ANNUAL FIRESIDE

My favorite part of the Super Bowl is: going to the Fieldings, celebrating with good friends, awesome food, wearing Jets jerseys (no matter which teams are playing) and calling it a fireside!  This tradition is one of our favorites!  I love it!

These kids are sooooo cute... and ready to watch football!

Kotten Kandy and Oreos were excited when the Falcons scored!

I love this beautiful girl!

And I love that during The Star Spangled Banner, they all stood and showed respect!

AND I'm sooooo grateful to my mother and sister!  They know how important this tradition is to our family so they decided to throw their own Super Bowl fireside for Kiara!  She was thrilled that they even watched the game with her!  I have the best mom and sister EVER!!!!

This girl wore her jersey too!

Proof that Ken, GJ and Mil watched the game!

YUM!

Unfortunately, the Patriots won.  We're not Pat fans...  But the evening was fun spending it with people we love and eating food we love and knowing other people in Colorado we love are doing the same!  Thanks, Fieldings, for the invite and making our fireside tradition so much fun!

CELEBRATING LOVE and PICS FROM COLORADO

Last night I got to go on a special Valentine date with my husband!  We doubled with the Bettenhausens.  It was awesome!  First we went to a violin/viola concert given by a husband/wife duo.  The music consisted of love songs from Broadway musicals.  I LOVED it!  The music was wonderful!  The talent was amazing!  And the emotions were near the surface as they spoke about falling in love, staying in love, true love, lasting love, love of children, and adding God's love to the equations.  My favorite quote was "Making the commitment to love is an act of faith."  I found myself creating my own "play list/concert list of Broadway songs" for my own love story.  (Does anyone want to hear my list?!)  

Carol Larsen and Stirling Larsen

After the concert, we went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner.  YUM!!!!!  (Thanks, Chris, for the Christmas gift cards...  There is nothing better than eating at the Cheesecake Factory.)

I'm really not good at selfies....

I've always wanted to take a picture at the Cheesecake Factory with,

what I consider, the "eye of Sauron!"

Doesn't that light above us look like the "eye of Sauron!?"

Earlier this week, Scott got to go to dinner with one of his old missionary companions from Brazil.  They really enjoyed catching up on each other's lives.  Meet Stephen Tapley:

Companions!

Today Kiara went hiking with her uncle and cousin:

Kiara, Shanae and Ken

Daddy/Daughter Picture!

Shanae

Kiara Lea

And earlier this week, I got this picture from my eldest daughter:

She's really enjoying working at the dentist office!

And tonight Kiara and Shanae are watching the BYU Ballroom dancers!  Lucky girls!

YSA Group

Cousins!

DAUGHTERS AND DRAGONS ARE DELIGHTFUL

I have funny daughters!  I have sweet daughters!  I have beautiful daughters!  I have talented daughters!  And I have kind daughters!  They make me proud to be their mother - and humbled that Heavenly Father trusted me with such amazing girls!  Here they are... being themselves:

I love it when my eldest sends me pictures so I know she's alive!

And I'm glad she's exercising!

Isn't she gorgeous?!

And then I get pics on my phone from a sweet girl down the hall....

And when I say, "You're beautiful, but you should smile!"

Then I get this picture:

She's hilarious!

And Sloth (with Kotten Kandy) brings tons of joy!

Everyone should have a sloth in the family!

In Dragon news - I just finished reading the first book in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles.  Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede was delightful!  This book is written at a 4th grade level - so it was super easy and fast to read.  I can't believe I didn't read these as a kid.  I would have adored this book when I was 9.  Now I can't wait to read it to future granddaughters.  It's thoroughly enjoyable.  I needed a fun and easy read, and that is what this book is.  I'm kinda excited to read the other books in the series.

BON APPETITE

Sweet Tarts, Asparagus, Kotten Kandy and Taffy

I LOVE these crazy kids!  They had too much fun making and eating pizza tonight... and topped the evening off with pool and other games.

EXTRA cheese! - These kids know what makes a pizza delish!

Making pizza is messy work....

Especially when there is a flour fight?!

YUM!  Time to eat!

This date is definitely full of hot air!

Unusual attire... but these girls don't seem to mind too much?!

I'm sooooooooo blessed!

These kids are GREAT kids!

And while I'm blogging.... I just finished re-reading Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin.  I absolutely LOVE this book.  I read it last year, and decided to re-read it because it is so packed full of GOOD and  USEFUL information!  It truly motivates me and inspires me to be better.  This book is all about practical steps to improve your life, but it really focused on the fact that our personalities are a major determining factor in how we operate on a daily basis.  As a result, the strategies offered are not one-size-fits-all, so it helps to pick and choose what works for each of us individually....

Gretchen Rubin manages to combine professional and research-based content with a warm, inviting and conversational style.  I feel like I could be friends with her.  I feel both informed and empowered to apply what I've learned.  I definitely recommend this book... again!  

IT'S A HOMESCHOOL LIFE!

Today we went to the temple with the homeschool group.  Afterwards we went to the American Printing House for the Blind located in downtown Louisville.  It was really neat.  I loved learning about service dogs, talking books, braille, Helen Keller, the Blind Boys of Alabama and Stevie Wonder.  (Of course, my favorite people to learn about were the musicians....)  It was a fun day!

The Group

Crazy Teens

This pretty girl is mine!

And I claim Nuts as my own too!

He's learning what it's like to really have vision problems....

I was grateful for this pic of me with my daughter....

Sometimes I forget to be in the pictures.

And standing next to her takes the focus of "old mother!"

I love this quote!

I also wanted to share a few more random pictures from the past couple of weeks:

Raisin found a cute cubby at my house.

Fig Newton took a few cute pics of Jelly Bean....

Isn't he adorable!?

We joke that he's a hurricane!

But he's WAY TOO cute to be destructive!

Fig Newton playing the song "Once I Was A Jelly Fish" by Kotten Kandy

Apple Muffin can also fit into small spaces!

She's one loving little girl!

Kotten Kandy and Maple being delightful!

I sure love these two!

They are a lot alike - they both make fun faces, they are both sweet, they are both funny, they are both GOOD girls, and they are both a lot like sisters!  Can I keep Maple?!  She has been an answer to prayers for my daughter - she needed a good girl friend to laugh and spend time with!!!!!

JANUARY 21st BIRTHDAYS

Yesterday was my Thai daughter's 16th birthday!  And she shares the same birthday with another one of my favorite people:  Rice Krispie.  So naturally we celebrated!  We had a party - complete with cake, presents and really good friends!

This crazy bunch of teenagers rock!

I love having kids at my house!

Rice Krispie and Fig Newton share a birthday!

Rice Krispie is 13 and Fig Newton is 16!

Scott made the cake!

He is sooooooooooooo amazing!

Fig Newton wanted a squid cake and Rice Krispie loves music.  Hence, a musical squid cake!

He spent all day in the kitchen....

I think it turned out great!

Singing "Happy Birthday!"

Playing a hitting game...  I didn't understand it, but it was funny to watch.

Taffy made a whip - so everyone tried it out... even Scott!

"Do the whip!  Do the nae nae!"

Taffy and Scott tried communicating on "old fangled technology." 

Fig Newton was really excited by her gift from Kotten Kandy.

Koala is to Fig what Sloth is to Kotten Kandy....

Opening presents if fun!

Happy Birthday, to my beautiful Thai daughter!

She brings us such joy and laughter!

We LOVE her and are glad she came to us in Kentucky!