Three instrument band

Oh the fun the kids have with their instruments! Here's a taste of life around here.

Teacher Appreciation Day

I am always trying to make or find unique gifts for all occasions. Tomorrow is Teacher Appreciation Day and I was struggling with what to get Skyer's teacher. I had an idea, but needed to find the stuff for it. I went to my favorite craft store and was disappointed that they did not have what I was looking for, but then I found something a little bit better. I got a huge oversized coffee mug and a rub on that had apples and a cute teacher saying. I transferred that on and had Skyler write a message on the back with puffy paint pens. Then I filled it up with coffee and biscotti, note cards, a note pad and two wooden flowers. It was pretty cute and I'm sure his teacher will like it.

Lily

My Lily is such a stitch! She refuses on most days to wear a dress and I don't push it, if she doesn't want to, I am not going to force her. But, every once in a long while, she asks to wear one. She did this just the other day and I snapped a picture of it because she was just so smitten with herself in the her butterfly dress, with her butterfly shoes on!

Cub Scout Banquet

Saturday was the big Cub Scout Banquet. Here are a few pics from that. Lily was telling me to be quiet-nice!

Our Valentines

Here are the Valentines that we made for our class parties.

Cookies

In the last month I have been asked twice to make sugar cookies for the Cub Scouts. The first time was for the Pinewood Derby. I made 100 Derby Car cookies using the "Official Boy Scout Derby Car" Cookie Cutter. Then last week, I made 100 Boy Scout of America Official Symbol cookies for our Pack's Blue and Gold Banquet. I really enjoy making the cookies, and am so grateful that I have such great friends to help. On Thursday, Christy watched the kids while I made the cookies and on Friday, the three main ladies of Cub Scouts came over to help me frost the cookies (the job that takes the most time if you have to do it by yourself). So here are some pictures of the process. I already have my next cookie idea in mind, and I do have to say, it's gonna be cute!

We've been busy lately!

Here are a few of the Family Fun Nights that we've had in the last week:

• On Thursday we celebrated Chinese New Year. We had a great Chinese dinner of homemade lemon chicken, crab rangoon, egg roll, and fortune cookies. I made the lemon chicken. It is so delicious, tastes just like Chinese take out and is so much cheaper. Chuck picked the rest of the food up from China Road. The kids had Chinese New Year coloring pages, it is the Year of the Tiger, and we talked about China.
• On Friday we celebrated Abraham Lincoln's birthday. Many years ago we celebrated both Lincoln's and Washington's birthdays separately, but now we lump them together on President's Day. Well since I believe that both of those men are extremely important to the history of our nation and if Christopher Columbus and Martin Luther King, Jr. get their own days, then in my house Lincoln and Washington will have their own days! For Lincoln Day we read a book about Lincoln and then reenacted the Civil War. It was great fun, but unfortunately The South won and we are all in a very different situation!
• Sunday we celebrated Valentine's Day and had a remembrance day for my grandma. For breakfast we had heart shaped waffles with strawberries. The rest of the day was pretty crazy. We had a tea party at my mom's with tea sandwiches, scones, cheese ball, sugar cookies, and brownies, and of course TEA! It was yummy. The kids then went with their aunt and uncle to the Lippanzaner (sp) Horse Show. The kids had so much fun and loved watching the horses. Chuck and I went out for a quick bite to eat and then watch Four Christmases.
• Up next, on Saturday will be George Washington Day, we will definitely be having a cherry pie! We also have been having Olympic Days here and there and I hope that we can wrap it up with one big final Olympic party.

Snow Play

We've had a bit of snow this winter and there have only been a few days that haven't been too frigid to go out and play. One of those days, the kids really wanted to build snow forts. Or should I say, they really wanted me to build them snow forts. So I went out there (not something I really like to do-playing in the snow) and dug out a fort to Skyler's specifications. Once I was done, he decided it wasn't quite good enough for him and he gave it to Lily and came up with a new plan for his. Our picnic table was moved along the back wall of the yard and it was covered with snow. Skyler's new plan was for me to dig out the picnic table. It was kind of hard, but I did the best I could and he really enjoyed playing in it.

Our Musicians

This is what life is like in our house these days.