turning 3

Ben turned 3 last week, and yesterday we celebrated with him and his family. It was a lot of fun: a little storytime by Molly, football cake, ice cream, and one really loud drum and tambourine.

princess bride

Scott was out of town for a few days this week; it is his custom to buy his little princess something when he goes away. This time, he chose a Cinderella wedding dress. She was ecstatic to receive it and promptly asked,

"Dad, do you have any more long trips coming up??"

just keep swimming

First of many swim lessons to come with her best buddy Owen; the goal is to have her swimming by the time Hoyt Pool opens (secondary goal is for me to never have to get wet).

pictures of people taking pictures

Last night I had the pleasure of taking some photos for our good friends and neighbors; their oldest daughter was heading out to a dance, so I snapped some shots of her, her friends, and their dates. I couldn't' resist taking a couple of Addie, of course.....I played with these pics quite a bit in iPhoto. Lots of fun. I hope they like the final results. These are a few of my favorites.

4 1/2

Yesterday was Addie's half birthday (4 1/2). Since she has a summertime birthday (lucky girl), she gets to celebrate her half birthday at school. We brought treats (apparently in the midwest the custom is to bring treats when it's your birthday); we had big goals of making cake pops just like the ones that Starbucks makes....let's just say we ended up bringing Peanut Butter Blossom cookies. More importantly, though, was the issue of whether or not gifts are given for a half birthday. All I will say is that there was a trip to Target yesterday.

Valentines

Happy Valentine's day to my 3 Valentines!

lucky

Last night we attended the Christ King auction, which is the big yearly fundraiser for Addie's school. There is a live auction, a silent auction, and a whole slew of raffle tickets and prizes. I'm VERY excited to report that (I'm pretty sure for the first time ever) we finally WON something!! I spent $50 on raffle tickets and put them all in the bin to win a pool pass to Hoyt Pool for our family. Ok, I'll be honest, I was equally (yes, more) as excited about this pool bag with the three super plush Vera Bradley beach towels. If there had been a pair of shoes in that bag, I think I would have wet my pants. All I need now is an upgrade in the weather.

buddies

My best two legged buddy, Molly, got herself her very own four legged buddy, Baron. Together, we have 12 legs and lots of unconditional love.

animal friendships

Storytime was a huge success; Molly truly is gifted at what she does. Today's theme was "animal friendships". We read a book about a dog who learned to become good friends with the new baby who stole all of his attention. What would we do without good friends??

storytime treats

Storytime treats are ready to go: mini chocolate chip pumpkin muffins.....with craisins?

a few favorites

We had the pleasure of going to Chicago over the weekend to celebrate Scott's birthday; fortunately, it included some of my favorite things as well: a good friend from high school, and miniature pieces of Key Lime pie at one of our favorite restaurants, Wildfire. The weekend wouldn't have been complete without breakfast at Yolk. If you're ever in Chicago, check these establishments out; you won't be disappointed! I should also mention that our hotel was fabulous! Hotel Felix....we got it on Priceline for a mere $65 and it was worth every single penny! Oh, and I found another place that is for sure going to make my list of favorites; we went there for a drink, and we will be sure to go for dinner the next time we're in town. It's called Zed451, and it's way, way cool!

Now all I need is another reason to go back!

44

Happy 44th, daddy! We hope it's an extra special day!