Boston Said...

Tonight when we were coming in from our night out to eat at 4 different restaurants -Chick Fil A for Gage, 2 Free Personal Pan Pizzas from Pizza Hut for T and B, Mom and Dad wanted Panera, and had to use 2 Free Ice Cream Cone coupons from Sonic - Boston said, as he handed me the rest of his personal pizza, "Please do not put this in the freezer. I don't like it cold. Could you put it in the hotter?" Do we have a hotter? And, since when did I put leftover pizza in the freezer? If it wouldn't spoil the food, I would much rather store our leftovers in the hotter instead of having to reheat everything. Good thoughts Boss.

Sassy Apron Swap

On my list of the million things to do, this one just got checked off. My apron was sent by Zane this morning and I am happy to see it take flight. I had a great time figuring out the fabric, trying to figure out the style of the person I was making it for, making my pattern original, and adding the final details. All in all, I am satisfied although I still think it needed some jumbo ric rac on the bottom in an amazing color and all I have left is brown. I couldn't get it in time, so I had to let that dream fly away. I just hope the girl getting it likes it and doesn't examine the stitches too closely (oops!).

Frozen Land

We are frozen here. The ice came yesterday, so the kids came home early. When the freezing rain came, I thought it was rather piddly and the kids came home for nothing. But, by that evening when I went out to get the mail, I was a believer. Today they are home because of the ice and althought it's quite cold, it is rather beautiful.

Tag

I forgot that I was tagged, but then when I read Jamie's latest entry, it all came back to me....Tagged by Melissa...

A- Attached or single: Attached
B- Best Friend: If you want to know the truth, there have been a few that I have split the Be/Frie st/ends charm with over the years. But, I have many dear friends now, that the best title seems silly. Oh, but Zane is the best and all the others are dear.
C-Cake or Pie: Actually, like bread pudding or cream cakes.
D- Day of Choice: Thursday. It's like the day when I think...I can make it to the weekend, but the weekend hasn't started yet so I still have something to look forward to.
E- Essential Item (s): childrens' schedules, Sunday naps, hot baths, & hot chocolate (even in the summer)
F- Favorite Color: red and turquoise
G- Gummi Bears or Worms: Gummy bears, but only Harbo brand
H- Hometown: San Diego, Cali
I- Indulgence(s): Starbucks hot chocolate, Graeter's Coconut Chip, good hair cuts, and good jeans that fit.
J- January or July: Only July. I have to have the sun more than the grey.
K-Kids: 9 yr. boy, 6 yr. boy, 3 yr. boy, 1 yr. girl
M- Marriage Date: May 3, 1996
N- Number of Siblings: 3 sisters and 4 brothers
O- Oranges or Apples: gala apples
P- Phobias or Fears: mice, big crowds, heights
Q- Quote(s): I am looking for the one the fits me to a tee.
R- Reason To Smile: going on a date, my kids (especially when they wake up from a good nap), a trip in the future, figuring something creative out, a sunny day
S- Season: Fall
T- Tag Six: Jellie, Tanya, Karyn, Jenny L., Kelly White, and Cheryl
U- Unknown Fact About Me: I like to break dance
V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: Bring on the meat!
W- Worst Habit: I bite my nails - only sometimes people. And believe me, I have overcome some worse ones.
X- X-Rays or Ultrasounds: ultrasounds
Y- Your Favorite Food: a salad (any) and soup from Panera
Z: Zodiac: Capricorn

Cuties, Costumes, Cousins, Cakes, Cards, & Coons

Zane's family has been in town all weekend to spend time with each other and to bless Joel's new baby, Shane.
- We've had a yummy Valentine's Dinner here on Thursday, complete with cherry lime-ades and chocolate covered strawberries. I wanted to put a photo of the cake again because I miss it, but you will just have to refer to the previous post because I couldn't fit it on the collage.
- The boys love having their cousins to play with, especially Gage and Austin. They love to growl at each other. Austin was growling at me as I took this photo!
- Grandma Julie and Papa Ross sent the kids these sewn cards that were filled with Valentines candy. Gage thought he was so cool to get his own package of Sugar Free Jelly Bellies.
- Today I found Boston using the scissors on this Huggies Box. I told him to be careful and thought he was just having a great time cutting something up that was on its way to the trash. Soon he came in to my room sporting his new costume. That kid always surprises me.
- The photo of the coon is for you dad. Yes, we live in Kentucky and yes, we do have racoons living under our house. We could hear this little girl (I've been told it's a girl) under our crawl space swinging from the pipes for awhile. Zane set out a trap Friday night and she was in it Saturday morning. Just for all you animal lovers - she was taken to a new neighborhood. Watch out - it could be yours! Sorry that we didn't make a coon skin cap for you dad.
- And yes, another photo of Mallory. Zane asked me if I have more photos of Mallory in her first year than I have of all the boys combined. I plead the fifth on that one.

Valentines Dinner and a Grand Finale - Kentucky Butter Cake

Can it get any better than something called Butter Cake? I don't think so! The traditional Valentines dinner was wonderful, but the Butter Cake was a great surprise. I had this heart bundt pan that of course, I got 50% off last year at the Target right after V day, so I had to use it. But, what to make...what to make? That's when you go to All Recipes and check out all the bundt cakes recipes that have like a million stars and have been reviewed by a gazillion readers. That's where I got this one and I agree with those gazillions. Sooooo good. Thought I would share and hope you Valentines Days had grand finales as well.

