Our Adventures with Ryan and Riley Cate

easter at the lakehouse

we celebrated easter at the lakehouse this year, and while there was definitely a cloud of sadness from losing our meems, we enjoyed being together as a family for the long weekend.  being at home would have been more sad, and it was nice to be in a place that she had loved.
I did not even take out my real camera over those few days, but captured some instagrams!

we cooked the best crawfish ever (thanks dad!),
dyed easter eggs,
rode bikes,
played many rounds of mario memory,
hunted easter eggs,
ate popsicles,
dressed like princesses,
and the easter bunny brought too much loot again. 

he has a very giving heart and a weakness for mario and hello kitty, that easter bunny!

easter parties {2012}

easter parties this morning were a smashing success!  eggs were hunted, cookies were decorated, donuts and kolaches were eaten, and everyone came home with too much candy!

and here is a picture of riley's entire 3's class:
(l-r):  luke, sarah, ava, riley, brandon, grant, eva, jack, jake

wonder what riley cate is doing in the second picture?
she is bunny-earing HERSELF!  hahahahahahaha!

be mine {valentines day 2012}

these were our valentine cards this year, and they were super popular!  ryan reported that he was the only kid in his class with his picture on all of his valentines and all the kids thought that he was "super cool".  (I wonder if he told them it was his "super cool" mom's idea?!). 

love him and his sweet sister!

I received lots of valentine artwork this year... 
I also made helped ryan make a valentine shoebox to collect his valentines.  I ended up glitter glueing the lid and covering it with valentine sprinkles.  it turned out super cute, and then ryan added the stickers.  (I couldn't very well give him the bottles of glitter glue and sprinkles, could I?)!

I love how on ryan's valentine card to me, his mother, he included his last name. 
like I might not know which ryan it came from!

I made the heart shaped oreo cakesters for riley's valentine party, and they were a huge hit!
 


happy heart day to you too!

pinterest love: {valentines treats!}

{1}:  rice krispie treats cut with a small/medium heart shaped cookie cutter into heart shapes and then dipped in chocolate, sprinkled and put on a stick. 
original link:  http://www.howdoesshe.com/rice-crispie-valentines-suckers

{2}:  maybe my favorite, the oreo "cakester: cut with a small heart shaped cookie cutter, and then rolled in sprinkles or colored sugar if you wish.  EASY and PRECIOUS!
original link:  http://www.bakerella.com/easy-and-easier-valentine-treats/

{3}:  how to make a heart shaped cake:  one 8" round cake, one 8" square cake, cut the round cake in half to make the top of the heart, and frost!

{4}:  love this cupcake for valentines:  bottom is brownie batter, top strawberry cake mix, and icing!
original link:  http://iheart2stamp.com/2010/06/

{5}:  easy peanut butter cookies with a dove chocolate heart.  SIMPLE and PRECIOUS!  I went searching for the dove chocolate hearts and instead found reeses peanut butter filled chocolate hearts about the same size.  I like a little peanut butter with my peanut butter.
original link:  http://eighteen25.blogspot.com/2011/01/from-recipe-box.html

and there you have it!  my favorite valentine treats from pinterest.  I will be making some next weekend.  and I may deem all of february as valentine month, so I can eventually try them all!

{christmas 2011}

good news!  the kids made the "nice list" and santa came as expected on christmas eve night!
we tracked the big red guy online and then called the "santa hotline" (www.noradsanta.org) and got to speak to a real live santa's helper who let us know that around 7pmCST, santa was making his way through london, england, and would be headed to texas in approximately 4.5 hours.  the kids were SO excited to call and talk to someone about santa's progress through the world, I am sure we will do it again next year!

he came, he delivered, and like a flash, he was off to his next stop!

riley cate was gifted a beautiful white vanity and stool, and a pink hello kitty, and ryan was gifted a nintendo DS game system and a LEGO cube with new LEGOs.

mimi and pawpaw spent the day with us, and we had a day full of food, family, too many presents, and lots of box-opening and toy assembly.  it was just right. 

our biggest present this christmas was not wrapped in paper under the tree, it was the people around us.  merry christmas!

'twas the night before christmas

we have had a busy day cooking, cleaning, and getting ready for Christmas! 
we spent the evening at Mimi and PawPaws, and then came home and got ready for Santa!

