And they call it Puppy Love...

I found another little gem in Kate's Friday folder. This one was a bit of a shock to me. She's only a first grader, and up until now, she hasn't really talked about boys. Don't get me wrong, her two favorite playmates of all time are both boys, so I know she likes them as friends.

But...when I asked her about this drawing that I found on the back of one of her assignments, she BLUSHED (I saw it with my own eyes), and whispered, "that's me and Owen dating". Dating?? What?? Oh my! I have met Owen only one (at the Science Fair a week ago)--and on that night, when he saw Kate, he grabbed her hand and took off with her! Now I think I'm beginning to understand...

My Country 'Tis Of Thee...

Katelyn's class just finished a unit on U.S. Presidents. I came across this little gem in her Friday folder.

When I asked her what she was doing to help the person with the broken leg, she said "Don't you see the phone? I'm calling for an ambulance". Looking at her picture, it must have been a bad break...look at all that blood!

The Case of the Wadded Up Bubblegum

So, I walk in the living room after being in the office (no doubt checking my facebook!) to discover that SOMEONE has thrown a bubblegum party...and forgot to clean up the evidence. No need for Cam Jansen and her photographic memory to figure out this little mystery. Let's examine the facts:

1) There was only one other person in the house at the time of the incident
2) A certain naughty boy has taken a liking to pink bubblegum (again with the pink...sigh)
3) That naughty boy was last seen with a piece of gum in his mouth
4) His silly Mommy didn't do a good job of hiding the rest
5) Oh yeah, and when I asked this naughty boy if he had done it, he said 'yes mommy'.

I mean, look at that little face? How can you get upset with that level of cuteness looking at you? I just had to take the pictures. By the way, after I THOUGHT I had cleaned up all the gum, I found 2 more pieces...one on the rug and one hidden in the corner, under our glass table. I mean, really?

Who's the leader of the club that's made for you and me?

This morning, Aaron was feeling a bit creative, and decided to "make" one of his favorite cartoon characters out of his chocolate-covered pretzels. Are you "all ears" for the answer?

Of course, it's Mickey Mouse. Just another example of how "sweet" life can be with a three-year old. He was so proud of his little creation.

Ummm...but c'mon...it was snack time and I'm afraid Mickey bit the dust soon after these quick shots.

Happy, Happy Birthday Baby...

The day after Valentine's Day, we drove to Palace Pointe in Roxboro, NC to celebrate Ashley's 7th birthday. Ashley rented out a party room that held two big inflatables. I believe all THREE of my children enjoyed it (that's right, B too!). Unfortunately, I didn't feel so great, so there are not that many pictures of the event. But, I think you'll be able to see that there was another BIG KID who had fun too.

A little blurry (the lighting was AWFUL), but look at those grins! Everyone needs an Aunt Dree-Dree to bring life to a party. My kids loved the big slide, and I think Dree-Dree did too.

Now, I don't know about you, but I was always one of those kids that WANTED so badly to be able to hula hoop. I would try and try, but the thing would just fall to my knees. Sadly, I believe that my eldest might be following in her Mommy's footsteps.

This was a treat. I don't even think I need to say anything else about it. Enjoy!

I do love you....still

Saturday was Valentine's Day at the Sherman household, and love was in the air! But before we talk about this year's celebration....I wanted to take a tiny stroll down memory lane (indulge me):

I don't have many pictures of us before 2001 (the year we went digital), so my first snapshot to share was from February 2002. This was taken at a Valentine's Dinner hosted by a friend from Sunday School. Wow...do we look young or what? And yes, that IS a maternity dress I am wearing. I was pregnant with Kate. Speaking of...

This was taken at that picture place when Kate was only seven months old. What a funny face she is making! I'm sure she is gonna thank me for this picture when she is older.

Valentine's Day, 2004. Everyone knows the way to a man's heart...FOOD. Bryan loved his cookie cake. And Katelyn enjoys her first Valentine's Day party at Rachel's house. She was lovin' some Elmo at the time.

This is the only picture I have from Valentine's 2005. This was taken at another party thrown by Rachel. I think Bryan and I were living at my parent's house...waiting for our new house to be built.

Crazy what a difference a year can make! On February 14, 2006, I was taking care of a three-week old infant. Isn't Aaron just too cute? Look at that little grin...I could just eat him up. And of course, his big sister was too busy playing dress-up to bother with a photo shoot!

Valentine's Day, 2007. I finally got the two of them to pose for a picture together. Really, this is one of the FEW photos I have of both of them together...smiling, AND looking at the camera. This made my day!

Lastly (and sadly), here is one of the few photos I have from last year's Valentine's Day. Yep...a random shot I took of the kids jumping on MY bed. What can I say? Sometimes they just don't slow down for anything! But, hey-look at how much fun they are having. I hope that's how they remember their childhood.


