Happy Valentine's Day

Nothing like a low key, simple night at home with my guys to make me happy on Valentine's Day. I usually make heart-shaped meatloaf for dinner, but I was not in the mood for that, so I made a soup from Pioneer Woman that the boys saw on TV and had been begging for!

What a great night!

Instagram!

I'll admit. I'm obsessed. I'm obsessed with Instagram on my iPhone! Enjoy my obsession with a few of my favorite pictures over the past week or two! :)

Ethan: "Money makes me happy." Me, too, Ethan! :)

My bathroom remodel with a gallon of paint!
Love the finished product!

This is a picture of the fungus growing on a tree stump outside. It is so pretty, but it is still a fungus!

One of our new little furry friends! Meet Harry Potter! This little guy is Ethan's roommate. He runs from 8 PM to 9AM. EGADS. He's the baby of our neighbor's hamster. Now we are the proud owners of TWO of those babies! YAY US. (Can you hear my sarcasm?!)

Rock and Worship!

My boys (and I) have been looking forward to this night for a very long time! We went last year and had an amazing time! The line up last year didn't disappoint. This year's line up was a bit 'younger' and catered to more youth groups. I am still impressed by how much Christian music has changed since I was a teenager. I feel so blessed that Matthew and Ethan can listen to rap, heavy metal or just a good singer/songwriter, and not be concerned about what it is they are hearing. This year, they were able to see Disciple, which was a heavy metal band that all three of my boys liked. They were able to see Lecrae, a rap artist, that even I was impressed with. They got to see Sidewalk Prophets, Rend Collective Experiment (great Irish sound), Hawk Nelson (pop/punk), Tenth Avenue North (another household favorite) and of course, MercyMe!! We love Mercyme!! Ethan LOVES MercyMe! You can see how much he loves them HERE! Ethan fell sound asleep half way through. Matthew rocked out to some good music, had fun with his friends and smiled all night long! Each band sent messages to the audience that always seemed to speak right to you. It felt great being surrounded by others that share the same beliefs as you, but also knowing that God works in mysterious ways. Those words were spoken to help everyone in that building. Even though the music may not be my 'taste' all the time, being with my friends (Spiro's and McMeins') and my family made the night a real 'feel good' kind of night! I can't wait until next year...or maybe we'll find them touring again this summer!! :)

MercyMe

Nicholas and Matthew

Hawk Nelson

Tenth Avenue North (This moment made my night! I caught Matthew videotaping his talk, when Matthew turned his camera back on himself and said "This guy is awesome!")

Ethan sleeping through it all...

MercyMe singing "I Can Only Imagine"

Bryan is 40!

The man is officially 14,600 days old...give or take a couple after Leap Year! :)

We had a surprise birthday for him on Saturday! His family all came in for the festivus! His Aunt Karen even brought out his Grandma to add a very special surprise!! Bryan's sister, Leighanne and her husband, Steve, flew in from CA and NJ. Bryan's brother, Steve, and his son, Alex, flew in from VA! We haven't all been together in A VERY LONG time! The time went VERY quickly and we had a great weekend. My mom and Bryan's mom did SO much to make his surprise party a success!! I appreciate all the food you bought, the decorations, the set up and the clean up! Thank you to my dad for picking up the food and letting us use the building! Thank you to EVERYONE who helped make the day a great memory for Bryan!! It was a great night and felt wonderful, being surrounded by friends and family!!

I took so many pictures that night, Blogger couldn't possibly hold them all! If you've got the time, check out the link to see what was suitable for all viewing audiences! :)

CLICK HERE FOR THE PICTURES!

Ethan Rocks!!

This has to be one of the highlights of my night! Ethan was rocking out with a band called Disciple at the "Rockin' Worship Roadshow." It's not my kind of music, but apparently the Spirit moved Ethan!!

Ice Time

Today was supposed to be a 'girl's day' with my mom...shopping, coffee and getting our nails done. Bryan and the boys had other plans. They wanted to do a family day...a family day at the ice rink! For those of you that don't know, I HATE ICE SKATING!! I married a guy that probably could have skated professionally, and I have NEVER ONE TIME gone skating with him. EVER. Well, after 14 years together and two kids later...we went. $37 dollars was well worth the amount of laughs I had watching them! Matthew was the funniest skater I've ever seen. Picture Elaine from Seinfeld dancing, put her on ice, and you've got Matthew. I cackled. I howled. I had tears in my eyes. Ethan had tears in his eyes, too...but he banged his face on the walker he was using. He probably hates skating as much as his mother. Bryan tried to show off all afternoon and loved every moment!! So, after I skated 4 laps without falling, I called it quits. Overall, it wasn't so bad. I'll admit. It was pure entertainment!!

(and I wasn't the worst one there!!)

100 Days

I don't think I have ever been happier. I'm doing the job I've always dreamed of doing. I am working with people that I laugh with, can talk with and are always willing to help. I survived my first 100 days as a kindergarten teacher. My students are learning. My students are maturing. I'm not perfect. I'm just excited to do the best I can and have the most fun that I can. I am so thankful that people have come into my life and helped me get to where I am today. The journey to get here hasn't been easy, but I am happy to say it has all been worth it! What a difference it makes when you love going to work...and I do.

Poor thing...

Guinness goes through so much. This may have topped her entire 11.5 years of life. Poor thing was humiliated. She gave us all a good laugh, though!

Halloween 2011

I didn't get too creative this year, but I stuck with the homemade theme (and CHEAP)! They would have preferred something "scary," but I vetoed that quickly! Quite honestly, I think they thought they were pretty cool when random people were telling them how cool they looked!! (A certain boy did shed some tears because kids were "making fun of his silly costume.") Not bad for a last minute and $6 total purchase!! Besides, what would a couple grapes be without a little WHINE! :)

The loot! Not bad for only an hour or so out trick-or-treating!!

Happy Halloween!

3285 Days Old

I can't believe my first baby is already 9 years old. He is loved by so many people and he's touched the lives of even more!

NINE THINGS WE LOVE ABOUT YOU, MATTHEW:

1. Each freckle that seems to magically appear overnight on your cheeks and your nose.

2.Your thoughtfulness for anyone and everyone who has less than you.

3. Your zest for life!

4. The way you love babies...all babies!

5. The way we catch you being so kind to your brother when you think we aren't looking.

6. Your wit that seems to challenge us everyday.

7. The intensity for the things that mean the most to you. (Friends, family, and Jesus, too!)

8. How you sing Christian music loudly and without any embarrassment!

9. We love that you really don't want to become a grown up. You'll always be our #1! :)

Happy birthday, Matthew! We love you!!