So close to being a teen...

Hard to believe Jonathan is twelve!  Here are some pictures from his birthday party and his birthday celebration with us.  We also took him to the circus!

April Fools!

The boys had youth group shortly after April Fools Day, so we had a bit of fun tricking the kids in their group.  We started with "hamburgers"... really 'Nilla wafers with peppermint patties, green-dyed coconut, and red and yellow frosting for "ketchup" and "mustard".  They were a hit!!

Then there were cupcakes for "dessert".  These were muffin-sized meatloaf with green-dyed mashed potatoes.  Also a hit!  Nothing returned home with the boys.

Cherry Blossoms

One of the best things about living near DC is Cherry Blossom time.  Every April, the cherry trees along the Tidal Basin come into flower, and it's just gorgeous!  This year, we had both sets of grandparents come along.  What fun!

Happy Easter

Christ is died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again!  Amen!

St. Patrick's Day

Yes, I'm aware that St. Patrick's Day isn't until the 17th, but here in the Manassas area we had our parade on the 9th.  My mom, brother, and mother-in-law came over from Culpeper.  We enjoyed the parade, then came home and had boiled dinner and beer (Guinness, Harp, and Smithwick's), then Irish Car Bomb cupcakes for dessert (also washed down with beer, as we ran out of milk!).

It finally snowed!

Oh my gosh, the weathermen this winter have been driving my children to the brink of insanity.  They keep putting out winter weather advisories....and then it's not even CLOUDY.

So, FINALLY, last week, it snowed.  Five inches - and it came down really hard.  My kids get up at 7 - and they were outside by 7:15.  They were in and out alllllll day.  And they slept so well!!

I'm fondue....

That's sort of a silly title!  One of Peter's requests for Christmas was a fondue pot.  My mother was thrilled to give him one....with chocolate, fruit, and marshmallows.  Well, with all the food in the house (STILL) we didn't get to use it until tonight.

YUM!!  We had strawberries, pineapple, and blackberries.  We also cut up a banana that was hanging around.  And then Jonathan dug out some pretzels.  I had to watch the kids, because they were ready to dip fudge in there, too!

It's hard to decide which is my favorite....I'll have to try again....and then marshmallow fondue....cheese fondue....hot oil fondue....hmmmm.....