Spring - in full force!

Mom came to visit for a fun-filled weekend. She says it was because I was homesick (which may be true) but I think it was just to get out of the cold and see the flowers. What ever the reason I'm glad she came!

Tyler attended his FIRST Pinewood Derby for Scouts. His car took second in his Pack so he got to go to Regionals today. How did nobody mention Pinewood Derbys take 3 hours?! He had a great time but we were D-O-N-E by the time it was over. His car is the on on the far left.

Baseball practice started. I didn't actually get a picture of Ty practicing yet, that will come. However, these are Carter's WHITE socks after finding a mud puddle. I don't know if there is an internal radar or just some sort of 6th sense with this kid...

Soccer also started for Ellie. This picture is at her first game, you can tell how excited she is! This girl loves life!

(Just a side-note: her practice and Ty's practice are at the exact same date and time... in different towns. Also the same night as Scouts and Achievement Days. And Relief Society. AAAANNNNNDDDD Mutual just to make it interesting to find a sitter those days Dee is out of town. )

Like I said, Spring is here. Time to get out and walk the monkey on cold days...

Or ride into the sunset (moon-set?) on warm days!

Snowboarding and Spring

One of the cool things about living where we are is we don't get snow. The other cool thing is just an hour north there is a ski resort. Dee took Tyler and McKenna for a day of snowboarding. They had lessons in the morning and cruised all afternoon. They had so much fun (even if they could hardly sit or stand the next day). They were waaayyyyy too hot as soon as the sun came up over the mountain (Dee said that was the weirdest thing about skiing in California) and shed most of their warm clothes. However, they had a great time!

Second to post about is the ending of Winter. Living here in NorCal doesn't provide terrible Winters like our previous lives elsewhere. However, there is still something magical about blooming trees, flowers popping up and that green-green Spring grass that makes getting outside FANTASTIC!





And last, but not least, my favorite hat of Carter's we found at a garage sale.



SCORE!

The quilt and the need to complete something

As a stay at home mom my job is never done. Dishes, laundry, cleaning anything will all have to be done again tomorrow. Usually this is just an acceptable part of my job but occasionally I will find a great need to actually complete something that will stay done.

I decided to pull out those old jeans I've been saving to do a denim quilt. I looked up the instructions online and TAAA DAAAA! A completed project! It took me a good week longer than I had anticipated since I only worked on it during my small helper's nap time. Also Dee jumped in and helped tie and stitch during the last stages. (You'll notice the pliers in his picture.) What an awesome guy!

So, there you have it. A completed project that I am happy about. Guess I'll go fold the laundry.

TAA DAA!

Candy obsession - and recipe to boot

There are a couple candy obsessions in our family. Cadbury mini-eggs are at the top of the list. Also chocolate in various forms. Mike and Ikes and jelly-bellies (especially pear mmmmmm). My sister in law's favorite that I've been introduced to (just add it to the list!) are chocolate covered cinnamon bears. Imagine my delight and I'll admit, a little drool, when I discovered this recipe on a website. The pictures alone are worthy of licking the computer screen.

We just might try making these for Valentine's Day. I'll let you know how they turn out. Wish you were here to taste test, Amber!

http://theidearoom.blogspot.com/2010/01/chocolate-covered-cinnamon-bears.html

New Glasses

McKenna got new glasses (mostly for reading, but she loves wearing them... so far.) The color is turtle-mint. How cute is she?!

52 Dates Tribute

We've been challenged many times before to have weekly dates as spouses for as long as I can remember. Last year we made a resolution to have a monthly date and that seemed pretty do-able. However, about half way through the year it fizzled to an every now and again commitment.

Well, this being something important to both of us (not only because we are SUPPOSED to do it but because we actually ENJOY being together as a couple) we thought we'd try again this year.

One day I stumbled across an awesome idea on a blog. http://www.simplymodernmom.com/2009/12/project-52-date-nights/

52 dates project. It sounded simple, do-able, and fun. It has a print out pledge you and your spouse can sign with rules that apply. (Again, simple. No kids, no frumpy clothes, etc.) One thing I love about it is it gave us a place to start. It is also things you can do at home - appetizer night, game night. There is plenty of flexibility for those of us that are last minute planners, like I said it just gave us a place to start.

We're going to take the challenge and I'll try to remember to post fun things we've come up with once a month or so. So, like she asks on her blog... are you in?

How to eat a "bapple"

You can hold it with two hands ...

or no hands ...

or use the table ...

Make sure it knows who is boss!

And always love your food!