Valentines, an Iguana, and Cuppies & Joe

So, I am finally getting to post about Valentines Day...a week later. Ryan always makes a big deal about Valentines day. He has always brought me flowers (and in the past few years has finally learning that I do not prefer roses), and now he bring flowers for the girls too. On Valentines morning, which was also the morning of Mia's birthday party, Ryan got up early and left the house for a "secret mission". When he returned home, he had a beautiful bunch of spring flowers for me, a rose for each of the big girls, and a little stuffed Valentine puppy for Ella.

I could not ask for a better daddy or husband than Ryan. He is so thoughtful, and always makes a big deal about birthdays, anniverseries, and special holidays. He has commited to treat the girls special on special days so that they don't settle for anything less when they look for the man God has for them.

...back to Valentines Day...Ryan walks in with the flowers...now that Annalise is 7, and knows that it is Valentines day, she knows that daddy will be home with flowers for her. She was so excited, hugged her daddy and took her flower and proudly displayed it on her dresser. Mia was funny, she took her flower and walked around with it, ate breakfast with it, and carried it around until her party started. Ella chews on her little Valentine puppy, but I know she loves it too! I love that their daddy treats them like princesses and makes the day special for them too.

So...on Thursday Ryan arranged for us to go on a Valentine date. He got one of our good friends to come keep the girls so I wouldn't worry about them. He made a big deal about going someplace we hadn't gone before and a place that was not "kid filled". So, he printed out three different menus and had me look them over and pick the one I wanted to go to. We ended up at the Iguana Mexican Grill. I know it is a shocker that I picked the Mexican Place! It was really good. It was a small little hole-in-the-wall place. We had chips and two different kinds of salsa..and some yummy queso (of course!). We ate dinner...and I have to admit, not going to a large "chain" restaurant was actually relaxing! There was no one to feed, no drinks being spilled, and no one crying or throwing a fit. It was very peaceful!

After we finished dinner, we went to another little place for dessert and coffee. We drove around for a while and ended up at Cuppies and Joe. I had never been here. I am not a coffee drinker, so I don't visit coffee shops often. It was a fun little place that reminded me of the little coffee hang out we used to go to at OBU.

It was an old little house that they had redone. It had lots of different couches and chairs and some tables with chairs too. It was a fun little retro place that I loved. They have lots of different cupcakes and coffeshop drinks. We got cupcakes... Ryan got coconut and I got red velvet . We got drinks...Ryan got some sort of Espresso thing and I got frozen hot chocolate...OH MY WORD! I have never in my life had frozen hot chocolate...I am not sure if I had ever even heard of it. It is the consistancy of a chocolate shake, but it is not ice cream. It is very chocolatey and icy...It was yum...I think I will be trying to find that place often! Ryan took a drink of it and didn't like it...he said it was like drinking chocolate cake. What is wrong with drinking chocolate cake??? YUM! It was great...I had to take a picture of it, but it doesn't do it justice...It is what will be served in heaven.

Overall it was a great night. I have the best husband in the world who treats me and the girls like we are everything to him. He put so much thought into our night together and it was wonderful! :) Happy (late) Valentines Day!

Partying---Skinny Frog Style

Mia has asked me every day for the past three months "is my birthday party today?" It is very hard when your big sisters birthday is in November to wait all the way until February for it to be your turn to open presents! Finally, the day arrived, and the first guest didn't arrive too soon!

We are VERY into Dora these days. We have the PJs, we watch the show, and when we are in a big hurry, we say "mommy, vamanos!" So, naturally, we had a big Dora party. I ordered supplies last month, made invitations, and geared up for the big Dora event. I couldn't find a Dora cake that I liked, so I fashioned 24 of these Dora cupcakes for my little birthday girl...which, by the way, I think gave me carpal tunnel! We also made muffins and dipped pretzel sticks because you can never have enough items with sprinkles and icing at a party!

She was so excited this morning. We woke up and got ready for our party...shook a couple of gifts and tried looking in between some tissue paper, but overall, the Skinny Frog was pretty patient.

When her friends arrived we opened presents, sang "happy birthday", ate cupcakes, and overall had a great time. She played with her friends, and got to hang with Memaw, Poppa, and Mammaw and had a great day.

It is so hard to believe that she is 3. It seems like just yesterday we left the hospital with her and made our way home in the middle of an ice storm. She was just this little tiny person and now she is not even resembling a baby anymore. She is so big now. She dresses herself, helps me clean, goes to the "big girl" potty by herself (huge milestone!), and is such a big helper with her baby sister. When did my baby become not a baby anymore? She is big, independent, smart, sassy, and amazing. I love that she wants to do everything "by herself", and in the next breath wants to get in my bed and "snuggle". I love that she has brown hair and eyes like me. I love that normal everyday things are amazing adventures in her little world.

I can't wait to see what this year brings for her! She is such an amazing little addition to our family. I can't imagine what our family would be like without her. She is an amazing little gift that God has so graciously blessed our family with. Her sisters are nuts about her. She is crazy and funny and in a world of her own most of the time. So, here are some "Mia-isms" from her first three years of life...I am sure there are many more, but these are the ones that come to mind tonight...

***She calls me into the bathroom to tell me that her "hiney screamed"
***Her favorite candies are M&Ms and "kiss-yous" (Hershey Kisses)
***Her favorite TV shows are Dora, Tom and Jerry, and Wonder Pets
***She LOVES High School Musical (all three of them) and can sing every song at the top of her lungs
***"yesterday" is "lasterday"
***She looked at Santa this year (while on his lap) then looked at me and said "I don't like this guy"
***When the sun goes down in the evening it is getting "darking outside"
***Her drink of choice is "chocky milk"
***When her daddy gave her flowers for Valentines Day today she said they were "lovely"
***If she likes dinner, she tells me it is "scrumptious"
***"Ice cream" is "ass cream"

Go Steelers!

I love football. Not as much as my husband, but I grew to really like football in college. Ryan, is an avid Dallas Cowboy fan, always has been, and he is hard core. I love the Steelers. The Cowboys are okay...I will root for them if they are playing unless they are playing the Steelers, and then it is Bedlam at my house. Ryan is a good sport, he returns the favor. If the Steelers are on the field, he will root for them as long as the Cowboys aren't on the field too.








I am not really sure when I started to like the Steelers so much! I loved Bill Cower. I thought he was a classy guy. I liked watching him on the sidelines. I like the new coach...he has proved to know what he is doing, obviously! I like the idea of someone being called "the bus". I think that is a fun nickname and he was a cool guy. I like Troy Polamalu. I think he has cool hair, he is an awesome player, and he has a fun name. I LOVE Ben Roethlisberger. He is amazing, and he is the best Quarterback in the NFL...enough reasons??








So, this year the Steelers were in the superbowl. I was excited. I dressed the girls all in their black shirts and had to make Steeler colored football bows for the occasion.









Ryan was a good sport...he even dressed in black too. We went to our church Superbowl party where we were severely outnumbered in rooting for our Pittsburgh men! We rooted anyway...loudly. We cheered and yelled, and Annalise was right their cheering along with us and telling all the Cardinals fans they needed to eat "bird food"! It was a really fun night.

So here is my question...can you look at this cute little Steeler baby and honestly root for anyone else??