American Girl

 Marissa's reaction to getting an American Girl catalog.

Daddy-daughter date

Kevin taking Marissa on a Daddy-daughter date. They both got VERY dressed up and talked a lot about life. Kevin said the thing that was the hardest in life for Marissa right now was when Garett wrote in his "diarrhea" about how Marissa was mean.

St. Patty's Day in February!

My Valentine present to Tate was to do whatever sewing project he wanted to do. He wanted to make a pair of pants! Go figure. The only fabric we had in the house that was more than a yard was green St. Patrick's Day fabric (I had used it on St. Patrick's day for our table cloth!!! He was determined to make them and give them to Garett. That is exactly what we did and here is the final product!

Old photos

Thanks, Mom, for sending me the photos. These are the pictures I've been wanting for a while. The top right hand picture is my Grandmother Burdette as a little girl. Middle left is my great grandmother on her wedding day. Middle center is my grandmother and grandfather when they were not yet married. Bottom center is my grandmother with her 11 brothers and sisters. In front of that is my great great grandmother. The sweet picture on the bottom right is my grandmother and her sister, Frances.

Valentines

Here is a sampling of the cute Valentine coupons the kids did. Garett wrote to Dad that he would listen to him the first time. Tate gave to everyone the chance to get a "bedtime" story read to them. Garett wrote to Marissa that he would play horse with her. Tate helped Marissa write that she would make me a pretend cake. Finally, Garett wrote that he would help me do the dishes.

Cold

The scene out our back window under who knows how much snow and -20 degrees.

Playdate

Garett and his cute friend, Austin Coombs.

Red Dinner

 We had a "Red Ratatouille" dinner for Valentines. Red mashed potatoes, red meat, and red ratatouille with red Hawaiian punch. The kids got little Ratatouille valentines and everybody gave red Valentine coupons. Then, we watched Ratatouille (which none of us had seen... so fun!

Fancy Nancy

Marissa and Lauren at a "Fancy Nancy" party at the library. They dressed in their fanciest pinks.

The kids and I had an awesome time at the Field Museum in Chicago. They are standing in front of Dinosaur Sue.

Another one of dad's fabulous dessert creations for the kids. I forget what he named this one.

 Tate, Garett and their friend, Spencer, at the "Island" of Island Lake.

Cake

Marissa and I baking a cake for company. She loves to be in the kitchen with me- especially when there is chocolate involved.

Little Garett

 The transportation area was Garett's favorite part of the Museum.

Science and Industry

The Museum of Science and Industry offered free admission for a couple weeks in January. We love this museum!!! The Field Museum is free in February. More museum pictures to come in February!!!

Daddy's desserts

Dad has become World Famous in our house for his amazing and delectable desserts. It usually involves some form of banana, chocolate, Hershey syrup, sprinkles, and Cool-Whip. Sometimes he goes wild and adds an Oreo. His design and presentation are more than unique.

My blue ribbon boy!

This is Tate getting his blue ribbon.

The moms stood around scratching their heads trying to figure out the unusual scoring methods used by the Big Boy Scouts to determine the winner. The intricate labyrinth of numbers and tallies apparently pointed to Tate as the winner. We must admit feeling a little sad for Derek.

PInewood Derby

Kevin and Tate worked very hard at their first Pinewood Derby car. Kevin resisted with all his might to do the whole thing on his own. Tate decided to make his car a "Kentucky Wildcat" football field. Kevin cut the wood, I drew the lines for him to know where to paint and write the words, and then he did the rest. We thought we might win on most unusual design- never dreaming he would actually win 1st place!!! We were very proud of our little Cub Scout.

Fancy Marissa

The boys decided to make Marissa's room a "Fancy Nancy" room (like the book) and put a canopy on her bed. They used Kevin's old blanket that he grew up with as the canopy. Then they dressed her up in very fancy clothes and decided to be her protectors (hence the swords). They were very proud of their work.

Dad's birthday

We had great plans for Kevin's birthday. We got tickets to the Bulls game in Chicago. Due to getting a late start, the fact that is was a weeknight and insanely heavy traffic, we never actually got to the United Center in Chicago to make the game. A little disappointed crew we were. Here is a picture of our celebrating, at least, with some yummy birthday treats.

Heely's

Tate is getting good at his new Heely's. Cute, huh? His dad still makes him wear his helmet for safety!!!

Sleepover

The boys had their first "friend" sleepover. They were all excited to watch Star Wars and have chocolate chip waffles. Their little friend is Spencer who is six, just a bit older than Garett and a little younger than Tate. This is Lauren's brother- Marissa got to sleepover at Lauren's house the same night. Interesting that just after this experience, Marissa miraculously no longer felt the need for a pull up at night! Peer pressure is a beautiful thing!

Marissa is "Dino"mite

Marissa showing off the dinosaur hat she made.