Reading!

The teacher in me has been anxiously awaiting the day when Bug would begin reading, and last week that day hit!  Since about the time he was about 18 months old I began teaching him letters, then letter sounds, and then writing letters.  For the past few months I really felt like he was close and then something just clicked in his brain.  He can now read pretty much any three letter words I write for him.  It is really amazing watching him and although I don't feel like I can take the credit, it gives me that much more confidence that I can homeschool him and honestly, I don't want to miss being a part of it.
 

Heart Day

The temperature was actually 40 today! So I took the boys for a walk around the lake.  

 There were guys icefishing. Hmmm not sure how safe that was.

 My favorite part of this picture is that the dough blends in with our counter.  Definitely our kitchen's best feature.

Happy Valentine's Day to all our loved ones!

Driving Us to Drink

 Yep, that is what this weather has been doing to us.

Gotta Stay Busy to Stay Sane

More Forts....and irresistible feet.

Giant Cupcake Baking.

Mmmmmm, pudding oozing out.

Boats/racecars/bucking broncos, ie: laundry baskets.

More baking.

When a Blender Isn't Enough

When the person who helped you survive middle and high school gets married, a blender just doesn't seem like quite the right gift.  So we opted for a quilt instead. I pieced the top and my mom had it machine-quilted and then did the binding (a meticulous step which I hate, but that my mom has down to a science.)  The quilt pattern is from  the blog Oh Fransson.

    

Paintballs, Snow, and a Kiddie Pool

Disclaimer: These are not normal paintball guns. They don't shoot as fast or hard, and we only aimed at inanimate objects. :)

The Rest of the TN Weekend.

The night before the wedding, Tessa had a dinner at her house for family and friends that had traveled from out of town for the event.  Due to our ridiculous events at the airport I missed a lunch at the Pancake Pantry earlier in the day, but was so glad we at least made it in time for this, so that we could catch up a bit before the big day.

Tessa's Dad is one of the most individualistic people I have ever met.  He comes up with the craziest ideas and always has every one either feeling confused, rolling on the floor laughing, or both.  On this particular night, he had created a "Science Experiment" in which we were to tell him which of the Diet Pepsi's were caffeine free.  He had even created and printed off special sheets to record the results on. The best part of it was how serious he treated his experiment.  I have so many hilarious memories of him. 

Mom ready for the test.

This is my friend, Jessica.  We grew up down the street from each other and were both obsessed with sports.  We would spend long summer days playing basketball, softball, soccer, football, lacrosse.....pretty much any thing we could think of or find the equipment for. It was so fun to catch up with her.

This is Danielle's one-year old, Anndi.  I got to pick our her outfits every morning and get her dressed for bed. She is a cutie pie!

Danielle is an amazing cake decorator.  Here she is creating Tessa's cake, which was not only beautiful but also extremely delicious.

She got a Cricut Cake for Christmas and I got to teach her all about fondant.  One lesson and she is already better than me, doesn't that make you sick? :) jk Dani.

Danielle's Dad has owned Sonics for years.  One of our traditions whenever we get together is to order and eat TONS of Sonic food in one sitting.  

 We also both have an addiction to Target Clearance sales.  So we had to stop at Target at least once while we were together.  I think 80% of mine and the boys wardrobes are from 75% off Target racks.

Fun, fun, fun. I love my friends.