Happy Valentine's Day

It was Valentine's Day for three days straight at our house, with a special care package arriving each day! Thanks for spoiling us!!

On Sunday, we gave the girls flowers and ate our special meal together--steak au poivre with rosemary roasted potatoes. It was so good that Kaitlyn had three helpings (much to our dismay, as we wanted it for ourselves!) On Monday, the kids sweetly curled up on the couch in their new heart blanket from Jo and Kyle...though they could not be convinced to smile! Then, on Tuesday, we all went to a fun party with friends from my moms' group. I can dress them up cute, but I have no control over their expressions!

A Good Weekend

This past weekend was full of little delights. Kaitlyn went to her first big birthday party--at Build-A-Bear! She was ecstatic to bring home a new friend, Bunny, who is now best buds with her beloved, bedraggled Hop.





Meanwhile, the kitchen smelled wonderful all weekend as Matt made sticky buns and brioche. I was so sad when all the baked goods were gone that I made the heart cookies for Kaitlyn's preschool party two days early!

Uncle Jason Visits

Actually, Uncle Jason was here two weeks ago. We don't have many photos to document the visit, but that's only because we were too busy having fun to go find the camera. We went to the National Air & Space Museum, where we marveled at space ships and lunar modules and large-scale satellite images. The planes were pretty neat, too, though I was discouraged to see how much legroom passengers used to get!


The rest of the time Jason was busy playing Little People, puzzles and princesses with the girls (what a great uncle!) and cuddling Jack. The kids LOVED all of the attention! And we loved the break.

It's Snowman Time!

We got at least 8 inches of snow last night. It's beautiful here! And fun! Matt had a two-hour delay this morning, so we all suited up in our snow gear (while Jack was napping) and headed out to make a snowman. The snow wasn't as wet as advertised, so our snowman was on the small side, but that didn't dampen our spirits. I think he looks dapper. I love snow days!

Toys are Fun

Jack has just started to take an active interest in toys. The girls may just have to start sharing all of those fun toys he received for Christmas...or trade him a Little People house for his train!

Pretty Princesses

Kaitlyn has always loved dressing up like a princess, and recently, Claire has shown some interest, too. But there's a catch. Whereas Kaitlyn loves to attire herself as a specific princess with dress, jewelry and hairstyle, Claire prefers to make up her own combinations. For example, that's Rapunzel with the bunny ears ("I don't think you want to wear that crown," says Kaitlyn. "Yep. I do," replies Claire.) And that's Aurora mixing it up with a pink tutu and a snowman tee for ice skating on the kitchen floor. I think I have years of wardrobe battles ahead of me!

A Visitor!

Last weekend my cousin Melissa surprised us with a visit, and the girls could not have been more delighted. Like our daughters, Melissa is a sugar hound, so the weekend was spent eating maple syrup-covered pancakes, homemade chocolate chip cookies, and a 3-pound box of Gorants chocolates. Melissa is also an artist, and there was much coloring and rejoicing! Jack just liked the snuggles. It was a great time, and we all hope Melissa comes through town again soon.