Sunny, Sunny, Sunny Days!

I love the sun!  This winter has been great for those who don't love the snow and cold!  I actually don't mind some snow, but much prefer the sunshine. Jamie and I have gone for a few walks, and on Monday he rode his tricycle all the way up the road to Grandma's!  We enjoyed the sunshine and the surprises the barn always has to offer!

 
Last week was Valentines. I had bought little treat bags and filled them with some fun loose candy for my guys.  I usually take Jamie's candy with me when we go grocery shopping and allow him to pick one or two to eat while I shop...it keeps him busy for a few minutes!
 Randy and I went out for dinner...which was an experience in itself!  But first we took a look at a couple of used vans.  We are in the market for a newer vehicle as Randy's old Dodge Spirit is on its way out.  So we took a look at a Honda Odyssey Touring (which was nice, but almost sold) and then a 2008 Toyota Sienna...which didn't have all the bells and whistles the Touring did, but was a lot cheaper.  We haven't made any decisions yet, let me know what you think in regards to the make and model of a van.

Randy took a couple snaps of Jamie with the old Spirit, that way he can see what one of his 'first' cars looked like!

A Snowy Day and Valentines

Jamie and I have been busy decorating for Valentines day.  We have hearts on our windows and heart mobiles in our doorways.  We've also been eating heart candies, heart shaped biscuits, and heart shaped cookies...yumm!

Today we had tea with Grandma and a couple friends and enjoyed these cookies along with some peperkoek (Dutch Spice Cake).  It was a very enjoyable day!

This past weekend we got some snow...a rare occurrence this winter!  So Jamie and I bundled up...which is always a long process, and headed outside.  I pulled him around in an old sled, exactly like the one I can remember my dad pulling me around in as a kid.  We dug a few tunnels in the drifts, felt the painful sting of snow on your wrists, made some snow angels, and hopefully created some great memories!

"Bringing Up Boys"

     I just recently bought the book Bringing up Boys, by Dr. James Dobson.   Randy and I started reading it together at night.  We had some good chuckles at the stories told in the first chapter about the outrageous things boys do...just because they're boys.
    I grew up with two younger sisters, no boys, so their antics are new to me.  Randy has two older sisters, but he got into enough trouble on his own.  I'm learning as I go!
    I'll leave you with the words from a song "That Little Boy of Mine" which concludes chapter 1.  I'm not sure who wrote it, but it's dear.

That Little Boy of Mine:

Two eyes that shine so bright;

Two lips that kiss goodnite,

Two arms that hold me tight,

That little boy of mine.

No one could ever know how much your coming has meant.

Because I love you so, you're something heaven has sent.

You're all the world to me.

You climb upon my knee.

To me you'll always be,

That little boy of mine.

Dominos

I first started playing dominos when I was teaching in the Bahamas.  The cab drivers there loved to sit and play and really slam them down!  I often went to friends house with my parents and we ate a delicious meal, enjoyed a glass of wine, and played a couple rounds of Mexican Train Dominos.  The evening usually wound up with Dave and my dad singing old songs...it was a lot of fun and made for some great memories!  I bought my first set of dominoes soon after that, but haven't pulled them out to play a game in quite awhile.

I did pull them out the other day for Jamie boy to play with.  We had fun making 'tracks' for the little trains to run over.  I pulled out some of the Monopoly houses to set up around our town.  I'm sure with a little imagination you can create all sorts of fun things with dominoes!

Something for the girls

Well I don't have any girls of my own.  But I do enjoy sewing and crafting and I wish I had a little girl to make things for.  I found a simple crochet pattern for some cute hair pins for your little darlings on Valentine's day.  I figure you could make these hearts and attach them to just about whatever you wanted, a cute hairband, or put a pin on the back and put it on their coats.  I'm going to surprise my cousins little girls with these cute hair pins. Check out the blog <gratefulprayerthankfulheart.blogspot.com> for the pattern.  Hope you enjoy!