Dad's 80th!

Last night we celebrated Dad's 80th birthday. We tried to surprise him but he sort of snuck in without us noticing him right away so the yelling "surprise" thing didn't work out too well. But he was still surprised to see us all there and was pleased too, I think. He had a good night of visiting with his friends and family and it was relly nice to see his smile.

Happy Birthday Dad! You are loved.

New haircut

She knew when she showed her stylist the picture of Heidi Klum that she might be overestimating the magical abilities of a new haircut. But still, she felt hopeful..... I'm the second picture.

Cupcake bites

Okay, these are seriously cute, right??

Inspiration for these found on the talented Bakerella's website.

So yesterday I rolled, dipped, and decorated my heart out and about 8:00 last night I had 120 of these babies ready to go to school today for Valentine's parties in all their classes.

They taste even better than they look.

Tag came home hyped up on sugar and very excited to open all his little Valentine's. Good day!

Olympic spirit is burning brightly here

I think we have to thank Hudson for bringing the excitement of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games into this house.

Way back in October of 2008, when we were in Whistler for the weekend, Hudson bought his first Olympic mascot with his own money. And his excitement and interest in all of it has just been building since then.

He now has all four mascots and a blanket. He surrounds himself in 'Olympic-ness' every night.

He already knows that we won't make him go to Friday Night Basketball this week because the Opening Ceremonies are on TV.

So when I found out that the torch was coming through Abbotsford, I think I always knew that Hudson would have to be there. At first, I thought we would just go set up along the roadside of the route at some point and wave at it as it ran past. I was really trying to avoid the massive crowds that I knew would be at Rotary Stadium where the torch was coming for the ceremony.

But as the day got near, I realized that Hudson should be there. Reagan and Taggart really wanted to go too. Cooper and Tony decided that SuperBowl was more important and didn't want to brave the crowds anyway.

So we were there to watch it all go down. We grabbed some friends and claimed our spot in the stands early. We had snacks, hot chocolate, blankets and we had a great time.

I have to admit I was a little worried about being there in the cold, possible rain, and all those people trying to keep all the kids from getting lost. But they did great and I am so glad we were there. Here are the highlights:Not the greatest shot - but there it is.

Hudson is definitely the biggest, biggest reason we were there. So thankful that it worked out for him and he was so happy the whole night. So worth it.

I love soup

I could eat a bowl of soup everyday. I love it. I love making it, I love smelling it simmer in the kitchen, and I feel good serving it to my family. They don't love it the way that I love it though, so sometimes it's a hit, sometimes it's not. Yesterday I made this soup. Sausage, beans, potatoes, chicken and lots of other good stuff. I thought it was a winner - my family wasn't so sure. But I liked this one enough to make it again even if they didn't.

My fondness for soup got me thinking about where this came from. I didn't have to think long. My Mom was the best cooker of soups that I know. It makes me sad to think that I will never have a bowl of her soup again. My Mom showed her love for her family in lots of ways, but her nurturing often came in the way of food. I may try and cook one of her soups and duplicate what she did so well. But it will never be the same. She had little tricks up her sleeve to make them all taste so good. But I also realize that when I was 5, or 9, or even 12 I didn't know how good they were. I think I sometimes even complained about them. So maybe there's hope that one day, years from now, my kids will appreciate that I tried to provide them with tasty dinners and the ultimate - even one day maybe ask me for a recipe or two.

Today though, a salami and cheese sandwich with his name spelled in pretzel letters provided just what this five year old wanted for lunch. Me - I had a bowl of soup. :0)