Thumb print cards

We used our thumb prints to create some pretty cute cards this week!
Hope grandma likes it!

First trip to the zoo for G!

Gary's had the week off at work. Too bad it hasn't been sunny and warm. Despite the less than desirable temperatures, we decided to bundle up and head to the zoo. This was Gretchen's first experience. Just look at how big she is sitting next to her sister!

It was a GREAT day!! The animals were out and seemed to be more interactive than usual.
We even heard the tiger roar and an elephant trumpet this trip!! SO COOL! The giraffes continue to be our favorite. This exhibit is superb considering you are staring right into their eyes.

We also fed them crackers purchased from a zoo attendant. Those purple tongues are ferocious!

Look at all of those little girls! We LOVE them so!!

Momma, is there really a "pot of gold" under the rainbow?

This is the question that the girls posed following our recent art activity. It's been a bit dark and dreary here of late and the bright colors in this rainbow made us all smile!

Sophia was in charge of placing small yellow stickers on our "pot of gold".

While Maura colored most of the stripes on our large paper.


These lucky clovers also adorn our window. We've enjoyed a few simple St. Patrick themed activities. It's a holiday that I've never really been that involved with. We'll of course wear green on the 17th, but I'm afraid that's about it!!

Valentine party at preschool!

This picture below was taken after I dropped the girls off at preschool. They look a little tired in the eyes considering it was early morning. We had fun picking our their outfits the night before. Sometime I'll blog about how fun it is to get 3 girls ready in the wee hours of the morning. Gary's gone much earlier this year which leaves this INCREDIBLE task up to me.

Each one of the girls brought home a sack full of valentine's from their friends. We also surprised them with balloons that were delivered by a local gift shop.

Our girls love balloons.

Here are a couple of other crafts (including the first pic of this post) that kept us busy in the month of February. I'll never tire of their fantastic creations!

Homemade Valentine's

I no longer buy store bought Valentine's for the girls. Daddy thinks I'm nuts......and I probably am. With that said, I'm all about filling our children's lives with memories...... and crafting Valentine's from scratch is definitely memorable!!

Look closely...each part of the fish is made from small hearts. I pre-cut the shapes from oragami paper for the girls to assemble. (Who knew orgami paper was so cheap?!)

Hearts below were lovingly crafted for each teacher!
And oh yes....we even do the inside! :)

The girls were SO PROUD to take their bundle of envelopes to share with their friends.

We HEART Valentine's Day!!

The girls and I completed this wreath for Valentine's Day! It was so simple that I wanted to share. Material needed: green foam circle, flowers, and 1 beaded necklace. I trimmed the flowers down to about 3 inches in length. The girls were then able to push the bud into the foam fairly easily. Once all blooms were in place....we needed something to hang it by. After searching for awhile, we came up with a beaded necklace that I looped around the top part of the wreath.
Voila!!! Pink + Festive!!!

Dad turned 60!

The beloved Pa Pa turned 60 this past February! Despite snowy weather conditions, most everyone attended his birthday bash! We drove a short distance to celebrate his special day with birthday cake and some super FUN bowling!

Most of the grandkids were there with the exception of Logan and Olivia. I think dad really enjoyed himself and was tickled to have his loved ones close by.
We all enjoyed the yummy cake!

After visiting, we eagerly headed to our reserved bowling lanes! Sure wished I had some photos displaying our skills with the weighted balls. By the end of the afternoon, most everyone had earned at least one strike!! It really was a FUN day!

Happy Birthday Dad!! We love you so much!