did you ever

used to put on matching outfits with your friends when they would come over to your house when you were young?  well, i did.... we would dress alike, do our hair the same and take pictures (or have our moms take pictures of us looking alike) - i know it sounds kind of silly, but this is what we girls did - and we thought it was great.  apparently little girls still do this because now my daughter is doing the same thing with her friends, just starting a little younger.  i don't think i did this when i was in kindergarten - more like 4th grade!

ella had her sweet friend kristen over after school on friday.  we decided to have kristen come with us to andrew's baseball game that evening.  while i was on the phone with her mom i said, 'she can just borrow some of ella's clothes' - since they were still in their school uniforms.  the girls heard me say this on the phone and when i got off they said, 'we heard what you said on the phone about borrowing clothes!'.  they were so excited to get changed and all dolled up for the game.

they put together these matching outfits, found matching bows and did their hair the same too.

and of course they had to pick out some matching stuffed animals to take along.  they had such a fun time together and i thought they were adorable in their matching outfits.  brings back memories of my childhood - like i said my friends and i just loved doing this!

john john just loves ella's friends - loves being around them, playing with them, and hugging them.  he grabs onto them and doesn't let go until they're about to fall over...

when the girls were sitting drawing some pictures, john kept walking past them to play with a toy of his nearby.  every time he walked by he would say, 'hi, guys'.  they were so focused on their artwork they didn't even notice, but i did and it made me laugh.  that little guy is so darn cute!!  sorry, but i tend to fall completely in love with my children at this adorable age (actually i fall for them the moment they're born...they completely steal my heart - just can't kiss, smell, hold them enough!) - shouldn't every mother be head over heals for her darling children??  we are their biggest fans, right?

ella too, she can't get enough of him either.  she'll say 'mom - john is soooo cute i just love how he talks' and because of his cuteness right now with all the sentences he's putting together she doesn't want him to grow up.  neither do i!

our baby!!

homemade german chocolate cakes

yes, cakes - two in one weekend...we were pretty lucky.  ok, so here's what i'm talking about - last friday was my hubby's birthday and his sweet mother wanted to make him a german chocolate cake since she thinks it has been about 25 years since she has made one.  here is the masterpiece...

then, sunday was my brother pat's birthday and guess what he asked for dessert??  you guessed right - a german chocolate cake.  my mom used to get them for us growing up from karsha's bakery and they were to die for.  they still make them but she decided to make her own as well.  her masterpiece...

karsha's puts chocolate around the sides of the cake, so nani decided she would too.  i love how my mom can just improvise on a recipe and change or add something to tweek it just the way she wants it.  i inherited this from her (the not following a recipe part) - this was a little difficult for chris when we first met - my mr. by the book husband!! - love you honey!

they both were delicious - what mothers will do for their children, even their grown children!

we had lovely celebrations for these wonderful men.

and we were sure spoiled with the cakes.

*by the way, the candles are from the ssj auction.  they were one of the 4th grade projects.  it was the first year i bid on a classroom project.  usually their so big but this year they kept things really simple.  the 4th graders made four different candle sets: christmas, thanksgiving, easter and birthday.  the kids all drew different pictures corresponding to these holidays and one of the mom's decopaged them onto these candlesticks.  i ended up with these easter ones and i love them, they are currently my dinning table centerpiece (with some pretty glass easter eggs in a pretty glass bowl in front of them).

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

st. patrick's day is a big day at ssj - the school was started by an order of nuns from ireland: the loreto sisters.  they are a very spirited and loving group of women and the school celebrates their heritage by having a carnival the 2nd half of the day at school - the kids get free dress if they wear green - they get really into it!!

here are some pics to prove it (how into it they get)...

they had a bagpiper (andrews 2nd grade teacher's husband) playing as the kids entered the school.  he also played at the assembly.  some of the kids who take irish dance lessons (including ella) started jigging around him while he was playing after the assembly....

ssj -hands down- has the best principal - she was on the radio this morning since she was chosen as the grand marshall for the st. patrick's day parade downtown this year and was named women of the year by the radio station she was on a few years ago...she is truly an amazing woman and we feel so blessed that our children have her watching over them every day.

at the end of the carnival this afternoon the entire school will gather in the cafeteria for an amazing show put on by the irish dancers.  ella has looked forward to dancing in this ever since she was little and we would come to watch it.  pictures from it will be coming.  for now, here are some more from this morning...

and some from last year...

happy st. patrick's day!!!

playing hooky

kind of.  we pulled into school (10 minutes early - hasn't happened in awhile) to see a line of teachers greeting everyone in their cars to let them know school is cancelled due to a broken water pipe.  seriously, the one day we're early!  so it was a forced day off - the kids were thrilled!!

we had a full day of fun.  we went to ihop for breakfast (i haven't been there for years).  christopher had heard about the special potatoes they have right now - they were pretty good...

we also had our fair share of pancakes - we all loved the butter pecan syrup...

then it was off to the science center for the day.  chris had picked up a culture pass at the library the week before and coincidentally it was the last day we could use it.  what luck!

we had a great time - and when we got home there was no homework to do, no papers to go through, no lunches to make - what a treat!  the kids were hoping the pipe would take another day or two to fix!!

we've been...

CONED!!!

kind of like getting tp'd but without the mess.  these cones are going from house to house of ssj families to get ready for the big auction this weekend.  it's a construction theme this year since the school is in the process of building a gym and new junior high classrooms.  once you get coned you get to sign your name on the back, take your picture and cone another family.  fun stuff!!


i can't believe how old little john-john looks in this picture - will i always refer to him as little john john??

ella is six!!!-part two...

    ella had a few friends over after school to celebrate her birthday.

    they made some delicious fruit kabobs ...

    christopher joined in on the fun - what a good big brother.....

    he also provided some entertainment for them...

    then it was inside for our craft...

we got these really cute wooden dolls that each came with with a set of small markers and i got some sequins to bling them up...

    the girls did such a great job with them...

    again, christopher joined in and made up his own drawings...

    and john had woken up from his nap so he sat with his big sister while she worked...

    it was a sweet party with sweet girls...

happy birthday, ella  - we love you!!!

ella is six!! - part one...

so, last friday was ella's 6th birthday...

 it has become a tradition for me to leave the birthday child's wrapped gifts on the dinning table so that on the morning of their birthday they see their special things waiting for them (she double checked the night before to make sure i would do this again this year)...

john and i took lunch and birthday treats to school...

john is a superstar to all the kids at ssj...

what ella's classmates had to say about her on her birthday...

ella had a few friends over after school for her little birthday celebration but i will do a separate post for that so as not make this one super long with tons of pictures and to keep me committed to my lenten promise (i'm really trying to do no computer past 9:30 pm).