L-O-V-E

Typically I tend to make a big deal about Valentines Day only because I love it so much.  However, my family doesn't seem to get as excited as I do about the day of Love.  Since I had just returned from New Orleans and getting caught up on everything I decided to keep it simple.  I left each of the kids a box of chocolates outside their door in the morning with a little love note.  For breakfast I had planned to make heart shaped cinnamon rolls but as they baked they returned more to their circle shape...again no-one seemed to mind so it worked out.  Then it was time to get the little's off to school with all their Valentines in tote....

I felt less than inspired this year so I kept it very simple with the teacher's gift.  I bought a box of brownie mix and added a tag that read:  "Shooting for Brownie points".  Simple....OK kind of boring. 

 Chase's class valentines were Tic Tac Toe's.  Very simple but I think turned out really cute.

Because the lips and mustache Valentines we made last year were such a big hit we made those again for Sadi's class.

I did pack them all a "HEARTY" lunch.  PB and J  heart sandwich, heart shaped strawberries, hot Cheetos (I know so gross but my kids love them), and a heart shaped brownie.  Now that I look at it, that is a lot of red.

When the kids got home from school they had fun looking at all their valentine's and reading their love notes.  Even Kelsey's art class made Valentine boxes and handed out Valentines.  For dinner I made a heart shaped pizza, which has become somewhat of a tradition.  Matt had a late night at school, so I waited for him to come so we could eat together.

After dinner it was time to go on a hunt for Love (in the form of a love box).  I had made clues that ran them all over the house to find their Valentine. 

Eventually they found their valentine hidden in the dryer.  A new movie and some valentine treats!

When Matt got home from school we had a late dinner together and watched a movie.  It was a perfectly relaxed day.

Night at the Museum

Last night was family night at the elementary school, they called it "Night at the Museum".  They were having a fundraiser for the school Librarian who is battling cancer.  Each class made a piece of art that was on display that could be purchased by parents.  I'll be honest, I wasn't sure what kind of "art" I was going to "get" to buy, but was pleasantly surprised at all the classes art work.    Chase's class chose to recreate  The Great Wave off Kanagawa by the Japanese artist Hokusai.  Love it!

I was a bit more nervous about what Sadi painted only because she told me they painted a clown face.  But I had to laugh when we saw what their art inspiration came from.  They chose to paint Pablo Picasso-Three Faces.  It's hard to really see the detail, but she really did a good job. 

It was a really fun night, and love that it was for a good cause.  I can now say I have been to an art museum and bought 2 master pieces right off the wall! 

Double Letter

A few months back Kelsey came home from school with yet another Letter....yes, believe it or not, she lettered in FOOTBALL!  I think she was just as surprised as we were.  She has been the varsity football manager for 2 years now, so I guess she earned it.  Last year she lettered in academics so this made the 2nd letter for her.  She had an offer to get her Letterman jacket paid for by family, and she jumped on the chance.  Last weekend we got to go pick it up....

It turned out sooo nice, and I'm a bit jealous.  She definitely deserves it, with all she does to keep up her grades and with everything she is involved with in school.

We even had some special patches made to symbolize some of her activities.  She had a football put on with Varsity Manager embroidered on it, and a gavel with Historian for Student Council put on as well. 

Pretty sure she is the only girl in the school with a football patch on her jacket, and she loves it that way!

SBXLVII

I am back after 3 weeks from my yearly job working away from home for the NFL at the Super Bowl.  This year the host city was New Orleans.  It was my first time in New Orleans, and I was pleasantly surprised.  Here's a  look at night of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome where it all went down.

Working for the transportation department our office this year was placed under the viaduct adjacent to the Superdome a bit less glamorous than the inside.  I did get one chance while delivering golf carts inside the stadium to walk out and snap a quick photo of the 49ers end zone.

While most of the time we are working long days, the nice thing about New Orleans is that is somewhat like Vegas in that it is the city that never sleeps, so I did get a chance to tour some of the city even if most of it was very late at night.  You can't go to New Orleans and at least experience Bourbon street.....

Our Hotel was real close to the main downtown area and the buildings were always lined with beads.  This year they split Mardi Gras into two weeks, one week prior to Super Bowl and one week after so there literally was always a parade busting out somewhere. 

We were given tickets one night to see the New Orleans Hornets play in the arena right next to the Superdome.  I worked later that night, but we were able to see the last half of the game where they won to the Golden State Warriors.

We also took a ferry ride across the Mississippi river to the west bank....NOT the best place to visit after dark, but it was really pretty to look back across at the city all lit up with cruise ships lining the ports.

We walked the french quarter a few nights which is always lit up.  I loved this church and heard it was beautiful inside, but again getting off late made it virtually impossible to see everything.

Definite highlight of the french quarter was Cafe Du Monde where they serve Beignets 24 hours a day (thank goodness because at 2 a.m. they were delicious).

I noticed they had art everywhere in New Orleans, like on every street there seemed to be some kind of sculpture.  We ran into this particular one that was dedicated to the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina.

We got a glimpse of a real Louisiana Bayou which if you look close you can even see the wild boars lining the banks of this swamp...the smell I may never forget.

 We walked what seemed like 15 miles one night to go the the famous Port of Call....

The burger looked amazing, but was totally over-rated.  In fact it rates up on the top of my list of overpriced, dull burgers.  Just saying if you ever go to New Orleans...eat a burger somewhere else!

As the sunset in New Orleans on one of my last nights, so did yet another Super Bowl.  So glad for the opportunity I had once again to work away from home, but so happy to be back where I really belong.