happy leap year!

In honor of leap year, how about a game of leap frog?!

Don't you wish this "extra" day of the year was like a freebie. A day that was devoted to doing whatever you enjoyed doing in your extra free time all day long! That would be so awesome! 

So, in honor of this "extra" day (that should totally be a holiday) we would like to have a little giveaway. Nothing extra special, we just wanted to wish everyone Happy Leap Year! 

Leave us a comment about something you like to do in your extra free time. The winner will receive a $30.00 Target gift card, one of our favorite places to walk around in our free time.
Giveway will be closed at midnight and winner announced in the morning.

The Zoo and a little State Pride

We have not been to the zoo in a while because it has been so cold, but last week we had the most gorgeous weather!  You just never know over here in the lone star state and it can be cold one day and hot the next.  Fortunately for us it stayed warm and we had a blast.

we had a little trouble getting a group shot...







It was so much fun.
That was also the day that we got the kites out and just to show that ben can do it too,

When we got home and avery was home from school the girls wrote some stories and read them to us.



That was the beginning of many more stories that are hilarious and so precious.  Jeff and I got them clipboards and the paper that has space at the top and lines to write on at the bottom so that they can draw pictures and write about them on the same page.  To say that has been a hit is the biggest understatement.  They love it!  Lindsay and I used to play school like it was going out of style and I think they love doing the same things.  Avery has been using her clipboard as soon as she gets home and staying up late writing.  Last night she wrote about texas being the best state and when she prayed she thanked God that Texas defeated Mexico.  I guess we are all pretty thankful for that over here :)
State pride starts young over here!!

Sleep Sac

My college roommate Lindsay is one of my dearest friends and I am just so thankful to have gotten to meet her in college and we have stayed close ever since.  She is an incredible example of faith, peace and joy to me, and I am so thankful to be able to be encouraged by her in so many ways.

She is pregnant with a sweet baby boy, so soon and I am so excited and cant wait to see how gorgeous he is going to be!  She had a shower that I was unable to go to so I sent her a little present in the mail that I knitted using this pattern off of lion brand and making it longer.  

It is a jacket pattern and I altered it by making it 18 in long and sewing it together in the front instead of doing button holes.


It is a super easy pattern and was so easy to  make it my own!  You guys gotta try it! I hope that it fits though, Linds.

 I really have no idea if 18 in is long enough or if the sleeves will be, but fingers are crossed over here.  I am always making things for like newborns that fit 5 year olds, so hopefully this will not be the case this time...

pink eye & a cool trick

Both my girls have had pink eye this week so we haven't really left the house much. We spent a lot of time in the backyard. Some days bundled up in hats and others in flip flops. Gotta love (or hate) this crazy Texas weather.

We spiced up our lounging around by getting out the beach chair. Under my umbrella, ella ella, ay ay ay. (had to)

Thanks to pinterest I discovered a very cool craft. 

You color on sand paper with crayons,

place the sandpaper face down on t-shirt with parchment paper over it. Iron the paper for about 30 seconds,

and wa-la! 

It's like personalized screen printing in seconds! I just love it! 

Ella had fun designing her own shirt.

I haven't washed it yet so I'm not too sure on what that will do to it, I will let y'all know. (it could be a while though, laundry is not my forte)

haircuts all around

A few weekends ago, Ella got her hair cut by the oh so talented Aunt Anna. We went to Anna's cosmetology school for the haircut. It was very intimidating walking in that place! Everyone was so trendy and the Paul Mitchell School was so so cool! It made me so proud of my sister and what she does everyday:) 

The finished look!

Bob wanted a little trim too so Anna and her boyfriend Tyler gave him a haircut in my parents bathroom. 

SO fun having a hair stylist in the family! 

Home made healthyish pop tarts

I saw this link on pinterest (of course) and thought it would be fun to take up the whole afternoon and put off making dinner make with the neighbors and give it a try.

This is gorgeous jaden.  Isn't she a doll???

 It is just a cup of yogurt, a cup of butter, sea salt and 3 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour.

Then, you roll it out, cut it into shapes and put jam in the middle.  Put it in the oven for about 25 min.  I added powdered sugar for the top :)

We decided that maybe it needed to be a little sweeter but it was pretty good overall.










(that head-stuck-to-the-neck-thing is rubbing off on sassy...)
The other kids brought a bag of flowers from down the street and we decorated the house with them.



Overall it was a blast.  I love these neighbors so much and am just so thankful for them.  And then I called jeff and told him we had to go out to eat because I had let baking take over the whole afternoon.  and I loved it.