I hope dasher and his friends like celery because we were fresh out of carrots!  oh, and the snack pack jello?  that's for frosty, our elf.

our "baby" tree is very special to us this year.  we decided to not buy a (giant) tree like we have done for the last 11 years for several reasons.  we had a "baby" tree (what the kids call it) in our garage that had been meems tree, just waiting to be used.  it felt perfect to use this tree this year. 

the kids colored pictures for santa...  (or as ryan spells it, SOTU.  after I tried to correct his spelling, he informed me that in kindergarten, you spell it how it SOUNDS, and to HIM it sounds like SOTU.  okay then.)

our santa countdown finally dropped into the chimney tonight!

and, at 10:20pm, I still have one very awake little boy, tossing and turning awaiting santa's arrival, and too excited to sleep!

so...merry christmas to all and to all a good night (for us, hopefully soon!)

frosty's adventures and return to the north pole

and the day has finally come, where it is Christmas Eve, and frosty the elf will return to the north pole tonight with santa and his reindeer!  frosty has been up to some funny things this week:

he has eaten a gumdrop off of ryan's gingerbread house, played BINGO with a few of ryan's other "friends", made a toothpaste mess on the counter, made a snow angel in our kitchen, and last night (his last night to be here), he made and left for us a dozen tiny donuts with sprinkles on top, with a letter:

Dear Ryan and Riley,

My time here with you this year has come to an end. I am flying back to the North Pole tonight on Christmas Eve with Santa Claus and all the reindeer!

I have enjoyed making you smile and watching you search for me. I have also sent special messages back to Santa for you. I know you guys love donuts and I just could not resist making these donuts for you. Hope you like sprinkles!

I will miss you both and I will be back from the North Pole next year. I love you guys.

Santa said he would lift my power so you could both touch me one time, but only one time each and then put me back.

I can't wait for your hug!

Love, Frosty

our whole family has had so much fun with frosty this year, and we are glad santa sent him to us!

Merry Christmas Eve!

countdown to christmas: letters to santa

the kids "wrote" 2 letters to santa each this year, and sent one from mimi's and one from home..  the one from mimi's was more like a drawing for santa of things they would like to have..  a pictogram if you will.  they put them in mimi's mailbox, and GOT A RESPONSE!

it said: 
To Ryan (Riley also got one with the same text)

I have been looking at my list of all the good little girls and boys and I see that you're are the top of the nice list this year.  Great Job!  I am very proud of you for being so good.  Rudolph and I are really looking forward to visiting you on Christmas Eve.  The elves have been very busy making toys for children all around the world, and I know that you would really like for me to bring you something special.  I will certainly try my best to bring you something you will like.  My favorite part of Christmas is being able to make so many kids happy and share the gifts the elves make each year, because sharing is what makes Christmas so special.  Lumberton is one of my first stops this year, so be sure to go to bed early because my magic only works when everyone is asleep.  I am sure I will love the cookies and milk and don't forget to leave some carrots for the reindeer.  We work up quite an appetite delivering so many toys all around the world.

Have a very Merry Christmas!!
SANTA

We are super thankful Mimi and PawPaw's postman knew where to deliver this letter!  Ryan was over the moon excited, and is planning to skip dinner on Christmas Eve and go to bed VERY EARLY since Lumberton is one of the first stops!

I also helped the kids write letters, and thought it would be fun to share them:

a few things to note:
riley's: 
always caring about others, wanted to immediately ask about dasher..  and signed her own name!
ryan's: 
how are you (then upside down exclamation point!)
gets right to the point:  new red car, toy jet (kind of looks like toilet to the untrained eye!)
I have been a good boy.
SLED - not sure where he thinks he will use a SLED?
mario
the picture in red at the top is SANTA, and a tree down below.

love, love making these memories with them, and I am sure I will love seeing these pictures even more in 10 years!

countdown to christmas: riley's preschool party

continuing on with the christmas countdown...  riley's preschool party!  more snowmen!

riley and sweet sarah...

with cousin alicia, who was there with katy, to see brandon, it was almost like an "allen girls" reunion!  riley thinks she and alicia look alike, because they both have blonde hair!

icing and decorating waffle cone trees (thanks pinterest!), and more icing was going in her mouth than on her "tree". 

the finished product!

and, how do you eat a waffle cone tree?  well, like this of course!  :)

countdown to christmas: gingerbread houses

at allen family christmas, the kids made gingerbread houses again, and they turned out precious (again!)..  so much fun.  we are leaving ours out on display for santa to see!

(riley is really into katy right now!  she wants to sit by her, eat by her, decorate gingerbread houses with her, and she is currently asking to have a sleepover with her.  she calls her "my katy",  so sweet!)