Happy Valentine's Day & Braces

Hola!

This is a Valentine's Day wish, to everybody who can remember receiving valentines in Elementary School.  Can you see it in your mind: decorating your special box, so each student in the class could put the valentine inside.  And some people even taped a candy sucker to the paper Valentine, and some maybe a piece of chocolate.

Yesterday, I received the very astoundingly most monstrous Reeses Peanut Butter Cup I have ever seen!  Frank found one of these, knowing it is my favorite candy.  I was definitely in heaven.  I think he used a wheel barrow to bring it home.  I had to take a picture of it.

Sadly, it doesn't look that big in the photo!  But it was.  Really.  Big.

Here is the inside of it.  I cut it up for the family to share.  Each of these peanut butter cups is a HALF POUND of chocolate and peanut butter.  Yes.  Combined, we have a full POUND of candy.

OK, the other, even bigger news for Heart Day, is that after a tiny bit over two years, Teresa got her braces off -- on Valentine's Day!

(And there was MUCH rejoicing.)

She has had a countdown going for a couple of weeks now.  Actually ever since David had his taken off a few months ago, she's been counting down.

Don't her teeth look nice?  (Go ahead, click on the photos for a bigger view!)  I'll include before, during and after photos.  It gives you the general idea.

She had a front snaggle-tooth going on.

And now, it's time to say 'Goodbye' to all our company...

M-I-C  ("See you real soon...")
K-E-Y ("Why?  Because we LIKE you!")
M-O-U-S-E!

Happy Week!  Kari

Even Tubing can be a Nice Getaway

Hola!

Happy February!  We took a chance a week ago, and reserved 2 nights in New Hampshire near one of their ski resorts.  It has been such a "wimpy snow" winter, we just didn't know if we could ski or not.

So it had been a week since they had had real snow, and then it was still only a couple of inches, so the answer for us was...not!  You could hear the skiers: instead of "Whhhooosh" it was "scccccccrrraapppe" down the mountain.  Ice, ice, ice!  Of course, Teresa only saw skiers whose parents bought them lift tickets.  We were the mean ones who said "Let's go tubing today instead!"

We did have a good time tubing.  Here are some photos.  They had a pull-ride to take you up the hill on one side, then you could tube down.

We also gave David a chance to drive us a couple of hours each way.  FYI: Friday evening rush hour, driving north on Interstate 95 here is actual...driving...experience.  I have said before that I lose a month off of my life every time I give him the keys...and he's not even a bad driver!  I'm just nervous.

That weekend getaway came at the end of midterms, for David and Teresa.  Nice to get those behind them!

During midterm week, Frank, Kara and I went to a place called "Cradles to Crayons," where they take donations of clothing, baby items, small furniture, toys, books, etc., sort and organize, and give them to children in the greater Boston area.  It was SO well organized.  We spent a 2-hour block with other members of our church congregation sorting kid clothes, while others put together packages of clothes sets and supplies for different ages of children.  It was really cool.

Ok, and here is our "February Birthday," since we do not actualy have a February birthday person in our house.  Max, our rabbit, turned ONE.  Kara made him a hat and we took pictures.  I couldn't believe he wore the thing, and stayed still, long enough for a camera shoot!  He's awesome.

All in all, a good couple of weeks!  Now if we can shake the runny noses and coughs.  Even with a mild winter, we did not escape those.

Frank has been in California this week--at the Disneyland Resort hotel, of all places!  He says you can't imagine how many things in a hotel they can decorate with a Mickey Mouse silhouette.

Have a great week!  Kari