Valentine's Day {2 Weeks Late!}

Happy Valentine's Day from Andrew and Alex!

And, from Baby Austin, too! He was tired out from all the fun!

A Second Snow {Feb 12-13}

Why, hello, snow... Yep. It snowed again (a couple weeks ago) and thankfully everyone was home safe and sound this time. Phew!

So, Wednesday morning (the 12th) was a very rainy, icy cold day. In fact, after it had been raining all day, the temp finally decided to drop a bit more. And this our boys' picnic table looked like this:

Icicles!

But, it stopped and all of us figured we would still have school the next day. No more rain. The icicles even started to drip drop away. Everyone got baths, clothes picked out, stories read, and kisses goodnight. As I walked my way back into the kitchen, my 5 quart mixing bowl that I put out just in case for snow cream should we actually get the mysterious snow, looked like this:

How long was I reading the rest of that Tree House book for???

Um, yeah. That is a few inches of snow people. That pic was taken at 7:36 pm. A half-hour after I said goodnight to the boys. Holy. Moly.

And just as I was headed outside to grab my mixing bowl, I got the phone call, text message, and email informing us parents that we will yet again be plagued with cabin fever having a snow day.

I must say...when you are safe and sound all together, a snow-covered neighborhood looks quite beautiful.

Absolutely gorgeous, in fact. Sweet dreams snow. See you in the morning.

All is calm. And, all is very bright at 5:30 am when there is snow on the ground!

Of course these guys could not wait and scarfed down their breakfast to play in the snow for as long as possible. SNOW!!

They enjoyed many snowball fights - though the snow was much to powdery to make a decent snowball.

 Plotting something (left) and getting their daddy (right).

Watching the big boys

Once I got Austin ready, he and I trekked into the snow. This is not technically his first snow, but it is the first time he has been outside in it all bundled up.He thought is was very bright!

The view over the fence

 

That hill actually looks rather nice when it is all snow-covered. 

 

In my boots boots LOL

Jason went in with Austin, while I stayed out to play with the boys for a bit more. Eventually, I went back inside. But, the guys? They stayed out there for about another hour before deciding that it was too cold. They had such a great time!

The aftermath of fun in the snow!

Thankfully, the snow did not last long and was gone by the end of the day. The snow and I have a love/hate relationship... It's fine and dandy until my family is spread out all over the city, I literally get stuck at home, or it just lasts much too long. Now, Mr. Weatherman, I hope we are done with this. It is time to bring on Spring!

Five on Friday {Bouncer Edition}

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Welcome back to Five on Friday! This edition is all about Mr. Austin! He is growing so FAST! He is 16 weeks old and is all about that bouncy seat. He absolutely loves it. He is grabbing at everything and teething like a little puppy dog.

In other news, he is sleeping through the night and is starting to eat rice cereal and yummy fruits. He thinks that he is a big boy like the other two.

Speaking of the other two, when Andrew and Alex are close by to Austin he watches every single thing that they do. He loves his brothers so much. He just lights up whenever they play with him, laugh at anything, or just anything really having to do with them. Ahhh-dorable!

{1}

I sadi to Austin, "Look at that cool flower!" 

He made that face LOL

{2}

Then, I was informed that that was NOT a flower. It was, in fact, a windmill.

Alex shows that this is the truth by blowing on that doohickey and making it spin with his hand. 

Thus...a windmill. :)

{3}

Austin LOVES the spinning monkey toy!

{4}

He also loves keeping mommy company in the kitchen - love him!

{5}

And, of course, when you are in the kitchen...that is where you have a snack. Isn't that the cutest? You won't believe what is in there... Strawberries. He LOVES them. And, now if he see something red, he starts smacking his lips. Too adorable! If you have a teetherinyour home, I highly reccomend that super cool contraption. I had these with all 3 of my boys. They rock!

Menu Plan {Preparing for Lent}

Welcome back to our table! It's been a wild week/weekend at the house. Lots of stuff going on and such. Here's what we have cooking in the kitchen this week:

All recipes can be found at Budget Bytes! They are super yummy and super cheap to make.

If you noticed, our pizza nights (ok, except for this week...) have been moved to Saturday nights due to the Lenten season beginning on Ash Wednesday, March 5th. During this season of the Liturgical calendar we (Catholics, as far as I know...maybe other denominations) abstain from meat each Friday until Easter. So, Friday nights will be our fish/vegetarian nights. Last week, I made Baked Salmon with Lemon Pilaf - yummy! That one has been added to the "Lent List" for sure!

Also, I'm gathering books and things for the us as we come closer to the beginning of this season. Here are two that I plan on using:

Simplifying the Soul: Lenten Practices to Renew Your Spirit (Ave Maria Press)

Bring Lent to Life: Activities and Reflections for Your Family

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Do you celebrate Lent with your family? If so, what are your plans for this season?

What are your favorite fish/vegetarian dishes?

 

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Wordless Wednesday {Costumes}

Menu Plan

Interested in these recipes? Click though to check out This Week's Menu & Freezer Plan board on Pinterest!

Wordless Wednesday {Bumbo Edition}

Menu Plan

graphic source

Isn't that the perfect design for the month of love? Total cuteness!

I have been making extras of most of my dinner to keep in the freezer. However, before I can get them to the freezer they are used up for lunches for Jason and/or the boys. I am going to be making some more apple-zucchini muffins this week - it's been requested by a certain 4 year old. How can you say "no" to that? Especially when he calls them "sneaky muffins" since the zucchini is in the muffin but can't be tasted? Too funny. I'm also going to make some pizza dough! Fun times! 

Here's the recipes I will be using this week:

Creamy (White) Chicken Chili (pin for later)

Chicken Philly Sandwiches (pin for later)

Spaghizza (pin for later)

Greek Chicken (pin for later)

Santa Fe Chicken Tortellini Casserole (from Betty Crocker Cookbook (Bridal Edition) (Betty Crocker Books))

Have a great week!!



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