Snow in March?!

This past weekend it snowed....after a week of having nearly 80 degree temperatures.

The amount of snow was neglegable. 

But it was unbelievable!

These photos aren't even from the event I am recounting....

I just hadn't shared them and thought it would be cool to do so now, since it did snow...

So how did you spend your snowy Sunday you ask?

We went to Sunday School and Church.

I wish I had my camera with me, as the trees were incredibly gorgeous! 

Green and pink buds were peaking through snowy covered branches. 

So now it is Monday, and we were back to a high in 50's.

Crazy I tell you!   

Popping Corn!

My husband received an (air) popcorn popper for Christmas....and no, this was not a random "Why did I receive this?" gift.  He actually wanted one.  Although it was a surprise...kind of.

Anyways, it was a spectacular event when Lucas watched the popper in action for the first time. 
Meredith could care less.  But Lucas, he thought it was the greatest thing he had seen all day. 

Prepping the popcorn kernels.

                                                       Pouring them in....with deep concentration...

                                                      Hearing the buzzing of heating the kernels....

Pure excitement as the kernels begin to pop! pop! pop!

               
                                                                       and then tasting!

                                                               The joys of the simple things....



Happy New Years! 2011!

This year, New Years was in January.  In case you didn't know. 

And we partied like it was 1999. 

But really, it was fun and wonderful and relaxing and stress free. 

So why not share a little of that admist the days of Springtime.....

To follow, random family photos of the occassion.

Driving in, we stopped at the grocery store (ie: Wally world) to pick up a few things...

like cookies and eclairs and queso. 

Because you can't have a celebration without those things.

I also insisted that we pick up New Years attire.

And I insisted on having photo ops with each couple...

My brother and his hot lady....

                                                                My uncle and aunt

                                                               My cousin and his wife

                                                     My children and their New Year's kiss...

                                           This is us.  In case you forgot what we looked like!

               The kids are always so good.....they happily played with blocks for a long, long time...

And that is how we rang in the New Year! 



Randoms from January

I know some select people who just like to see photos of the kids.....so bear with me as I have tons of photos that are hidden away on my computer files.

These were taken back in January....

Rainbow Cake

For Lucas' 4th Birthday, he told me he wanted a Rainbow Cake. 
I had no idea how he came up with such a crazy idea, but I went with it....

You can do it too!
And just in time for St. Patrick's Day! 

You will need a white cake mix and all the ingredients listed on the box.
Make the cake as directed. 

Take SIX glasses and line each with zip lock bags....not the cheap-o imitation ones.  I learned the hard way on that, because I ran out and had to use "the other kind".  I also used GEL food coloring, because it apparently makes a more vibrant color when compared to the liquid kind.

Carefully divide the cake batter between the cups as evenly as possible. 

Then begin mixing your colors! 

This offers a great lesson for the kiddos!

Another great lesson is to NOT lick knives. 

Once all of your colors are mixed, we discuss our creations.

We recount the colors of the rainbow and try to instill the ROY G BIV into your child's young mind.

I decided to use a round cake pan (2 of them to be exact) and learned the hard way that you need less purple than the other colors. 

I cut the tip of the ziplock bag and squirted a little of each color, starting with the purple.

I hit the pan on the counter to make it spread out. 

I didn't do it perfectly, and I see the error of my ways.

And because I was doing a layer cake, I would definately split a few colors between the two pans instead of doing all colors in both pans.

Bake the cake according to the box directions and let cool completely before assembling.

This was my finished internal result.

Lucas was amazed by this creation, despite my disappointment with the outcome. 

So perfection in the kitchen is easily obtained with the eyes of a 4 year old!

Reminder

The war is still something that is in full driving force. Although it is not featured on the prime time news as often, if ever....the effort is still real and raw.

Recently, I have a number of people with whom I am close, deploying.

I have a cousin who is in transit to Afghanistan.

I have a cousin who is in Kuwait, waiting for the next move.

I have friends who have husbands deploying within the next few months.

I have friends who have husbands already at their current duty station in the war zones.

This month marks two years since my husband R&R leave from Iraq....a year and a half since his return from a deployment.

Although these past few years have kept me far removed from the military environment, it is all around me.

I can't forget.

Gentle reminders are constantly popping up of our own deployment.

Things that are hinderances to us, but insignificant in the big scheme of things because many returning from war experience injuries that are much worse.....be it severe injuries of the physical or mental state.

I tear up when I think of how my favorite friend will say goodbye to her husband this month(for the second time in three years). I know that she will be able to care for her family and for the families left beyond without a blink of the eye....

But that doesn't mean she doesn't have fears. Real fears of losing her rock, her love and her partner.

Our time in school, outside of the military does not mean that I forget.

I don't forget the anxiety.

I don't forget the pride.

I don't forget the raw emotions that cannot even be put into words.

I don't pretend that the sacrifices of others no longer exist.

I am an American. Be it a military wife or not, I am an American.

I encourage you to read this news article from the Washington Post.

I most enjoy this wonderful takeaway...

"If anyone thinks you can somehow thank them for their service and not support the cause for which they fight -our country - these people are lying to themselves...More important, they are slighting our warriors and mocking their commitment to this nation."

Potty Success!!

Since mid-January, our baby girl has joined the land of the diaperless.

We have seemlessly transitioned the big girl panties (or "underpants" as my husband calls them, ugh!) into her normal wardrobe with full success --- which can otherwise be translated to

NO ACCIDENTS!

NO GOING BACK!

My husband claimed he would have her potty trained during his Christmas break from school.

I initially scoffed at him, thinking this was impossible with the stress of the holidays.

But he prevailed....with Mere's help of course!

We went cold turkey, and used pull-ups for bedtime.

She had a few accidents when leaving the house (dentist, theraputic shopping, etc).

But I did not give up faith in her ability.

A week later and we had made it a day without a single potty mistake.

Before we knew it, our day had turned into weeks.

He offered to let her have anything of her choosing if we was able to continue the good work and not go back to diapers.

Her choice of item was to have a pink Leapster. (Lucas received one for Christmas and she wanted one of her own!)

The (used E-bay) price was negligable considering how much diapers cost in a month!

We are super proud of our baby girl, who really can't be called a baby anymore....