Some Valentine Advice...

....from my 3 year old:

"only kiss on the cheek, not on the wips."

I just hope he's saying the same thing in 12 years! :)

Valentine Goodies

We decided to throw an impromptu Valentine Party tonight and invite the cousins over for "dinner & a movie." So, the boys and I spent all morning making decorations.



I pulled out all the pink and purple scrapbooking paper out of my stacks [not much need for those colors around here, so we've got plenty of that!]



It was so much fun ~ 2 hours flew by before we knew it [and then, of course, there was the mad dash to eat lunch, get Evan dressed for school, and drive to the bus stop with the rest of us still in our p.j.'s just to make it in time!]




Our house looks so cheery now....just walking into the kitchen makes me smile. Might have to keep them up for a while [read: until I get a spurt of energy to take them down :)]

And while I'm sharing....

thought I'd share the treats I made for Evan's Valentine Party at school...

They are heart banana cupcake lollipops with chocolate icing. And they are SO yummy!! I only had one though....weigh-in is tomorrow morning.

Evan and I also made each one of his classmates a heart-shaped crayon using all the little bits and pieces of crayons I've collected. It was super easy!! I used a Wilton silicone heart mold for both the cupcakes and the crayons [don't worry, Mark ate the cupcakes that had a little bit of leftover coloring on them from the crayon project - HA! ;)]

Evan broke the crayons up and put them in each mold (which we sprayed with Pam cooking spray first) We popped it in the oven at 250 for 10-15 minutes and then let them cool completely.

I cannot take any credit for either of these projects ~ my sister, Jill, made them for Ava's birthday and they were a hit. I'm just a copycat! :)

I'll have to post some pics of the Valentine Party next week.

Hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day with the ones you love...

Love is in the Air

In case you haven't noticed, Valentine's Day is quickly approaching.



This weekend.



But I don't want to talk about mushy, romantic love.



I've been thinking about the blessings I have in my life
{besides the obvious - wonderful hubby and three beautiful kids :)}



I started to list in my head all the things about my life that I love right now and I thought I'd share them with you. Might have to turn this into a scrapbook page eventually....



1. I LOVE that I am able to stay home with my children instead of working outside the home.



2. I LOVE that my house backs up to an Amish farm and we get to enjoy their animals at the fence.



3. I LOVE that we have beautiful clear views of both the sunrise and sunset from the back of our house.



4. I LOVE that my boys have a sense of humor.



5. I LOVE that we live on a cul-de-sac and my kids can play in the street.



6. I LOVE writing articles for and putting together my MOPS newsletter.



7. I LOVE that other people love my newsletter ~ it makes me feel good.



8. I LOVE being able to be creative.



9. I LOVE the smell of a fresh box of crayons.



10. I LOVE that my husband polishes my shoes for me without me asking.



11. I LOVE spending time with our families.



12. I LOVE reading other people's blogs.



13. I LOVE finding the humor in my crazy everyday life.



14. I LOVE that Evan loves to draw.



15. I LOVE that Ryan loves school stuff.



16. I LOVE that Nathan loves reading books.



17. I LOVE how God uses verses that seem like they're speaking directly to me. 1 Peter 4:11 is a current favorite...



18. I LOVE how fresh flowers can brighten a room.



19. I LOVE having the windows open and getting fresh air in the house {like right now - in the middle of February!!}



20. I LOVE blogging and getting comments on my blog....so why don't you leave one? :)



I'd love to know what you LOVE about your life right now....what comes to mind? Leave me a comment :)

Why?

Why do I even bother asking these rhetorical questions?

"Ryan, why are you attempting to sit and spin ON TOP of the table???????"

And then, I looked at the rest of the room.

My children are very resourceful...

Aunt Cindi Strikes Again!

Aunt Cinci got our family the BESTEST Christmas gift this year - an annual pass to the Philadelphia Zoo. And believe it or not, we actually have had a chance to use it already! We had a day between Christmas and New Year's with temps in the 60s!!! My sister, Megan, and her family also have an annual pass, so we met up with them....

The kids had a blast. Evan had been to the Philly Zoo only once when he was 2 and this was Ryan and Nathan's first visit. Nathan LOVED the turtles...

Everyone loved the polar bears, but we wish they'd been in the water.

LOOK AT THE MONKEYS!!!!!



It was so warm [at least in the kids' perspectives] that Abby kept pulling her pants up to make shorts. Here she is as we were leaving...don't you just love the pose??? Hysterical!

And here's our motley crew [minus Mark, the photographer] as we were leaving. What a fun day - with promises of many more to come!!!!! :) Thanks, Aunt Cindi! :)

I've Been Tagged!

I've been tagged by my friend, Cassie. You're supposed to go to the 6th folder of photos in your computer, pick the 6th photo, post it on your blog, and then tag 6 friends to do the same thing. Here's mine from last spring:

Evan with a pull-up on his head.

Apparently my family has a weird obsession with wearing things on our heads! :)

Now, it's your turn....

I'm tagging

1. Amy - because I'm sure she has some funny pics to share :)

2. Megan - because she's my wonderful sister

3. Jill - because she's my other wonderful sister

4. Lisa - because she was my grade partner when I was still teaching and we had our babies 1 day apart

5. Emilie - because she makes me laugh

6. Kari - because she faithfully leaves comments on my blog

Have fun!

Blast off....

So, I'm pretty sure we've got our money's worth out of the

Cranium Space Helmet that Ryan got for Christmas...