Happy Birthday, Eli!

We celebrated Eli's 4th birthday Peter Pan style including a Mama-made costume.

Delicious chocolate chip cookie cupcakes!

And, nothing beats a candy buffet for party favors!

Especially one with cute-sy little title cards!

We had such fun celebrating our sweet Elijah Joseph's 4th year and thank God for him everyday!

Happy Birthday, Eli!  We love you!

Dating My Hubby

As a result of the success of 2011's "Mission:  Happily Ever After" weekly at-home date nights, I gifted Matt with monthly preplanned on-the-town date nights for Christmas this past year.  This doesn't replace the weekly date nights, it supplements them!  In January, we headed out to a Lebanese restaurant in downtown.  Yummy!  This past Wednesday, we had our February date night.  I dropped the little boys off for their own "date night" with Mema and PaPa on Wednesday morning--thanks, Mema and PaPa!  Then, it was home for a little primping.   Matt and I took a moment to snap this picture, then armed with a gift card for dinner from my parents and theatre tickets from Matt's (thanks, everyone!!), we headed out.  

  

It was such a blessing to be able to indulge in a night out together alone.  Now, don't get me wrong, I love my children and enjoy spending time with them, but in the hierarchy we honor, Matt comes before my children.  It is our job to model marriage for our boys and if our marriage isn't strong, we can't be the parents God has called us to be.  If a parenting team falls apart, the ones who feel it the most are the children.  So, we believe our marriage is a priority!  

At dinner, we prayed over our food and our marriage.  We dined on steak, salad, asparagus, vegetables, baked potatoes, all prepared deliciously.  The conversations were many and varied.  As with anytime extended alone time, we caught up on each other.  We shared and we laughed and we bonded.   

With full bellies, we headed to the theatre downtown for Les Miserables, my favorite Broadway musical.  We held hands in the darkened theatre as the actors sang about love and war.  We laughed to ourselves when Matt jumped at the sound of a gunshot.  During the curtain call, I was smiling ear to ear.  The actors were fabulous and the musicians were amazing, but...so was my date!

Happy Valentine's Day...

...to the ones who loved me first and modeled love for me

...to the one who challenged me to open my heart and still makes it flutter

...to the ones who proved that being a mother is like having your heart walk around outside your body and have given me a glimpse of God's unconditional love here on earth

...to the One who loved me so much He send His son to die for my sins so that I can have eternal life.  God is Love!

I hope your Valentine's Day is blessed beyond measure!

Making Memories

WARNING:  The following is another picture-heavy post, people!  I'm sorry, but the cuteness just won't quit around here.  Please, be forewarned!

We took a little trip to Marbles with Mema and PaPa today.  The little boys get a membership every year for Christmas and it is one of my favorite outings.  Our typical Marbles trip can be bit demanding.  With two kiddos each having their own agenda, we are often pulled in two completely different directions with me eventually having to lay down lots more structure and dole out lots more discipline.  Today's trip was "awesome-sauce"!  With extra hands, the boys were free to roam as they pleased and I could even snap some pictures of the fun.  Those extra hands were even more appreciated as it seemed every elementary school in the surrounding umpteen districts decided that Marbles would be a great field trip today!  We followed the play time up with some delicious pizza at Mellow Mushroom. Yay for a fun day with Mema and PaPa making memories!

Happy Birthday to You!

My wonderful hubby has a birthday today.  36 years ago, he made his grand entrance into the world.  God already knew 29 years later he'd be mine and I could not be more blessed.

In his honor, I thought I'd post a few pictures from the past.  I just couldn't resist the cuteness!

Happy Birthday to my amazing hubby!

You are more than I could have ever dreamed of and I can't wait to see what is yet to come!  

AML, AML!

Football and Family

"Small boys become big men through the influence of big men who care about small boys."

~Anonymous