Getting Ready for March Madness

There is the old saying "March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb."  That is certainly true in our house.  March begins with such a bang as we celebrate a certain little boy!  We have spent the last few days prepping!  There was lots of crafting going on.  

 Kate was busy wrapping her presents to Ben...

 She cracked me up because she wanted the bow on the present to be one of her Daddy's ties.  Too funny!

 Today began the baking of one cake and 4 dozen cupcakes!

 And here is the special little guy.  This is his last picture as a 5 year old.

Tomorrow will be an awesome day celebrating our 6 year old!!

A Very Catholic Post

I have always found Catholicisim very interesting.  It is so steeped in history.  So of course with tomorrow being the last day of the first pope to resign in 600 years I find it fascinating.  It has been so interesting to hear about all the history and rituals surrounding the event.  Watching the news stories on it brought back amazing memories from our Italy trip.  I thought I would share some of the interesting things we saw...

Here is a beautiful picture inside the halls of the Vatican.  

These are the Papal gardens.  I heard one report talking about how the Pope Emeritus might wander through these gardens.

The wall of the Sistine Chapel.  AMAZING!!!  We were really not supposed to take pictures inside the Sistine Chapel but I broke the rules.

And the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.  

Gate of Vatican City.

One of my favorite pictures inside St Peter's Basilica

In front of St. Peter's tomb.

Swiss Guards - They are so funny looking.

The balcony that the new pope will stand on when he is announced.

This is where the pipe will go for the black and white smoke.  So it is just so interesting.

We also had the amazing opportunity to visit the town of Castel Gandolfo.  It is a little town on Lake Albano.  It is absolutely gorgeous!

The town is most famous for being the summer home of the Pope.  This is the place that Pope Benedict will go tomorrow when he abdicates the papacy.  Visiting this little town you can easily see why the Pope would want to go here.  It is the most picturesque little town.   

Such great memories of an amazing trip.  I look forward to all of the media coverage over the next few weeks of these great places.

New Glasses

The last time Ben got new glasses was April of 2010.  Yes he has had the same glasses for the past 3 years.  That is crazy for a little person!  He had new lenses put in last year but the same frames.  The frames were really starting to look beat up.  We couldn't even tell what their original color was.  We figured it was finally time for a glasses update.  After trying on countless pairs this is the one we decided on...

 It is much more rectangular than his last pair.  I think he looks so cute.  Much more like the big boy that he is.

Kate tried on Ben's glasses.  Hard to believe he was her age when he got them.  She looks rather cute with glasses!

Spring Fever

What a great weekend we had.  It started Friday night with an impromptu dinner at my parent's house while Matt was at a guys night.  We then came back to our house for some yummy chocolate fondue!!  The kids loved it! 

 Saturday Ben and I spent the day running errands getting ready for a certain almost 6 year olds birthday party!  Saturday night we did my favorite thing... family movie.  I love having my kiddos curled up next to me as we watch movies together.  Nothing better.

 Sunday was an absolutely glorious day outside.  Sunny with not a cloud in the sky.  We enjoyed spending all afternoon outside.  The boys did a little practicing for the upcoming tee ball season.

 Kate enjoyed playing on the playset.  Yes she is wearing a tutu.  Only Kate would wear a tutu to play all afternoon.

 We took the training wheels off of Ben's bike and he practiced riding with no assistance.  It takes a lot of practice so hopefully it won't be long til he will be riding on his own!

It was the perfect way to end the weekend.  It really gave us all some spring fever.  We can't wait until it is warm all the time.  For now it is back to rain and cold weather!

Deja Vu

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days. Been busy but nothing really going on.

Last night Kelly took this picture of my dad with Kate and Perry. Made me think of a very similar picture with me and Andrew!

We're In Trouble

I think we are in big trouble in about 10 years.  Yesterday on the way to school Kate got very pouty.  I asked her what was wrong and she said "I don't like what I am wearing.  I don't want to go to school because everyone will think I look silly."  Totally out of no where!  Where does she get these things?  

