to do it at home. I'm so glad because I would sure miss him if he was away all day.

Valentine's Day
One year, we made a turkey for Valentine's day and it made it into a photo book.  Now my kids just assume I'm going to make a turkey every Valentine's day!  Well...going out to dinner with my husband while someone else cooks and cleans up sounds a little more appealing, but it's fun to celebrate V-day as a family too.  My friend gave me a recipe for "bacon-wrapped turkey."  What a combo!  She said she put the bacon on a plate and served it on the side of the turkey at the table.  Well...the bacon never made it to our table.  You can see my kids picking the bacon off the turkey right out of the oven! 

I remember my mom making pink mashed potatoes and pink bread one year for Valentine's day.  I was planning to do that too, but I got so caught up in the turkey that I forgot.  It was a yummy dinner even with white mashed potatoes. :)




Tubing in Manufactured Snow
We took a field trip to Massenutten to go tubing.  We did not get any significant snow this year which was such a bummer.  Luckily, they manufacture snow at Massenutten so we were able to do a little tubing anyway.

The upside: You don't have to climb up the hill after you go down. You ride up on a ramp.
The downside: It goes very slowly and takes a long time. Once you get to the top, you have to wait in a line before you get to go down.

The slow ride up.

Waiting in line to go down.

We had a lot of fun together.  I love family outings because they are a break from the norm and they take me away from all the work that surrounds me at home! :)

Gettysburg
We went to Gettysburg last November, but I am just now getting around to posting pictures. 

Our first trip to Gettysburg was a couple of years ago.  My children loved running around and climbing on the rocks, but they didn't really appreciate the historical aspect of it.  This time we prepped them for a different experience.  We studied the Civil War in our history club; we watched several movies including "Gettysburg;"  the kids picked out their favorite generals and loved "re-enacting" at home; we bought a CD to listen to in the car as we drove around that would tell all that happened at each battlefield.  It was the perfect set-up for a grand historical experience.  Did we have it?  No, not exactly.  The kids really just wanted to play with stuff at the store and get to Little Round Top so they could climb around on the giant rocks.  They didn't care about the battlefields or history, but I guess I can't blame them.  They are kids after all.  Truth be told, even I got tired of the slow pace set by the CD.  We had a great family outing anyway and still want to go back! :)

Cousin Kyle came too and the three cousins had a great time.