Playing Companions

 The cats like to relax in the music room when the kiddos are practicing.  

Sweetheart Dance

 Little Man went with a bunch of his church friends to the Sweetheart Dance this past weekend.  He missed the formal pictures, because he headed to the wrong location, but they got it figured out and he met them at the restaurant.  He sent me these pictures from the dance.  

Baby Kai

Karen and I put together a baby shower over the weekend for Kara.  Karen hosted at her beautiful new home.  It was so much fun to celebrate Kara and her baby boy!

We can't wait to meet him!

Wilderness Quilt

My sweet friend Kara is having her very first baby boy!  She loves giraffes, so I put together a quilt using Kona Wilderness solids with safari animals on the back.  I'm not gonna lie, this is one of my recent favorites.  I'm loving these solids!

Valentine's Party...a Little Late

 We FINALLY went back to school today.  Little Guy had his Valentine's Day Party today, so they didn't learn much, but at least they're all out of the house for a little bit.  

MORE Snow Days

 I'm convinced the kiddos aren't meant to go to school this Winter.  After a long weekend we've had 2 more snow days.  This weather has been crazy.  We've had some sickness with the youngest two as well.  We've spent some time introducing the children to the delights of Jane Austen on these lazy, snow days.  The boys have been ranking the men.  Colonel Brandon has officially been ranked as the best leading man followed by Mr. Darcy.  The cats even joined us in our Austen marathon.

He chose to lay on top of the heating vent when he wasn't feeling well.

Valentine's National Anthem

The Treble Choir got to sing the National Anthem at the Maverick's Hockey game on Valentine's Day.  They sounded great, and it was such a fun experience for them.

A nice photo bomb by the mascot...

The Mavericks won 3-1.  There were some obnoxious fans in front of us, but we still had a great time. Grandma and Grandpa Thompson came, and BB even brought a friend.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

Sometimes I think their love language is wrestling.  Meanwhile, it's a little disconcerting having good looking boys.  BB has a valentine of his own this year.

Long Weekend Baseball

The kiddos have more days off school, so BB and Little Guy headed to D-Bat for some baseball refreshers.  They did a day of baseball camp, and they're taking a pitching clinic that meets for an hour on Saturdays.  They're very happy to be back at it.

They loved the camp!

School Artwork

 He's my last elementary kiddo, so he's the only one I get artwork for these days.  You'd better believe he wants a picture with each and every one of them as well.

He also wanted a picture with his new glasses.

International Dinner

 Every year we host an International Dinner where friends bring a dish from their heritage or favorite culture.  We try to invite friends from different countries, so they can celebrate their culture.  It's always such a treat and so much fun!  I never remember to take pictures, but this year someone actually reminded me to take some pictures of the food.

Headed to the Ghetto

Every person needs their ride or die in life...or maybe we need that person who's willing to do crazy with you.  I follow a guy on instagram who explores what he calls "food in the hood."  I love watching his stuff, and there's one place in particular I've wanted to try for a long time, but I don't go into downtown Kansas City a whole lot.  Admittedly, I didn't realize just how deep into this particular section of Kansas City it was located, but I think that's what made the experience even more memorable.  Rebecca and I definitely looked out of place.  It's called Cocky Ocky Grill, and it's located inside a convenience mini mart off Palmer St.  It's definitely not a place I would feel comfortable going at night or by myself, but it was seriously such a fun lunch adventure. 

The people running the store were the friendliest, and the food was amazing!

Valentine's Runner

It's a bit of a miracle, but I actually finished my Valentine's Day table runner before Valentine's Day.  Woot Woot!  It's a rare accomplishment to get the holiday themed item done before the actual holiday.

I'm not the only one creating things.  A student made me singing valentines.

  

Parade

Joel has wanted to see this musical for a while.  We saw it over the weekend when it came to Kauffman Center.  It's based on the true story of a Jewish Northerner being falsely accused and found guilty of killing a young girl at his factory.  He was later lynched by a mob.  If you can't tell it's a rather heavy musical.  The music is brilliant.  James Robert Brown is ridiculously talented.  While I was in awe of the music itself and some of the beautiful complexity of the company numbers, I was also a little frustrated. There aren't many "singable" songs in the musical.  If you were doing a cabaret none of these songs would likely be used.  I think it is probably why none of the music is very well known.  I'm glad we saw it.  It is a masterfully crafted musical.  Joel definitely liked it more than I did, but the caveat is that I don't think we'd go back to see it again.