A Boy's Valentine Party

I think they must play up Valentine's day at Z's school, because he was totally into it this year.  He decided he wanted to have a party, and since he didn't have school on the 13th (or the 14th, but I did have school), we decided to have a Valentine lunch party.  He invited Amah and his friend Jackson.  Amah couldn't come, so it was just the boys (plus Eden).

Z had many plans for making the party wonderful.  He spent one evening making hearts and Valentines which we hung from our dining room fan.  He had a great idea of making a valentine shield for Jackson.  Imagine Captain America's shield in the shape of a heart.  That's exactly what Z wanted.  For the fighting the two of them would do at the party, of course.

I made a strawberry cake FROM SCRATCH!  Wow, it is a lot of work to make a cake from scratch.  It did taste awesome, if I do say it myself, however, I'm pretty convinced that a box cake with the homemade frosting is really the way to go.  You save a bunch of time with the box, but the frosting still looks and tastes fantastic, and nothing like what you get in a can.  We also had pizza and chocolate hearts and the most unusual Valentine party I've ever attended (which isn't that many).  It might also have been the most fun Valentine party I've attended.  See for yourself:

The hearts and valentines

The cake and Z wearing too-big ninja headgear.  Because of course you dress like a ninja at a Valentine party.

Eden disdained the cake and just ate icecream.

See the little black and blue thing on the table by Z's plate?  It's a rubberband bracelet.  They're all the rage now with elementary school kids.  So I dutifully went out and bought a rainbow loom and Z and I worked on making bracelets (the other activity planned for the party).  Some, like the fishtail, are pretty easy to make.  The one that you see, called a zippy chain, took me four tries -- four tries!  And it only became clear that it wasn't going to work at the very end, after I'd done all the stupid weaving.  Sheesh.

We thought Jackson's shirt was very funny, and so did he!

Yummy cake!  Z saved all the frosting for last.

For some reason this last video won't upload - and it's the best one!  See it through this link.

Summer Vacation

This has been a cold winter so far.  The day after we got back from Christmas vacation the temperature was somewhere around -20 and the windchill that morning was -39.  Brrr!  Since then it's been a lot of below zero temperatures and really below zero wind chills!

But, in the midst of that, we have been planning our summer vacations.  In July we are meeting up with Micah, Christie and kids for a Black Hills vacation.  Yay!  We are super excited!  Everyone wants to see Mt. Rushmore, build dams in the stream right outside our cabin, and hike in the Black Hills.  I was also thinking we should check out this mammoth dig in Hot Springs.  The Washington Pavilion had a mammoth exhibit and cinedome film on mammoths last summer, and our kids have been loving mammoths ever since.  What do you think, Micah and Christie?

In addition to this, Nathan and I are taking a week long vacation to St. John, one of the U.S. Virgin Islands in the Caribbean.  We honeymooned there eleven years ago, and then went back three years after that, which means our last trip there was almost eight years ago!  It was pre-children.  We are now post-children -- no, that's not right -- we are now with-children, so they will be spending a wonderful vacation week with wonderful Yaya and Papu!  Nathan and I bought out tickets a few days ago, so I've had a hard time not constantly day-dreaming about white sand beaches and 85 degree temperatures.  It's hard to resist when this is what it was like eight years ago:

We just look so warm!

Prehistoric Beasts

Tonight we watched a show on saber tooth cats produced by the BBC.  The show used computer generated graphics to imagine 3 months in the life of a saber tooth cat.

After it was over, Z spent the next hour pretending to "spray" all our furniture and suddenly attacking Nathan, yelling, "Defend your territory!"  Eden, on the other hand, spent the hour fighting me for control of the "babies" (all her stuffed animals).  In the midst of this she randomly repeated, "Terror birds eat meat!"

Christmas In Kansas

After celebrating Christmas in South Dakota with Amah, we headed down to Kansas for a nice long break -- almost two weeks!  We had a great time!

That is one ridiculously big stocking!

What is in there?

CANDY!!

Nathan checks on his stocking.

Z plays with his metallic goo.

Phin destroys her stuffed dog.  (Is that some sort of cannibalism?)

Yay!  A monkey mitt!

Legos!

Eden got a play-do sweet shop.  Nathan is gamely trying out the various delicacies.

Hungry, hungry hippos.

Still hungry.

Z and Yaya check out the remote controlled car.

Eden discovers her egg.

Eden watches her egg with bated breath.  This is how she spent much of Christmas day.

The hallowed tradition of making the cinnamon rolls.

Caleb at the evening family gathering.

Jake

Many, many cousins and presents!

Eden's present from Yaya and Papu was so big it had to be hidden in another room.

Pure excitement!

Total mayhem.

Ann opening a present.

Faith, Phin and Uncle Abie.

Mom gave Dad a new wedding ring, since his has been lost in the Mediterranean for over 40 years!

Little cuties.

Big cutie.

Phin snuggling with Yaya's super nice Christmas blanket.  I don't think Yaya allowed this again.

It must be getting late.

More posts to follow on the Hitchcock version of chopped and the Stegall family poetry slam!

Little Snow Maiden

Christmas 2013 in South Dakota

We had Christmas with Amah in South Dakota, before we headed down to Kansas.  Nathan gave me a new camera, so we tried it out and took lots of pictures and had lots of fun!