I know... I have been absent.

But what can I say?!  We have been having a blast!!!  So there will probably be an influx of updates over the next day or two! It just dawned on me that I totally forgot to share our time with Matt's parents while they were here.  A month doesn't seem so long, but we have done quite a bit!  So here we go... AND..... GO!

Mel and Carolyn AKA Grammie and Pops came to visit for a week and we had so much fun hanging out with them!  A year is a long time to not see grandparents.

 The sunset they landed!

 Grammie found Christopher some play glasses!  He LOVED them!

 I think they make him look like Drew Carey.

 And of course, as with all of our guests, we ate some YUMMY food!  This is my new favorite, Shrimp and Lobster Tacos.

 Beach time was a must!  And the boy loved be thrown around in the water!

 Hank loved to snuggle... isn't he sweet?!

 Daddy gave mommy a break from totting #2 around during our tour of the USS Missouri.

 We took Grammie and Pops to Bucca's for a fun dinner in the kitchen.

 We had a lot of fun goofing around with the staff and watching them prepare all of the food!

 Henry enjoyed the show as well.

 We also visited the Punchbowl National Cemetery. It was a stunning sight.

 I couldn't help but snag a shot of father and son enjoying a little bit of history together.

We all had a great time!  I just wish they could have stayed a little longer.  But the boys got some wonderful time with their grandparents, and we enjoyed having them!  I just hope that next time won't be so long.

It's Birthday Time!

This year we decided to have some fun with Christopher's birthday since last year it was very low key.  We rented a bounce house and prayed the rain would stay away long enough for the kids to have some fun.  And wowzers did they have fun!

 We decided to go with Christopher's #! favorite food.... TACOS!!

Pineapple Agua Fresca!  It was sooo yummy!

 I did "discovery" rainbow buckets as favors!  They were filled with things like magnifying glasses, color prisms, suction cups balls, glasses ect. 

We also had a craft table with picture frames for all of the kids to paint.  David and Lisa were kind enough to paint frames for Robert and Hank!

Anna put her wicked face painting skills to work! Here she is turning Trinity into a panda

Christopher taking a small break from the face painting.  We all thought he was a puppy, but he went back for his panda eyes. 

Oh Anna... we love her!  She got a little carried away with the paint.  We lovingly referred to Christopher as the Bandit Panda for the rest of the day!

 Then it was bounce time!  The kids and dads had SO MUCH FUN!  They pretended Matt was the monster and the corners of the bounce house were base.  I didn't personally get to see the fun but oh my could you hear it!

Then we opened presents and had a quick cupcake and it was back to the bounce house.  Everyone had such a nice time talking and playing and of course eating!

 He is saying "ARRRRRRGH"

 Dad had to join in on the fun!

 He couldn't decided between his new big wheel, camera or the bounce house.

We knew we were going to quickly loose time for cake so we had a quick birthday song, which he didn't like, and a yummy cupcake and they were off again!

He only ate half before popping back outside.  Poor kid had too many fun choices.

So he opted for taking pictures with his new camera while in the bounce house! Love that kid!

 Nick getting some cuddle time with Robert!

 A big thank you to Gaudencia for helping me with the party!  She taught me to make the rice and aqua fresca, as well as be my voice of calm when I was getting overwhelmed. 

 Sweet Kali and Silly Trinity! 

 Christine lovin' on Hank!

yum yum yum!

This past weekend we hosted a game night! Guilty pleasure foods was chosen as the theme and boy did everyone come through! I tossed the idea around for  few days before I decided on my guilty pleasure.  I love coffee, and I love cupcakes.  So I used this recipe as a stepping stone for my cupcakes.  I didn't make major changes.  But I decided that we were not going to use alcohol.  All in all they turned out so super yummy!  Usually I have a few left over that we snack on for a few days.  But not this time.  They were gone!

 I used chocolate covered coffee beans as garnish! 

  They were such a hit, they have already been requested by Matt's office! 

Cooking lessons resume

Its CUPCAKE TIME!!!

 Each time we cook together I let him do a little more on his own.  This time I felt he was ready to fill the cups himself.... I was wrong.  He just basically painted the paper cups but never really got the batter in.  So I had to help him out.

 But boy was he ready to lick to bowl!  I think everyone remembers licking the spoon or bowl.  And then i realized, he has to have a first sometime... why not now! Needless to say he loved it! 

 My first attempt at making buttercream was a bust as you can see on the counter.  I just love his face though.  He looks as though he is about to get caught doing something naughty.

 He didn't  complain one bit about the icing.

I just love his eyelashes!

I love this picture!  Not only is he covered in batter and icing, he is standing under my "kiss the cook" sign.  I love that boy!