Guess How Much I Love You?

We had a great Valentine's Day (make that, "Valentine's Week") at Aunt Judy's this year. The girls got to make Valentine's for their pre-school party, which gave me an opportunity to hear more about some of their classmates. They both had someone they wanted to give a "special" Valentine to, which was sweet. At least I thought it was sweet until I realized that one was a little boy!

Later in the week, The Man sent us a yummy Edible Arrangement (MUST HAVE MORE!), took us to dinner at a local seafood restaurant (we love "shrimps!"), ran countless errands with us and even helped me set-up the girls' Valentine's morning surprises. You know, he's good when he wants to be. :)

In honor of the big day, I made the girls pose for a picture or two. During the photo shoot I asked them if they knew how much I loved them.



Miss Independent (above) gave me a huge grin, while Little Miss (below) replied with a pose and comment. Take a look at her picture and see if you can "guess" what the comment was...




Yup -- it was "this much!" I couldn't have been more proud since that phrase comes from one of our favorite Children's books: Guess How Much I Love You. It was the girls nursery room theme and will always be a cherished classic. The Man and I love those kids to the moon and back.

Hope you all had a Happy Heart Day too!

Reno 911

Check this out... two posts in one day!

Apparently I started a post LAST JULY and then never finished it (sad, I know). Since it was nearly complete, I thought I'd post it now so you could enjoy some pictures from our last trip to Reno.

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In a nutshell, our "Reno Roadtrip" was jam-packed with family events. It was 17-days of fun filled activities and some much needed TLC. A few of the highlights are below.

Highlight #1: Papa's Pet Rock

Papa T painted a giant pet rock in his backyard for the girls. They named it "Mommy Froggy" and visited her daily. It was an awesome gift and something the girls will look forward to seeing on future trips to Granny and Papa's house. Thanks, Papa -- we love your artistic ability and sense of fun!

Highlight #2: We found some kittens!

We woke up one morning and found kittens in the front yard. Papa T caught two that the girls called "Nugget" and "Moe" (from the Veggie Tales videos). Taking care of them was lots of fun and helped to prepare us for the two kitten additions to our family the following October.

Highlight #3: Making homemade ice cream

We used an antique ice cream maker from the early 1900's -- it was actually manufactured in Richmond, VA if you can believe that! It took awhile to make the ice cream since Papa had two helpers on the churning part. However, it was well worth the wait.

Highlight #4: Swimming in the toddler pool

As I've mentioned in previous posts, C&S can't get enough time in the water. They'll swim in a tub for hours if you'd let them.



Highlight #5: Seeing Uncle E and meeting his "Sweeties"

And by "Sweeties" I mean Uncle E's sweet girlfriend, Kristina Bo Bina, and his pet Iguana, Sweetie. As usual, Claire jumped right in and made friends with both. I wasn't surprised about her comfort with Kristina, but her ease around the reptile was a little shocking. Apparently there isn't a creature alive that scares this kid. She'll consider that a gift in her future career as a veterinarian. =^..^=

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And that's where the draft post ended. The remaining Reno highlights will be added to a scrapbook someday. For now, it's back to posting some more updated info on the blog. Stay tuned.

Love Orange Julius? Me too!

Darn you, Facebook!

As soon as I get a few minutes to update this blog, I end up checking e-mail and that "other" online communication tool for "just a minute or two." Next thing I know I'm caught up looking at friends' status updates, new pictures, 25+ lists, etc., etc. By the time it's all over, an hour or two has gone by and I'm too tired to provide any updates of my own.

So again I say... "DARN YOU, FACEBOOK!"

I really do have updates to make here, including my recent trip to Arizona, Valentine's Day festivities, etc. But until I can get to those, I thought I'd post a quick recipe since it was a hot topic among some friends on Facebook (go figure) yesterday. It's a family favorite that I enjoyed as a kid and am now enjoying with my kids. I think they're especially good while relaxing on the back patio after an evening swim...

Speaking of which, have I mentioned how much I miss this time of year in Arizona? Good times.

Now before I get all nostalgic, go and get those blenders blending! (NOTE: If you'd prefer to save a few steps -- buy the Orange Smoothie Mix found in most grocery store produce sections -- and then just add ice and water). ENJOY!


Orange Smoothie (that's just like a Julius!)

Ingredients:
1/3 cup Frozen Orange Juice Concentrate
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 cup Milk
5-6 Ice cubes
1/4 cup Sugar
2 scoops Vanilla Ice Cream
1/2 cup Water (optional)

Directions:
Blend ingredients until smooth. Serves 4.
Refrigerate no more than a day.