Our little slice of Happily Ever After...

...Planes, Trains, and Race cars...

...This year surely started with a bang...a new year, a new position and new adventures for all of us have led to a life dictated by the outlook calendar, lots of flights and check in alarms, and some one-on-one kiddo time for both Kirk and I...and while we would always like to be together...I am finding that the chaos is making the times together that much sweeter...and I am also relishing in some times of parenting alone...the kids tell me the sweetest things that they love and miss about Daddy when he isn't there...

...even Marley stares out the window waiting for Daddy's return...but this time Daddy was off snowmobiling with Uncle Chad and other family...

...but prior to that...we had to celebrate the Daytona 500...we are not huge Nascar fans by any means, but Kirk is such a sports fan...he gets inspired the more he learns about different sports...and he has told us the last few years that it is so cool to watch a sport that opens their season with their SuperBowl...which means little to me, but I don't protest any kind of 'party'...and Chase likes Lightening McQueen so he was interested...and he got even more interested when he saw there was an M&M car...he is a total sweet tooth...

...and Kirk tried out a new recipe with chicken...and the plan was to watch the race, have Grandma and Papa over for a few drinks and then get to bed early...but what happened was...the chicken took way longer than expected, the race was over before the kids ever got up from nap, we had to serve chicken nuggets for dinner as a back up and we ended up watching the Oscars...

...and it wouldn't be so funny if I didn't mention how much Kirk doesn't like awards shows...so his Daytona Day turned into an Oscars party...but we had a great time...and lots of laughs...oh, and when the chicken was finally finished...it was beyond awesome...

...race car sandwiches for lunch...vroom...

...Daddy got a sick Ava bug on one of his days alone...and I must say...this little love was exactly where she wanted to be when she was under the weather...in Daddy's arms while snow fell outside and bro-bro was at Grandma and Papa's...she loves her Daddy...

...and in other very exciting news...at least in this house...is the refurbishing of Mr. Bear...Mr. Bear was a gift to Chase from Santa at the Duck Club when he was a little more than six weeks old...and he was never the softest, cuddliest or the cutest of his stuffed animal collection...but he has always been the favorite...he's a bedtime companion that has accompanied us on all of our vacations and seen a lot of the world...although for about the last year...he has seen it all through one eye...and his body has been loosing stuffing at a rapid rate...so Grandma felt ready to take on the challenge and asked that I send the extra eye last Thursday...and it sounds like it took all three of them working on him...but I must say...he has never looked better...

...and we are all excited...

...and as I type this, I am relaxing at home with Marley while Kirk continues to enjoy his boys weekend in Northern Minnesota...but by the time you read this, he will be safely at home with us, because my Mother taught meat a young age about advertising who is and isn't home at any given time...but until then I will soak up the weekend together... 



Chase's First Snowman built by Chase and Ms. Tracy

...and enjoy the arts and crafts...

...and PJ visits to Grandma and Papa's to play in their basement before bed... just because we can...

...and the movie nights...because an evening on that third pillow is a mighty fine place to be...

...enjoying every little slice of this happily ever after...