Pretzel Treats

Joy and I made pretzel treats today.

We put Hershey's Kisses on pretzels, warmed them for 3 minutes at 275 degrees, . . .

. . . then immediately pressed M&Ms onto the Kisses and let them cool for about an hour. Easy, fun, tasty.

They make a better snack than a fashion accessory, though . . .

. . . don't you think?

Modern Fun and Games

While we love good, old-fashioned games like Duck, Duck, Goose and Hide & Seek, we also enjoyed some 21st Century fun today.

This morning, Joy and I took turns taking extreme close-up pictures of things around the house, then guessing what the other person had photographed. Subjects included . . .

. . . our scooter . . .

. . . Anna's swing . . .

. . . and the piano.

Daniel also had fun playing with Papa's iPad this evening. Good techie times.

Statues and Snakes

The kids and I had a picnic at the train station this afternoon.

We saw a snake while we were there, but Joy assured us it was harmless.

Anna kept a close eye on it, though, just in case.

After lunch, Joy took some random pictures with my camera . . .

. . . then the big kids did impressions of statues . . .

. . . while Anna calmly observed the proceedings. Awww . . . is she cute or what?

Joel, Linda, and Lucille

We drove out to Lucille's today to enjoy some tasty BBQ . . .

. . . hang out with my fam . . .

. . . and see our old family friends, Joel and Linda. They were our neighbors when I was growing up, and they're practically family. I really admire their ability to stay wonderfully cheerful and friendly despite the challenges they've faced over the years. It was good to see them again.

Super Snooze

Even super heroes need a nap now and then.

A Happy Valentine's Day

We had a fun time making, giving, and receiving little Valentine gifts this week.

The kids and I made some thumbprint cards for the grandparents. I supervised the decoration on the outside . . .

. . . then wrote a note on the inside and let the kids go to town with some heart stickers.

Joy made a colorful picture with stickers Red Grandma gave her . . .

. . . and Pink Grandma brought over her traditional Valentine cookies.

Phillip and I went to dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant, Phillip gave me a thoughtful gift, and I gave him this box of chocolates. The candy inside wasn't that great, but we both thought the box was awesome ('cuz we're just geeky like that). I think I'll keep it and put something tastier in it next year.

The Ice Cream Avenger

We celebrated Daniel's third birthday last night.

Papa and Red Grandma gave him a bin of dress-up clothes.

Daniel's not usually a fan of hats, but he thinks this one's pretty nifty.

Who is that masked man??

Whoever he is, he's obviously a fan of ice cream.

And it looks like someone else is a fan of his outfit. Fortunately he was willing to share.

Speaking of sharing, Joy generously bought her brother's birthday cake with her own money. I thought that was really sweet of her.