I Heart YOU!!!

Valentines Day was especially wonderful this year!!!

(Noelle took this photo!)

I think it was so great because it was a Sunday, which meant no overly priced fancy resturaunts, no extravagant plans, just a day of simple "I love you" moments. The girls were really excited so we set out their gifts on the table...singing cards, tiny baby brother dolls, chocolate marshmellow hearts and pink roses from Daddy!

I got a beautiful bunch of red roses from my wonderful husband!

After Church we had a Valentines day picnic on our front lawn, it was about 100 degrees, so popsicles ended the meal nicely!!!

Then we went for a walk on the pier!!! What could be better!

We made Daddy his favorite LEMON BARS for dessert, using lemons from our own lemon tree...they were SO GOOD!!! The perfect end to a perfect day with my lovely family!!!

It's a.....

BOY!!!

...no i am not joking!!!

Noelle is FOUR!!!

Noelle had an awesome fourth birthday! She asked for a pink bear with blue clothes on and blue things in her hair! I didn't know if I could find such a thing, thank goodness for Build-a-Bear!!! Then she and her friends hit Chuck-E-Cheese, where a kid can be a kid...and adults vow never to return!!! Just kidding, but I have never in my life seen Chuck-E-Cheese so CROWDED, maybe it was because I have never gone on a Saturday before, or because of the RAIN!!! The kids had a blast and Noelle won a lot of tickets! She loved having all her friends there and I am forever in debt to their parents!!! 

Noelle and her new bear who she called PINK...and yes she had chocolate cookies for breakfast!

We LOVE Noelley-Belly!!!!!

Grandpa's visit!

Grandpa came to visit for two and a half weeks back in December, we loved getting to spend time with him! Gone to soon, but he'll be back before we know it!!! Check, Double Check!

Phoenix!!

So we just got back from a 5 day trip to Phoenix! Abe had work there so we all tagged along. After 5 days of torrential downpour and being stuck in the house with the girls by myself for a whole week I was not going to be left behind!!!

We had so much fun, but we forgot our camera!I was really bummed at first but then we found that it was actually kind of liberating not having to carry it around or make the girls pose for pictures! Anyways I will piece together the trip using borrowed photos..i found them on the internet! We got to our hotel at dusk...

The girls were bouncing off the walls, they absolutely love hotels! We went to dinner, watched movies and Abe had to go and set up his booth for the conference..The next day was my birthday! 28 years old...yeah i know, i'm almost 30! Noelle was so excited to go and get me a present, she said" i will take this towel with me and wrap it up so you cant see it!" We jumped in the car and went to Nordstroms cafe for lunch, Noelle and Chloe each picked me out a special present all by themselves, Noelle got me a necklace and Chloe got me sunglasses. My wonderfull hubby got me a gift card that I later went back to spend sans kids!!!
Then for dinner we went to FOGO DE CHAO!!!

The next day I took the girls to the Childrens Museum! That place is awesome..

We went to diner with our nephew and niece Mark and Jacki Bracken and their adorable little boy Dallen...we went to Five Guys

Then on the last day we went to the botanical gardens we learned that our Aloe plants bloom in the winter because they are native to Africa and they think that they are still there!

On our way out of town we stopped by a breakfast place that has been on the TV show Diners drive-ins and dives! Over Easy in Phoenix..it was good!

we had their carmel, pecan, banana brioce french toast!