My Two Little Valentines

Last week for Valentine's Day, I tried to make the day special for the kids and I since Edward had to work. We made pancakes into hearts and then spent a few very fun hours at the zoo. We ended with a nice dinner with Edward, too. It was a perfect day (well, for the three of us!)

Kiera waiting ever so patiently for her pancake to be done.

Gabriel really enjoyed making the heart pancakes.

Before even entering the zoo the kids were having a blast. I love going to the zoo and other places with friends and family, but it was so nice and relaxing to oly have to worry about what my two kids wanted to do. We didn't see a ton of animals, but we saw their favorites and did whatever we wanted. It was such a great day!
The giraffes are always a must see. Mostly because of the climb up and the great view!
Proof that I was there. :)
Kiera checking out the animals through her peephole.

The best part of having annual passes to the zoo is the free entertainment! We even had caraoul passes for a while, but on this day we splurged. Edward and I didn't want to give the kids random little toys and things for Valentine's Day, so instead we did some new things at the zoo. First we had a special treat. It was really warm that day (mid 70's) so we had some ice cream and a snow cone. Then.....

Gabriel got to ride the camel!!! Kiera is still too young I guess, but Gabriel really wanted to go. I spent the $5 and let him have his 5 minutes. He didn't even hestiate and of course can't wait to go again. Uh oh...

"Hi, Mommmy and Kiera!"

We finished off Valentine's Day weekend with a special dessert for Daddy. We made Tyler's Ultimate Chocolate Cracked Earth Cake. Check out this pretty easy recipe here. The kids helped me make it (although it was a bit stressful since they were over tired from their zoo trip and I think I was, too), but we made it together and it turned out beautifully!

We hope everyone enjoyed a special day, too!

Snow!

A few weeks ago we enjoyed a quick visit to the scow just a couple of hours away. Although we have taken Gabriel a couple of times, this was a first for Kiera. We had a lot of fun enjoying the snow for a few hours, but it was also nice to head home to the warmer weather when we got cold and wet!

Kiera enjoying the snow for the first time!

Edward sliding down with Gabriel.

Gabriel throwing a snowball at his Nina. Don't worry, she got him back!
Addisen taking Kiera for a ride.

Kiera and Makayla having a stare down. I'm still not sure which one won! It was fun though!!

Miaha in 2005

Thought I would post a picture of Miaha from when she lived with us. This picture is from Christmas 2005, so it was towards the end of her time with us. I think her and Kiera look a little bit alike when I look at this picture. What do you think?

Cousins!

My sister recently celebrated her 30th birhtday by going to Vegas with her hubb, Mark. So, I volunteered to watch her two younges kiddos for the weekend! We had a lot of fun, and the kids really got to spend quality time together. It is pretty cute to watch Kiera and Keoni since they are only 3 weeks apart.

I promise Keo was having fun! Do you like his pink and blue helmet?

I thought this picture was cute because it captures that love Keo obviously has for Kiera and the amazing hair I have to work with on Kiera every day!

Miaha has always been special to Edward and I since we helped raise her when she was a baby and my sister was living with us. It was kind of nice having her back home with us again.

The kids swinging.

Kiera and Keoni playing oustide.

Yes, I did realize after posting these that there are no pictures of Gabriel. He was there, I promise. He just kept getting missed. Poor kid.

We Are So Proud!

In January, Steve and Leia ran the PF Chang's Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon. We all went out to support them and attempt to watch them finish the race. Unfortunelty, we missed Leia (don't know if we didn't see her or actually missed her), but we did get to see Steve finish.

It was quite the day. Emotional for both Leia and I. It was hard for me to see her finish without me (I am still not able to run) and she was so proud of herself for finishing it on her own. I was just as proud of her, too.

The final times indicated that Leia ended up beating Steve by just a couple of minutes. Maybe next year, Steve!

Celebrating with Tommy!

Cousin Tommy celebrated his first birthday a few weeks ago. We had a great day celebrating with him at the park!

"Let's get this party started!"

A stroll through the park with Tommy and Kiera.

Cake time!

Presents!!!Oso was also in attendance.

Laura flew all the way from CT for her favorite nephew's 1st birthday!
Kiera enjoyed the park so much!

Gabriel had fun playing football with the boys (and Anessa).Laura was in charge of taking down Tommy's banner. It took the whole Ash family to help her out!

Happy 1st Birthday, Tommy!