Birthday fun

I even got to have a birthday! (It was on a Monday though--blah!) And my day started with unplugging a toilet.....there's just no getting around those things, even on a birthday. blah. And why is it that the kids were especially naughty, and I made my own dinner and helped make my own cake (which didn't exactly turn out). I think I set my expectations a little too high for that day.
In Adam's defense---he was working and it is hard to make a dinner and cake. But he DID make me some yummy muffins for breakfast.....THANK YOU!
Aaron picked out my candles....they melted all over the cake....really fast. And I really wanted a picture of me and the kiddos......Adam took about 30. :) I love trying to get the kids to look good and look at the camera... at the same time. (I'm not even looking)

Not a bad shot.....I was getting tired of it though and ready to give up at this point.

But after the boys and Liv went to bed, Preston put on a show and it was the highlight of my birthday. :) He rolled....

And he laughed....and I loved it. Thank you Preston for making my day.

10 years of marital bliss... :)

Adam and I have been married for an entire DECADE!!! Crazy. Time flies when you're having fun! We had a great anniversary and I'm more in love with this man every day. Adam's parents took the kids on Thursday so we went to a movie (True Grit)---it was good---lots of hilarious dialogue, and then to dinner at Texas Roadhouse. We spent the night at a Themed Suites and this was the "Tropical Paradise". It even had a waterfall! It was a fun place to stay. And Adam surprised me with frozen custard for dessert!! He had picked some up when he was in Utah and surprised me. He knows the way to this Wisconsin girl's heart! hahaha

And of course I had to throw in some pics of the kiddos......

Preston is almost 5 months and according to the Dr...on the 38% for height/weight.......I'm no doctor, but......I DON'T THINK SO! Take a look at these pics and tell me what you think?!

Adorable.....but no 38th percentile. My kids just don't run that small!

And...Aaron lost 2 teeth in one week! The tooth fairy was busy here!

And Ashton wanted a pic of his teeth too. hahaha. They're all still there Ashton....for now. :)

What a wonderful 10 years we've had and I'm looking forward to all of eternity.

Chicken corn Chowder

This is our new favorite soup!!! It's seriously the best ever---you've got to try it!!!!!! It says let it simmer for 1 hour, I ended up letting it simmer for about 3. :) Just because that's when we finally were together to eat. But it was worth the wait and the extra simmer time I think. This soup was amazing and an instant hit for everyone! So follow the link below and ENJOY! http://www.cucinafamiglia.com/2011/01/chicken-corn-chowder.html


ALSO--
If anyone wants to participate in the "Pay it Forward 2011" then just let me know.
I tried this last year, and I can't remember if I ended up making everybody that posted something or not....but....here it goes and I will try to do better this year....
The first 5 people to comment on this blog (about pay it forward) will get something handmade by me this year. And then in turn you do the same thing posting this on your blog, or email or facebook or whatever. FUN!

He shoots, he scores!

We actually got Aaron making a basket on video! He is having such a fun time with basketball, and I'm so glad. We all LOVE watching him. And I LOVE that right at the beginning of the video someone yells, "That's the Daniels' kid!" :) That's right- that's my boy.

And here's Preston cheering Aaron on. Preston is 4 and a half months now and a CHUNK! He goes to the Dr. on Wednesday so I'll post his weight and height then. I'm guessing he's off the charts! His eyes are changing too. I think they're going to be brown like Ella's. He is still such a good baby- we love him so much! (not a very exciting video, but still cute.)

Photo shop and basketball.

Yes, photo shop and basketball are in the same post! hahaha.....Adam got this cool new program (photoshop) and I love how some of these pictures turned out. I think we're going to being seeing more black and white and tweaked (is that a word) pictures from now on. We had fun!

I LOVE this picture....it's actually not even black and white it's got some color....I just love it. Now we need a more updated kid pic! We may have gone a little too fuzzy on this one, we're still experimenting.

These are Preston's 4 month pics. Here's the "soft focus"

Here's just black and white.

This is cool.....sketched!

And in a frame.

I'm not sure what Adam did to this pic other than crop it, but Liv sure looks cute.

Rainbow!!! See, I told you we were having fun!

And here is our new, rising basketball STAR!!!! Aaron is #4 on the Bulls. :)

Listening to the coach.

This video is funny because you hear me telling him to dribble (I think I distract him-we're working on that) and then he shoots and it looks like he makes it, but that time he didn't (or you would have heard some serious cheering on our part). He actually did make 2 baskets that game though. He had a lot of fun and we're looking forward to cheering him on for the next 5 weeks!

Happy 2nd Birthday Livia!!!

Our little Livia had her 2nd birthday! I couldn't find her tiny baby pictures, but this is a picture when she was about 6 months. We had a great day as a family to celebrate.
Grandma got her a Princess Polly Pocket and she's LOVED it!

Say cheese!!

Ella liked her Polly Pockets too!

All the kids were excited about Liv getting a kitchen and toy food. (And Max is there thinking, "Chew toys?!)

Adam and I made the BEST cake!!! Livia wanted an ice cream cake (smart girl) and it turned out amazing! It was oreo crust, mint chocolate chip ice cream. YUM!

There's Ashton sneaking off with Liv's new kitchen! hahaha

We love this little girl so much. Livia knows how to bring a smile to any one's face. She is so sweet, and caring. She's always ready to give a hug and make someone who's sad feel better. She's a great big sister to Preston, she's a huge helper at getting his diapers and pacifiers! And if we can't find her----she's getting into trouble. Bring on the terrible two's! WE LOVE YOU MISS LIV!

Aaron turns 6!

I can't believe Aaron is 6!!! It doesn't seem that long ago that we were having our little "tax break baby!". hehehe. New Year's eve is definitely better than having the New Year's baby. :)
Aaron is such a FUN little boy. He was such a cute baby....... And is still such a handsome little boy. :)

He got the coolest cake ever at Grandma's house. He wanted "Darth Vader, fighting Luke Skywalker." I thought the cake turned out awesome! Thanks mom!

The only thing Aaron wanted was a sling shot. (What a BOY!) So we told him if he got one, we'd have to keep it locked up and he could only use it with dad (We were trying to talk him out of it) but he still wanted one, so that's what he got. He was so excited! He's been shooting wads of paper everywhere. :)

We had another cake on his real birthday and of course we all stayed up late to ring in the New Year. He is a party animal!!

We love Aaron so much. He is always trying to please everyone, and is so tender hearted. He is a wonderful little brother, big brother, son and friend. Love you Aaron!