v day blast

this kid will drive someone crazy someday.....i mean someone else:) he'll forever be my valentine.

he worked hard creating these cute valentines for his classmates. they were not to include candy or food so we came up with a new plan. autumn helped us out with a free printable....so we cut, punched, and added names and straws....tada all done.

at the same time, a was working on making some marbled beads to create a key chain her her teacher.

all of our time was definitely not spent inside. we have had some gorgeous days to play in the snow. usually in wisconsin we get 2 or 3 actual days where the weather is just so that the snow will pack and you can make a snowman. this is a's second of the year....somehow neither of them are actually in our own yard. i will be wishing for more super nice days so that we can at least make one more.

h did help a little...especially with keeping coulter, the big german short-hair pointer puppy who weighs at least 80, busy. we lost a few arms before h showed up and the hat and mittens surely would have been next!

h's main priority was taking laps around the farm. uncle brought out the kitty cat and h and k took turns looping around.

danyelle also helped us with creating these sweet treats to spread the love in zach's office with this free printable.

 a and h also got surprises of their own. i picked up a few surprises and hid them around the kids' rooms with the help of the dating divas and these printables.

 there you have it....a little love and cheer shared with our family and friends. we are anxiously awaiting little one's arrival.....23 more days until the expected due date. whew. i am definitely at the "i hate pants" stage but...it is winter and this is wisconsin...ummmm....i would freeze and cold is not my thing. so, grow baby grow and i will keep contemplating the page long list of names for boys and girls. just the right name is bound to make itself known.

early june

everything about june seems like a complete blur. we started the summer by picking strawberries or what few there were after the warm spring followed by cold.

we then booked it on up to the farm for the dairy breakfast. it was a long line and a hot day but well worth it.

i am totally jealous of how close these kids are.

lots and lots of hot boiling days has meant lots of time spent at the beach. h loves to go out until just his tippy toes barely keep him above the water while he bounces. and, a loves to swim more than the fishes.

we then travelled home for a family fun night with the coolest face and arm painters! and, a few karate moves! watch out.

and, that was not even half of june!! can you tell why it is taking me so long to post?

too hard to believe

welcome to summer!

a long time ago, my daughter stepped off the bus for the last time as a 4ker. she is now an official kindergartner!!

we all worked hard (to not eat the m&ms and dough:)) and made all the kids monster cookies and topped them with a's favortie characters.



then h and i sent a off on the bus in the morning and continued all our hard work to make up a few of these water balloons!!

he totally looks like he doesn't have anything up his sleeves. ha! just come a little closer.

it was a great way to welcome in summer and surprise the girl as she got off the bus.

wishing

image from http://blog.zerodean.com/2012/motivational-images/dont-wish-away-your-days/

we have been in full throttle mode. there never seems to be time to slow down as there is nothing i want to miss out on. i almost think that this feeling is 10x worse for a kid. we have been busy visiting the farm, riding bikes, having playdates, visiting the other gramma and grampa, getting used to daddy's new schedule, playing tractors, riding in tractors...... there is so much that i wish for. most importantly happiness and contentedness. i need to know that my kids are happy, paul and i are happy, and that what we do and are doing will only add to that.

all are now sporting new superhero capes. i found a tutorial from Lara here. i tweaked it a little to make them wider at the top and bottom. their superpowers have not totally gone to their heads! not totally!

there are plenty of big wheels to ride in and to spy from.

that sneaky bunny seemed to pop up lots of places and was able to find us even though we were not home. he even left us surprises at the nursing home with great gramma. a won the second prize and now has a new pink bunny.

just wishing and playing and loving. need i say more.

you're so fine

spring!! you're so fine. you blow my mind!!! hey, spring!

can you believe this weather and all the gorgeous days we have had. technically, the calendar says that it is still winter but the thermometer is reading in the 80s.  i kind of have the feeling that wisconsin likes to skip spring and fall and go right to the hots and colds of the next season.

h has been doing his fair share of digging and i am sure that i will see lots of these wiggly creatures coming my way all summer long. he has also found a frog already and we can hear the peepers in the fields. h is big on the where?? so, i need to explain that i hear them. i do not see them. he definitely likes visuals. he also likes to make plans. 'that's my plan!'

after our trip, we headed to gramma and grampa's for the weekend. i will definitely be playing catch-up for longer than anticipated. the kids got all the costumes out and we found squirt bottles for all....because when one has something, they all need one. they hid them really well for a moment and then bursted out with joy that uncle was coming closer but still way out of range and started squirting away.

the cousins enjoyed having all the attention.

of course, there was some work involved in the visit. grampa wanted help pulling line fence out on the new farm. we did get "some" work done but we also took the time to fly kites in the warm sun and wind.

i am thinking that this might just be in the lamb of march. ummmm.

sneaky little one

a and h had an awesome day searching out all the tricks and treats that sneaky little leprechan left for them. for some reason even the milk was green and there was fruity cereal on their chairs. after they followed all the clues they also found jelly beans outside.

we need more little surprise days.

st patty's day fun

i just found the crafting chicks and have been all over the site. so many great ideas. for st. patty's day, jamie posted a treause hunt with these adorable for personal use printable clues. check out their site here. 

jessekate designs also has a fun treasure hunt with a twist. check out her site here.

the crafting shicks also featured these cool printables for an awesome teacher. they also have a notecard that you can fill in 'Lucky to have you because...' i think this would be a totally unexpected surprise for a neighbor left on their doorstep with a treat.

can't wait to surprise my two littles with the sneaky little guy that has been turning things green all over town. he got the donuts at the supermarket already and the neighbors front door with a st. patty's day sign. i wonder where he will strike again!

v day love and cookies

this year a and i decided to stitch a little love into each valentine. we added denium hearts to colorful paper....some for the boys and some for the girls.

a worked very hard on the lettering. somehow she has already gotten to the stage of embellishing her handwriting with little circles on the ends of her letters.

 

the next day we added candy cane hearts and heart bracelets to the cards.



of course, we also had to have some sweets to enjoy ourselves so, we made some peanut butter cookies with dove dark chocolate hearts in the middle.

 it is best to taste them when they are all chewy and melty.

this little guy has a thing for just the chocolate hearts! i {heart} my babes!

peanut butter cookies

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
About 1/3 cup sugar for rolling
1 package Dove dark chocolate hearts
Cream butter, peanut butter, and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients. Roll dough into 1" balls and roll in sugar if desired. Place on lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 for about 9 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press a chocolate into the center. Let sit for about 3 minutes, then carefully remove to cooling racks to cool.

winter days

i don't exactly dread winter but, winter without snow is kind of hard to handle. making it all the way to 2012 without any real snow this winter as something. now we are all about the frozen noses and rosy cheeks.

i had some great helpers to clear the driveway. our neighbor has fired up his snowblower 3x this year....just to make sure that when this day came he would be ready!! i on the other hand was so grateful for the gifts of wheelbarrows from gramma and grampa. i loaded and they hauled and dumped.

of course, they tried the snow all crisp and clean and fresh.

and, when the cold became too much we retreated to a nice cozy warm house and footie pjs. i really need to get a pair and i know daddy would swoon for a pair. we made snowflakes that sparkled with glitter because any and every project is better with glitter and scissors, and glue.



and, warm banana bread with dark chocolate chips. the recipe is from anne getty's easy green organic. it called for buttermilk, we substituted a little sour cream and milk. so yummy. next time i think i will make muffins though. it might just help me pace myself!

it is going to be a cold winter and i have lots of warm hearts and goofy, giggly people to share the times with.