Happy Valentines Day

We love you all!

Snow Day

By late last night we knew that school was going to be cancelled today. It was coming down hard and it was beautiful. I was excited for the boys to be able to get out there and play the next day. Well, we did get a Snow Day, but freezing rain came in the middle of the night and turned the snow to slush. That doesn't stop boys who don't see the white stuff too often. The boys along with our neighbor, Tanner, made a sledding path in his backyard, jumped on a snowy trampoline, and had a slush fight. Gage just enjoyed picking up chunks of ice and throwing them. Notice his red hands. Where are his gloves mama? Snow Days every once in awhile are a good thing!

Mallory Misses Jelly

Yesterday Mallory said, "Jelly" a few times and when I showed her a picture of Aunt Jelly she said it some more. So, now she has 4 words in her repertoire -"dada", "Gagey", "dia"(she's bilingual), and "Jelly." I catch her saying "mama" sometimes, but as soon as I point that out to her she looks at me and quickly says, "dada." It's like she doesn't want me to know there is more going on in her head than I need to otherwise she might be accountable for more. I might just start drilling her on all vocab and that just wouldn't be fun. Well, Aunt Jelly (Jennilee) you have made it on her list. You are special! But, we already knew that.

Font

My handwriting font is available here. Now you can all forge notes from me. This will be quite handy for my kids as they get older (don't tell them). I would have loved to have had my mom's for many school "projects." Intead I just had to practice and practice her handwriting!

Handmade by Mom

One of the projects that got done was my new diaper bag. I would love to say that I made it, but I just picked out the fabric and my mom put it all together. She sent the pattern home with me, so I want to attempt it next. I love it and can't wait to transfer my stuff in to it. Pattern link here.

Things I Learned This Weekend

Here are just a few things I learned or realized after being with my family this weekend:
1. My mom is a great cook. I didn't realize this growing up or appreciate it. She can whip up good stuff easily and quickly.
2. I don't want to be pregnant again any time soon. My little sister, Jennilee, is in her first trimester and she is SICK. It brought back all those feelings of being pregnant and I remember really NOT liking it! Although, for others, this pregancy thing is wonderful. I am so excited to be an aunt and so excited for Jennilee and Logan.
3. We need a JoAnn's here. My mom has one down the street and I think I went there at least 3 times. Why don't we have one here?
4. I wish my kids lived by ALL of their cousins. I am thankful that we have cousins as close as Cincinnati and we need to get together with them more often. It is great to see them play with their cousins when we get them together.
5. I have turned in to a "Wicked" fan. Okay, I haven't seen the play, but the music is great. At first I acted as though it was lame because my mom and sister were listening to it a lot, but it is great music and now I want to see the show. Anyone up for traveling to see it any time soon?
6. I want to move all the states between Kentucky and Cali somewhere else. Sorry Utah and Arizona, but I need to be closer to my family and I am not moving away from Kentucky and they aren't moving out of California. This is the most logical solution. Wouldn't you agree?
7. Benadryl does not work on my kids when flying - repeat - does not work.
8. Refering to #7 - Just ignore people flying with you who ask you if you have tried Benadryl when your child is screaming for an hour on the plane. Many people had great suggestions for me. But, I guess when I finally gave up so did she and she was out just a few minutes later. Whew!
9. It can be warmer in Kentucky in February than it is in San Diego even if it is only for 12 hours. We had a shivering 60 while KY was 67! Crazy.
10. I do love San Diego, but while telling someone in my parent's ward about Kentucky and why I love it made me realize that it is my home and I am very glad to be here.

Sister's Weekend

Today is a rainy day in San Diego, which is unusual, but nice. I have been here since late Thursday night and I came with Mallory and Gage. It is a Girl's Weekend with the sisters and sister in laws. We had plans to go to Time Out for Women, but with the passing of President Hinckley and his funeral being on the Saturday of Time Out, they postponed it until May. But, we were all still coming and have been having so much fun. I am truly my REAL self around these girls and my mom. We shopped at the Outlets on Friday and went to a quilting shop for fabric. Yesterday it was lunch at CPK and we just laughed and laughed. My dad was home watching Mallory, Gage, and their 2 cousins. Last night we made fondue (just the chocolate) and my mom taught me how to knit. I took a knitting class about 2 years ago and never got it so I have had a complex about ever getting it. I have come over that hump and now, it's time to conquer something else. Of course, I still need to make my knitting look better, but I can make the yarn work with the needles and that's big. My sister in law has been trying to get a purse made and some of the others are picking out the fabric for aprons to make. We have decided that we need to do this again soon and make it longer and get more projects done. I still have IKEA to hit, I need to eat at IN N OUT (sorry Zane), and have a Beef N Bun shake to drink (funny name -amazing shakes)before I feel like I can turn around and go home. These are some of the essential to-dos when I come home. Well, the sun should be out tomorrow and the weather man said it's time to break out the bar-b-ques this week here in San Diego, so I might choose to never return. Most likely I will be on that plane headed back to Louisville on Wednesday because I do miss the other 3 boys! I have heard that their time together in Louisville hasn't been too shabby either with video rentals and eating out. Boys weekends are a good thing too!