Sweet Retreat, Snow and SuperBowl

We went with our LifeGroup to a Weekend to Remember over Valentine's Day... which is a marriage conference put on my FamilyLife. It was so great!! They have them in almost every city and we would highly recommend it if you get the chance... it'll change your marriage! :) Go to www.familylife.com for more info and also to sign up for marriage emails and resources.Out to lunch on Saturday with our group. Sat night is "Date Night"

It was in Hershey, PA and there were Hershey kisses EVERYWHERE! Besides edible ones all over, they were on the walls, in the bathroom...

...and even on our sheets! :)

We had a great time together.... thanks to Brian's parents for watching the kids for us! We appreciate it!

We didn't get as much as some places but we did get our share of "February Fury" snow.

Making Valentine's with the kid's feet.

We had the guys from Monday Night Football over to watch the SuperBowl. Lots of fun, lots of food. And I have to mention that I ended up being the winner of our Pro Pick'em contest! Guess Brian's taught me well!

My football cake... next time I'll look at a real one to get it a little more accurate! Oh well. :)

More to come...

Evan's First Birthday!

Evan turned 1 on February 6th. All 3 kids were really sick with RSV so we had to cancel the plans of our neighbors coming over for pizza and cake. We tried to make the best of it! :)

The turtle cake I made... turned out pretty cute actually. Trying to eat pizza... I think they each had about 3 bites.
The birthday boy ate some...

"Can I just go to bed?"

"Happy Birthday to You!"

He did eat some of it...but you can tell he didn't feel well.

Blake didn't eat ANY cake... I've never seen him ever pass up a dessert. Definitely sickie! :)

Opening presents... some books, new spoons and a musical turtle (hence the turtle cake). The video isn't uploading... I'll keep trying.

Ready to go to bed--they were all asleep by 7pm!

Happy One Year Birthday, Evan! We love you!

Visit to Chris and Michelle's House

Nathan, Natalie and Blake

Evan and Mommy

Enjoying his dinner!

We went to visit Brian's brother and family for the weekend. It's nice being so close, even if for a short time. We had a wonderful time and the kids played so well together. Thanks for all the yummy meals and good talks. We had a blast!!

Lily trying to get Evan's food.

Adam and Allie

Natalie and Allie... cute cousins!

Blake carried that movie the whole weekend.

Daddy and Natalie-- what a wonderful weekend! :)

Back home... cooking day!

As well as cooking up some ground beef and chicken for recipes and a few meals to freeze, we tried some new things. We made homemade oatmeal packets that were easy and turned out great and some homemade granola which we're loving on yogurt. (Click the links for the recipes.)

I tried to make homemade hot pockets since Brian loves them for lunches after classes but they did not turn out well-way too doughy. We often make tortilla pizzas so I decided to make up a bunch up to freeze and it works great! Brian can just pull out a couple and broil for a few minutes. Easy! (Just assemble sauce and cheese and whatever toppings on a tortilla. Freeze individually on cookie sheets and then stack on top of each other in a ziplock bag and keep in the freezer.)

I'd love to hear your quick kitchen tips that work for you! :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Sorry it's been so long since I posted... we've had a lot of snow (well, not as much as other parts) and then been plagued with illness for awhile now. All three kids had RSV and now Evan and Natalie both have ear infections! It's been a rough couple weeks but the kids are off to their grandparents and Brian and I are headed to a Family Life Weekend to Remember Conference for a much needed break from sickies and school work. Can't wait! :)They stuffed their PJs with toys...

... and Evan has learned how to make a mess!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

More posts to come soon.... promise! :)