valentines

We helped create some breakfast bags for the needy at the neighborhood Valentine's party - nothing like spreading the love for the holiday! Also, check out those valentine treat hauls!

valentine class

Aiden loved his finger eye ball valentines and Keaton gave a fun telescope and a mini slinky!  The class parties went smoothly. I helped the pin the heart balloon game and springy heart pencil topper in Keatons' class where they also had a straw game, a bean bag game, and cookie decorating.  Aiden's class was set with a big spread of crafts where pom pom making took over as the all time favorite.

monster golf

These guys love this glowing Monster mini golf!

tidbits

Aiden wearing the new Hamilton inspired cowl - Work!

Feels like the weekends are mostly full of these guys hanging out with their friends... The bottom two pictures are Aiden at various birthday parties.  At the Laser Tag, I arrived to Aiden hoping to stay longer to play video games.  They were very close to solving the WWII inspired escape room.

Aiden in the upper right is straight off the laughing gas after having two canines pulled in an attempt to avoid braces.  The new teeth hidden in the gums that are pointed sideways right now will hopefully come down straight now. Watching teeth being pulled is not my idea of a good time... but man, it's a lot easier than I expected.

Going out to eat is a favorite around here - check out that Korean spread!

cali sunset

So lucky to see a best friend and join his family for a few days in such a beautiful place. Can't wait until the next time I can get back to Montecito and I know the boys would love to come too!

moxi

Love this spot in Santa Monica - such a great interactive museum with amazing rooftop views!

montecito

Ah, it doesn't get much better than playing in Augie's forest with smiley baby Ellie! Fresh oranges, and so much to explore!

vegas 2

So much food, fun, and laughs in Vegas!

vegas

Kicking off a big year where we all turn the big 4-0! These old friends went back to our first girl's trip for my bachelorette party in Vegas - oh man, so much changed since that first trip in 2004!  Celebrating Lara's engagement and upcoming June wedding too!

crafty

Lotsa crafts bouncing around lately! There are the owly friends made from that fleece ;) The crEATe sign from the ALX workshop. The Fern and Feather is complete and fits me and Aiden ;) Still going on the sideways cables in the red alpaca my parent's brought me from Peru a while back.

wool

This may be one of the crazier time sponges lately! An old preschool friend has sheep and he gave us the fleeces.  I could not believe how much work it is to get it in a workable form... but we did manage to get to combing some and using it to make some felted animals.

maker's mile

Alexandria figured out a way to be more charming, by setting up a bunch of shops with crafty stations (with a tote and pins to collect! my favorite!) I went with my friend to kick it off and the boys came back with me the next day to do two more spots.

snow day

Mr. Fox's adventures included an extra snow day to make his visit into a long weekend. He loved wear pants and boots for the first time and sledding tucked into Keaton's coat.

good list

Keaton was excited to start some ice skating lessons to pick up some more skillz ;)

Mr. Fox, Keaton's classroom mascot, made his weekend trip home where he discovered he likes tic tacs that match his fur and playing in the snow. Keaton added to the sweet journal that all the kids add to each time he makes a trip to a new home.

Keaton's best buddies celebrating T's birthday with a trip to the painting studio.  Keaton glazed that chubby penguin. They all followed up with a trip to Ihop, which has become a favorite for these buddies - They like to imitate old men, and even insisted on ordering the big steak tips meal one time ;)

game day

It was superhero day at the Mason basketball game! They boys come for the dippin' dots ice cream. They won but were 2 points away from the 70 points needed for free Glory Days wings ;)

in the zone

These guys were pumped to visit the Zavazone over break. They found their mitts just in time for the action. Aiden mastered the warp wall and the obstacle course. Keaton loved bouncing and was so brave to make it to the top of the towers with a spread longer than his legs. The bouncer area also included this dueling pit where they faced off.

botanical 2

I thought train stations may seem repetitive, but I was wrong! These were so unique and so detailed!  The precision that goes into some of the rooflines and the symmetry of the windows were amazing!

botanical

One of my favorite holiday traditions... It was such a nice day this year that it was more crowded than usual, but these good sports waited for about an hour to get into this year's train station themed exhibit.

midnight

These guys weren't finished celebrating so we pulled out the games and tuned in to the countdown shows... we played games and I knit to stay awake. I fully expected that they would crash before midnight, and I was surprised they made it!  They are determined nocturnal monkeys ;)  But it was fun to see their enthusiasm for the new year!

noon year's eve

The Science Center was hosting a noon countdown for the New Year! So we celebrated with experiments, handmade noise makers (that worked really well!), and handmade confetti poppers (that didn't really work, but made us laugh a lot).  There was a big batch of people to countdown with which made it fun ;)