Rockets For Sale

Have you ever been walking down the street and you wished there was a rocket stand nearby where you could fold and decorate your own rocket and then try to blast it off?  No?  Well, me neither, but that's only because I've never seen one before!  Lizzy, Caroline, and Peter had this wonderful idea and set up shop outside Caroline's house.  They waited a long, long, long time.......but finally (and miraculously) they had not one, but TWO groups of customers.  It was awesome!  The kids came, they folded, they colored, and they created.  Our budding entrepreneurs had a wonderful afternoon together at their now famous rocket stand.

Giants!

Peter has wanted to be on a baseball team for years.  I think since he first saw Trevor in his uniform years ago, he has been itching to get his own uniform and to hit the field.  Finally, it's time for T-ball!  Peter is on the Giants (how cool is that?!), and that's not all.  His team is made up of all his buddies from his class.  It's so awesome!  We love all the boys, and it's so great to get to spend time with so many wonderful families.  Peter loves playing baseball.  This is Peter on Opening Day in our town.  If you've never been to Opening Day, it's something really special to behold.  All the players (over 900 in our case!) come together and process onto the field.  There was a marching band, and wonderful speakers, and you can't help but get caught up in the excitement.  We're so excited for Peter's special season on the Giants!

Our Family Selfie

I was so lucky to get to spend my birthday with my favorite people.  Pat always makes me feel extra special on my birthday, and the kids are so sweet to share in the fun.  Lizzy made me the most lovely card, that made me feel so special and loved.  She's always so good at that!  Pat got a big cake that we all loved sharing together, and then mommy and daddy got to sneak away for a yummy dinner together.  What a great night!  I loved our family selfie that we took to commemorate the night- a family first!

The Best Weekend

We went on the very best weekend trip with our special friends!  It was so much fun!  We rented a house together for three whole nights, and we got to do so many special things!  We visited Calaveras big tree state park, and took the most amazing hike through the forest.  The trees were huge, and so beautiful!  We got to drive up to the snow, and go tubing together all day.  The kids absolutely loved that, and we had so much fun!  I loved playing games together, running around outside our cabin, making dinners together, and just having tons of hanging out time.  What a blast!  It's so awesome to get to spend time with such special friends!

My Three Valentines

Aren't I lucky!  These three beauties are my little Valentines!  I love getting to share my love, and my life, with these three wonderful people!

Cookies and Dinner, Oh My!

When Grandma comes to visit, she doesn't mess around.  She always comes with lots of special things in her trunk.  On this day, she brought two, yes two, big cookie sheets with the dough already rolled out ready to cut into heart shaped cookies (and of course this wasn't just regular dough, but dough with pink and yellow chocolate chips).  She also brought snacks, various presents and surprises for Valentines Day, and the very best of all, dinner........and not just any dinner, but Chicken Rice Roger!  Yum!  Grandma loves fun.  She loves to play together, and do fun activities, and be busy little bees together.  She's always thinking of us, and showers us with her love.  We are so very lucky!

Stow-away Friend

Sometimes on our adventures, Catherine will have a stow-away sitting next to her.  Today, it was her very good friend Cinderella who came along for the ride.  Look how happy these girls are!  I'm glad she decided to join us:)

The Best

These three.....they're just simply the best.  It's such joy for me to watch them grow together.  I love to see how their relationships with one another are constantly growing and changing.  They're friends, and playmates, and helpers, and shoulders to lean on.  They take care of one another when someone is hurt or down, they make each other laugh, they make plans and think of games together, and they encourage one another.  They are all sometimes leaders or followers, big or little, they seem to sense what the others need, and know how to fill it.  They are a wonderful team, and the greatest gifts I've ever known.  I'm thankful daily for all I learn from them, and the happiness they bring to our family.

Babies on Parade

I'm on a cute overload over here.  The pink, the tutu, the glasses, the stroller.....come on, it's just too much!  Catherine wanted to take her baby for a walk the other day, so we strolled down the street together.  First Catherine pushed her baby in the swing, then I got to have a turn pushing my baby (and her baby).  What a perfect way to spend a morning!

Basketball Cuties

 It's one of my favorite times of the year: Basketball Season!  Lizzy and all her classmates are on a team together, and it's so fun!  The girls have a blast together, and it's so fun to see them learning the game.  Lizzy is a great little player.  She works hard on defense, can dribble really well, and has made many baskets.  We love to watch her have fun, and we're so proud of her hard work.  Go Lizzy!

Always Go

After our busy New Years, we weren't sure if we were quite ready to get on the road again.  But then, Lizzy was invited to her old friend Tatum's birthday party, and we thought we'd make a day of it by going to the party and then meeting all our special friends for dinner at one of our favorite spots- Jeffrey's.  Of course that voice in the back of my head was saying, "More driving?  You're running yourself (and the kids) ragged!  Maybe you should just skip it."  But as usual, we were so, so glad we went.  Always go!  That should be the rule.  If you're invited somewhere, just go.  It's always so fun and always worth the effort.  Lizzy had so much fun playing with her old school friends.  They were so sweet and welcoming, and they had the best time.  Afterwards, we all loved getting to have dinner with special friends.  What a treat!  We even stopped by the Vanis' for a quick bath before we hit the road, and the kids had even more fun getting to play together.  Always go!  It's always worth it!