I did a quick photo shoot with her this morning before Bible Study.  I thought she looked just adorable!  

 Tonight while we were cooking dinner Kate asked Matt to dance.  He of course could not say no!!  They were so sweet dancing around the living room.  One of those moments that I never want to forget.

Playing Together

I really do think the sweetest sound to a mother's heart is hearing her children playing together.  There is nothing that I love to hear more.  It seems like lately I have heard it more than usual.  I think Ben and Kate are at great ages to play together.  Kate thinks Ben is the greatest thing ever and Ben is not quite old enough to think she is annoying.  They love to run and chase each other or play hide and seek.  They will spend time playing Legos or My Little Ponies together.  Or when Ben reads Kate a book.  They just laugh and laugh!!!  They have the best time together.  

Don't get the wrong impression there are moments when all they do is fight and all I hear is "she is on my side of the table" or "he won't get out of my room."  But those tough moments fade when I hear them laugh or play together.  I want to remember these times.  I pray they will always be best of friends!

Rub A Dub Dub

Ok the title really means nothing for this post.  I just didn't have a good title so I went with the first thing I thought of and Kate was saying "rub a dub dub" earlier today.  

We had a really fun weekend.  It was busy but really fun.  It started Friday night getting to hang out with this little guy.  Isn't he just precious.  

We had nerdy game night with Kelly and Andrew.  It was Perry's first game night.  He did great and really enjoyed the craziness at our house.  We always have fun at game night!

Saturday started early with birthday parties!  Kate went to Paige's 3rd birthday party.  She was so excited.  She just loves Paige and could not wait for her party.  LeeAnn did a great job with the Strawberry Shortcake theme.  The girls had so much fun!!!  Love this picture of Kate, Paige and Katie Lane.  Sweet girls!

While the girls were at Paige's party, Ben was off at Micah's party.  These guys are such good buddies even though they don't get to see each other all that often.  Micah had an awesome Lego party which of course Ben LOVED!!

Then we had to rush off to Ben's last basketball game.  Ben got his first basket!!!  He was so excited.

Since it was the last game, he got his trophy.  He has had a great time during his first basketball season.

I was then off to coffee with my dear friend Jeana which is always so much fun to catch up with her.  After that long day, we were all ready for some down time on Saturday night.  The boys watched a boy movie and the girls watched a girly movie!  It was great.

Sunday morning it was off to church.  Loved Kate's attitude on the way!

Sunday night it was all about the season finale of Downton.  I had a few of my friends over to watch it. It was a bit sad but can't wait for season 4!

So I guess that is all...  Rub A Dub Dub!

Valentines Parties

Thought I would share a few pictures from the kiddos Valentine parties at school.  Kate's party was on Wednesday.  It was a simple ice cream party.  

 All the kids enjoyed their ice cream but Kate was super serious about hers.  She dove right in using her hands and ate every bite!!

 Ben's party was on Thursday and they also had ice cream but also other stations where they made bracelets and played games.  It was a lot of fun!!

 Ben loved getting Valentines from all of his friends.

 His super sweet little class!  Love all these little people.

V Day!

We had a fun day yesterday celebrating Valentines Day.  I really think it is a fun day to show love to those around you.  It is especially fun with the kids!  We started the morning with fun heart cinnamon rolls.   

 We had little treats for the kids.  Ben got a couple of small Lego sets.

 Kate got the boy baby for her doll house and a new gymnastics leotard.

Matt and I didn't exchange gifts since we have several big things coming up.  We did make each other handmade cards.  

 The rest of the day was pretty normal.  We all went off to work, school and other activities.  Matt and i both had a free moment at lunch so we were able to grab a quick lunch together (good thing about working very close to one another).  Nothing says love like fast food Chinese food.

 We then did our traditional go out to Moe's BBQ for dinner.  We have done this the past 3 years so I guess you could call it a tradition.

It really was a special day for the 4 of us!  Great time sharing our love!