Happy Valentine's Day

Our special treat was dark chocolate fondue spiked with Kahlua.
The kids decorated butcher paper as the table covering.

The kids loved it, but there was chocolate EVERYWHERE!
Everyone had to be stripped and even the chairs had to be wiped down.

Elizabeth thought it was great fun, she especially enjoyed the marshmallows.

Andrew couldn't get enough of the pineapple and pound cake.
Michael was pretty full from dinner, good thing there's a lot of fondue left.
I made baba ghanoush for an appetizer followed by Steak Diane with sauteed 'shrooms, garlicky broccoli and wild rice for dinner. Each a favorite of my four loves. We had a great week of Valentine's celebrations. I especially enjoyed all of the crafts the kids made at school. Michael had to mail a Valentine to one person he loved, and he chose my mom. It was the cutest card, he then decided to send a paper hug to my dad and Elizabeth reluctantly sent a heart picture. She doesn't like to part with her artwork, even if it's just going to be hung in the toy room. Another day Michael came home with a giant heart that he said was for Aunt Cristi. He's definitely gotten into the spirit. In the words of Michael, I hope everyone had a good LOVE DAY.

Super Bowl

Steelers Rum Cake

We had a great time gearing up for the big game.

Painting in their black and gold hats.

Tailgating games at the Children's Museum

The kids didn't want to throw the ball, but Elizabeth was willing to pose.

Andrew LOVES the water room.

Michael's Half Birthday

He is posing with his double dark chocolate cake in front of his new toy. I had quite a time assembling the Thomas the Train Trackmaster Zip, Zoom & Logging Adventure. Finally Michael said it was alright, and he could wait for Daddy to come home. After talking about role reversals he said that if Daddy were to make a cake it would be from a box mix.

Setting up for our Valentine's Cottage

Using a plastic house allowed us to focus on the creativity.

Michael and Elizabeth worked so well together, though they nibbled some candy they put a lot of effort into their masterpiece.

We worked for a solid hour on the house. It was a rare opportunity to get some quality time with my older two, while Andrew was taking a long nap. Next month we will wash it and create a St. Patrick's Day themed cottage.

Here we go STEELERS! Here we go!