Now, on to this year's Valentine's Day. You may have noticed from the pictures alone, that over the past few years, Bryan and I have shifted our focus from spending time together as a couple, to making it a fun day for the kids. This year, we did a little of both. Valentine's started a little early for us--when Bryan walked through the door on Friday afternoon with a dozen red roses. How thoughtful! He also gave Kate one long-stemmed pink rose, surrounded with baby's breath. She was just as excited as her Mommy!

The next morning, Bryan and I set out the kids' candy and cards on the breakfast table. When they came down for breakfast, they were very happy to see their Valentine's Day treats. Kate said, "I was hoping that there would be something for us on the table...and there was!" Aaron and Katelyn wanted to eat their lollipops BEFORE breakfast. And guess what? We let them!


After breakfast, we all took a family trip to the mall. It was SO crowded, but Daddy played with the kids while he gave Mommy a chance to do a little shopping. Thank you Bryan for allowing me a few minutes to browse. That was a true gift! It was a pretty day, so we ate our Chick-fila outside.

Later that afternoon, Kelsey came over to babysit our kids. That's right-Bryan and I were going out on a date. I was looking forward to some alone time with my favorite person.

I don't think Bryan was quite ready for the picture, but I promise, he was a happy participant.
Since we didn't have dinner reservations, we decided to try and beat the crowds by going to dinner early. We drove downtown to one of our favorite Italian restaurants, 518 West.

Not only were they able to seat us immediately, but they gave us a quiet little table for two. Perfect! Bring on the Cabernet Sauvignon and the oil & vinegar.

Bryan and I had such a good time, eating some great food, and just being able to relax and laugh together. This was exactly what we needed.

Hey...what are you taking a picture of? The fountain in the background? It was such a neat place...very cozy atmosphere and perfect for conversation. The service was great and our food came out amazingly fast. Excuse me while I finish my dinner...


Here we are outside of 518 West, self-portrait #214.

And....since my favorite little cupcake place is only a BLOCK away from 518, we just had to stop by for dessert.
While it was busy at The Cupcake Shoppe (yeah Sara!), most people were ordering cupcakes "to go". Bryan & I decided to dine-in and stay for awhile...you know, enjoy all the sights, smells...oh yeah, and the CUPCAKES. Bryan tried the Simply Cinnamon while I devoured my Chocolate Truffle. By the way, we tried the coffee there, and it was delicious!

Laughing and having fun!!! I was so thankful that we got this opportunity to be a couple again...to remember how much we enjoy spending time together, just the two of us.

I love you honey! Thanks for giving me such a lovely Valentine's Day. You are the ONLY person that I want to grow old with, and I treasure our marriage.

A Little Corny...

Aaron was a HUGE fan of the corn on the cob I served a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately, he didn't want to eat it. Instead, he made a beautiful display for all of my Pampered Chef corn cob nobs. He worked very hard to screw them in...and he was proud of his masterpiece!

The Sweet Life...

Yesterday, AV, Kate and I took a little trip to downtown Raleigh. That's right...we went cruisin' in the Civic, with the music blastin', sunroof open wide, and big smiles on our faces! We were all very happy to be out on such a beautiful, sunny day. Oh yeah, and the fact that we were getting ready to eat some yummy free cupcakes from The Cupcake Shoppe. It was their open house and they were handing out samples of some of their Valentine's Day flavors.

Like I said, it was such a gorgeous day, we decided to park a block down and walk. I'm not really sure that this itty bitty amount of exercise counter-balanced all the sugary sweetness that we consumed. But Kate thought it was pretty cool that we were "pedestrians".

Here is Sara's storefront! Cute, isn't it? She changes out the window displays about every month...they make great backdrops for some cute pics! And I'm a huge fan of the pink/brown combo.

This one was called Strawberry Champagne...it really did taste like champagne! Never thought I would be eating a cupcake that tasted like 'bubbly', but it would be a cool dessert for an adult dinner party, huh?

I believe this one was a Plain Jane (vanilla on vanilla for those not versed in TCS speak). Kate loved this one...and she especially loved the candy hearts placed on top! My favorite (not pictured) was the Chocolate Truffle. Chocolate...truffle...hmmm.

My sister went to high school with the owner of the Cupcake Shoppe. In fact, they were and still are best of friends. Sara was nice enough to take time out of her BUSY day (they were slammed) to come and visit with us. She asked Kate how she liked the cupcakes, and Kate pointed to her 4 empty wrappers and said, "I love them". That got a laugh from everyone. Kate wanted a picture with "the cupcake lady", so here's the pic. Thanks so much Sara for being as sweet as the frosting on your cupcakes!

Mommy wanted a picture with Kate, so we could remember this fun day...filled with sunshine, laughter, dance music, family, new friends and best of all....cupcakes.