Google's Auto Awesome

So I mentioned in a previous post how I recently discovered Auto Awesome on Google+. I don't really use Google+ for anything other than photo storage and quick and easy uploading from my phone to my blog, but one day I received a notification on my phone from Auto Awesome. I had no idea what it was. I started looking through this album that Google had just created for me out of photos taken or stored on my phone/blog, and they were definitely awesome! I posted some really great ones of the kids at the end of the Icemageddon blog post last week. Well this week Google has sent me a few more, and one is so hilarious that I cannot resist posting it here.

I mean, if this does not perfectly encapsulate my silly, spunky, girly daughter at the age of 2, then I really don't know what does.

Fall Family Pictures

I hope that by now you all have received your Christmas cards, so I guess it's safe to share the rest of our photos taken recently by my sweet friend, Ashley :)

Lots of good family shots!

Daddy and his girl

My heart

My other heart ;)

Handsome guys!

Hard to believe I've spent a third of my life with this man!

Precious ones

Carter at 4 1/2

The main reason I had Ashley take pictures was for Ella's 2nd birthday. She was in such a silly mood, so we got a lot of really silly shots. But I love them, they capture her  personality so perfectly! 

My gorgeous girl at age 2

Drama queen

Posing!

"Icemageddon" / "Icepocalypse" 2013

The ice storm we had this past weekend has kept us mostly at home and inside. Although we did venture out to eat once and to Target. Eric actually had to work on Saturday, so he was out of the house that day. We did manage to spend a little bit of time outside each day, though, taking the kids sledding a few different times. We have some great hills in and around our neighborhood. We rigged up some laundry baskets with some straps to pull the kids, and it worked perfectly!! Here are lots of pictures of the fun we had!

 Patiently waiting to head outside.

 Or maybe not so patiently....

 Made it out. Don't look so excited, Ella. (I promise you, she was!!)

 She looks like such a big girl to me!

 Carter quickly discovered how much fun it was to slide across the ice.

 So many icicles on the playset out back!

 And now we're eating them.....

 Little lady

 still eating ice chunks..... that's what they're there for, right?

 Carter just had to climb into the little playset and go down the ice-covered slide since I wouldn't let him do the big one.

 And of course, Ella was right behind.

 He found the biggest icicle he could reach!

 (please excuse the snotty nose, ha!)

 Back for more.

 They ate so many icicles out there. When we finally went in I said, "ok guys, what do yall want for lunch?" Carter said, "I'm not that hungry because I had icicles for lunch!" :)

 Later than afternoon we got layered up again and went down to the park to sled.

 We went down in our laundry basket sleds... It worked perfectly! And I'm sure was the safest way to get the kids down there since it was so slippery.

 Cutie pies.

 There is a small hill in the field between our street and the elementary school.... a great spot!

Ready

 Set

 Go!

 Ella's turn

 They must've gone down at least 50 times

 These are some of my favorite pictures of them. Eric pushed them down together... you can just see the joy on both their faces!

 Carter wanted to push Ella down

 So fun!

 Carter pulling his own basket to another spot across the field.

 Weeeeee!

 And Ella's turn to work....

She got a kick out of pushing the empty basket down on her own.

 So big and independent

 She really cheesed it up big for me in these next several pictures. Love every single one of them! 

So beautiful!

Pretty view of our street covered in snow

 One last trip down the hill before heading home... together this time!! Happy kiddos!

And here is a quick video of one of Ella's first times to sled. :)

Eric worked all day Saturday, but got home about 4pm. By that time the kids and I were about to scratch our eyeballs out, so Eric suggested we go to dinner somewhere. Since he had just been on the roads, he felt like we could do it if we just stayed so close to home. So we headed to Christina's for some mexican food. Think the 3 of us are happy to be out of the house?! HA!! Then we spent about an hour killing time at Target playing with toys and browsing just so we didn't have to go back home yet! We all actually all had a lot of fun doing something so simple.

Sunday was another day at home, so more Christmas movies and sledding. I decided to leave my camera behind, not worry about pictures, and just enjoy the fun, but I really wish I had taken it. We played for about an hour in a different spot. It was the prettiest little clearing with a few small trees scattered and perfect hills, and it would have made for some great shots, I'm sure. Oh well, I'll know for next time! We did take some fun videos though. Enjoy :)

Silly boy

Ella and I sled together

Snow angel

Listen to Ella! And at the end she says, "AGAIN!"

Look how far and quickly he runs on solid ice without falling.... talent!

Ella took a spill right on her booty first thing this morning, and was no longer willing to walk on the ice. She came up with this solution all on her own! :)

And I just have to share these awesome versions of my photos that I just discovered. Google+ created these on it's own and put into my "Auto Awesome" folder. Google, I love you for this!! 

Perfection!!