L-O-V-E

I just fell in LOVE with a 'LOVE'-blog!

This is non-stop shopping for the month of February, which starts on MONDAY!
Here's the link to all things Valentine.

Where's the White?!!

I discovered something, this week. Stores do not carry white dresses for little girls. Well, they probably do, when I'm not looking for one. But, this week, I'm looking for one for Phoebe's baptism. So I went on an online search and after much website hopping, I found this-

In the mood for a little more formal? Try this-

And the best part, they are all well under $100.

Oh, how I wish I was 8.

Monarch Butterfly Cupcakes

For my kids birthdays', I open up my array of decorating books and let them choose what they want their cake or cupcakes to look like. But, since Lila can't talk, yet, I made the executive decision to make these butterfly cupcakes that I've been wanting to try for a while. I even had enough leftover batter to make an 8in. round to top my cupcake stand. The wings are made by tracing 2 wing templates with candy melts and sprinkling with white nonpareils. After practicing with the consistency of the melted chocolate until I got it right, the rest was 'cake'.

TIP- Dipping the edges of cupcakes in sprinkles is so easy and really gives a clean edge. It will also cover any overspill that may have happened in baking. I love the chocolate sprinkles on chocolate cupcakes and color matching sugar sprinkles to colored frosting. 

My Baby is Growing Up!!

This weekend my baby turns 3 years old. Tears... :( It seems like just yesterday that Casey and I were sitting at Phoenix Children's Hospital, comforting our crying 9 month old after the surgery that corrected her cleft. Since then, she has been just a joy... easy, sweet, content...the kind of baby that everyone should have.

So yesterday found her back under anesthesia. The ENT was putting tubes in her ears because it turns out that Lila has had fluid blocking her ability to hear very well for a very long time. But, in true Lila-fashion, she awoke with a smile and is doing well on her way to hearing sounds correctly and starting speech therapy very soon.

Happy birthday, sweet girl.

We're back

After 7days and 7nights, we're back on dry land in the comforts of home. Although I missed my kids (and bed) terribly, we had an absolute blast. We filled the first 2 days at sea with spin classes, reading, cyber golf competitions (Casey got 3rd in the 'Longest Drive' and wants a do-over), playing cards, watching football in the lounges, dinner shows, and eating (of course).

Our first port was...

This jungle canopy was amazing in that it was 100% eco-friendly. Not a single nail was used in any tree. Everything was held on and up by a system of tethers and cables. (A little scary, 150 ft. in the air)
We did around a dozen different ziplines, 2 freefall repels, several hanging bridges and 2 rope ladders.
Sooo fun!!

The next day, we arrived in...

where we took a private tour of the city.

We stopped for lunch at a restaraunt on the beach where we got a glimpse of a parasil that called to us:)

Last, we hit...

A van drove us out to Chileno Bay (I highly reccomend it) where we spent the day snorkeling (TONS of fish), relaxing, exploring and being goofy on a pristine beach with ZERO vendors and almost no other people.

Back on the boat, we tried our hands at karaoke where Heidi treated us to a little 'Bad Medicine' by Bon Jovi. How I wish we had our video camera. Thanks to that, one of the cruise directors invited us to dress up as the Supremes, the next night, and sing again. It was terrible (so they tell us) but so much fun.

So... my kids survived and I feel refreshed.
Bring on the rest of the school year!

Skidmore Family Photos

The best thing about Christmas is, without a doubt, seeing all of the family that we love so much. I always think about how lucky our kids are to have so many cousins their age.

Since Lance and Aimee drove in from Texas for the break, it was the perfect opportunity for catching the whole Skidmore gang together.

Thanks, Sara, for catching the memories.

The Peterson Family pictures will be coming soon;)

Viva, Mexico!!

This morning, I was listening to FOX News on XM, (did I just give up too much info about myself?). The newscaster joked about escaping the East Coast freeze and traveling to Mexico. Well...

I AM!

I know, the weather here in sunny AZ is beautiful, right now, but a week of sailing down the coast and playing in all of the big Mexican resort cities is even better. So now, the rush begins.

My To Do List for the week looks like this:

~plan and prepare a weeks worth of meals for my kids

~organize the house so that it makes perfect sense to a new sitter

~clean and schedule all the kids' clothes for school

~write down the entire schedule for all 4 kiddos

~get my room ready for someone else to live in it : /

~go cruise-wear shopping! (Does that make me sound like an old lady, or what!)

~paint on a nice glow:)

So..ADIOS, Amigos!