Friday, February 28, 2014

Sara as Sailor of the Week

Sara was Sailor of the Week at school. She loved being recognized and bringing in her favorite treats: Rice Krispy Treats and Fruit by the Foot.

We made her a special poster. Sorry I only took phone pics of it before it self-destructed. Some notes: her favorite color is turquoise with purple as a close second. She is 6 and a half years old. Her favorite foods are: Fondue, Waffle Truck, Ice Cream, and Bread. There are stars all over it because she loves going to the planetarium.
Here are all the pics with text she chose to put on her poster.
 I think she's pretty cool and amazing!!

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Valentine's Day 2014

I love Valentine's day!  It is fun to decorate and distributing a few little treats to those I love just makes it so special.
It began with Steph's (oh, this party is intimidating to me) Valentine's Exchange.  I went over on Thursday before and helped her make all the cookies.  For the party on the Sat before V-day, I brought felt heart garlands and small loaves of 9 grain bread. Thanks for the loaf pans, Deb!  I brought the same garlands to my friends, VT-ees, and the girls teachers.

We gave the girls their baskets of treats the night before.  They loved the specialized Disney necklaces as well as the other little treats.
On Valentine's Day they brought their valentines to school, wore the heart hairdo, and did free dress.
Valentine's night was crazy with lessons so we delayed the annual fondue until the weekend.  Oh my that cheese fondue is amazing with roasted asparagus.
We also loved the Valentines we received in the mail from Grandma.  To thank her, we went to her house and did "Love Service" and cleaned her baseboards and the where the floor meets them.

Saturday, February 08, 2014

Arches Quick Trip

With Jason's new job, we couldn't take our regular long vacation to Disneyland during the cold and dreary months of January or February.  So, to escape the toxic air of our valley and get some much needed family time and sunshine, we took a quick trip to Arches National Park.  Neither Jason nor I had been there in the wintertime and we wanted to see it.  It did not disappoint.
The hikes (we did all but the 2 longest) were magnificent and the girls were spectacular.  We hiked a little over 12 miles in the 2 days we were there and they went without complaint.  We bundled up and felt nearly alone as we saw some of the world's most uniquely beautiful landscapes.  The snow was an amazing contrast to the red rocks.
We loved looking at the sites, climbing rocks where allowed, taking beautiful and funny pictures, listening to Candy Shop War on tape, holding hands, eating in the car (oh, the big solo cups with lids and straws were amazing on this trip so we could just refill from big containers as needed), and mostly spending time together.  It was magical, quick, renewing, beautiful, and inexpensive.  I think it may become a regular wintertime activity.