The West Coast Has the Sunshine!!

We had so much fun in Palm Springs! What an incredible get-away! Thanks, Jodie, for watching the kids for us. What a blessing.
Palm Springs is absolutely beautiful. The desert and the mountains are an amazing combination. The weather was perfect. We rented a "hot" red convertible. It was awesome to drive. Kevin had his first Starbucks! We ate in great restaurants, enjoyed the spa, and even got to have dinner with Ed and Alana! That was way fun! Can't wait until the next get-away! Although there really is no place like home!

Max and Katie's Sleepover

Max and Katie finally had their birthday party on Friday night! Wow!! The cakes were awesome (thanks, Rachel). They were a total hit! The dogbone cookies were also a favorite (thanks, Amy and Rachel for the idea). Katie had 9 friends sleep over and Max had 3 friends. The boys were upstairs sleeping and the girls were downstairs -- well, not exactly sleeping! That Rachel Burch sure is a late night party machine!!!! The kids had fun eating pizza, cake, cookies (lots of junk food). The girls did a craft and the boys played flag football in the dark -- thanks to the lights of our trucks! My kids had a blast! The party went off well until Kristen (the neighbor) threw up before breakfast!! Kevin REALLY enjoyed cleaning that up! I am kind of glad that we only do parties every other year..... the people here are still grumpy from their late nights!!! I still am not sure why they are called "sleep"overs.......

Medieval Times

For a blast of the past..... if you want to feel like you are hanging with King Arthur and his knights.... head to Medieval Times at Arundel Mills. It was so much fun. Upon entering every guest gets a crown. The color of the crown corresponds to the knight that you are to cheer for during the show. You feel like you are truly a part of the Middle Ages during the meal... there is no silverware. You get to eat with your hands. Above are some pix of the food -- vegetable soup which has to be slurped, a rib, half a chicken, half a potato, and some garlic bread. The show is really good and full of jousting and incredible horse tricks. The kids had a blast -- it was a great time. Kind of expensive, though, but worth it for a special occasion!!

The Park in January????

The weather has been so warm that Chloe, Isabella, and I went to the park on Wednesday while the older 4 were at Co-op. We had so much fun and it was great to get some fresh air. I have to admit that it would be AWESOME to get some snow...... but the warm weather is great for outdoor stuff!!

Necklace Making

Yahoo -- Aunt Jenn taught me and the two older girls how to bead. It is so easy and not being a craft person, I am amazed that I can do it. It is so fun and the necklaces have turned out great!

The Luau

We had a family luau once Aunt Jenn and Uncle Matthew arrived to celebrate Zayda's (Grandpa's) 70th birthday. It was so much fun. We danced, did karaoke, ate, played games, and watched a slide show of Zayda's life. What a special night. The kids loved their grass skirts and Zayda really loved his Shell Bra that we made him wear.

Christmas Memories

We had such a nice Christmas with my parents. They absolutely love spending it with the kids. The time went by way too fast. I love having family around -- it just stinks that they live so far away!!