J-boy's b-day party was OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD!!!!  :)

 J-boy birthday!  cupcakes at school

 ninja sanctuary on the kitchen table

 Joseph bought all the girls potted tulips for Valentine's day, and J-boy got candy.  We were all happy. :)  He also bought me a trunk-load of canning supplies.  I guess I'll CAN this summer!

 all that snow melted pretty quick when the sun came out - this puddle (lake?) along the side of our house made me grateful we don't have a basement!

 Happy Valentine's Day!  Dinner of steak, shrimp, roasted red potatoes & green beans, with strawberries, bananas & marshmallows w/ chocolate fondue.  And then cheese cake cause we needed more sugar (!).

 we've been into the games lately -- J-boy can beat all of us at mancala. :)

 a little soccer in the church gym on Sat. afternoon

 Valentine's ready for school!

 a little Valentine's Day photo moment (snow day #4 in the last week, with two days off for parent teacher conferences meant that the kids only had 1 day of school this week)

another view of the drifted patio -- that window is the one I took the last picture through.  

quite a bit more snow - and all of it right on the tail of reading a book called The Children's Blizzard for book club -- sad sad book about a bunch of children being caught in a horrible sudden blizzard on their way home from school in the northern midwest in 1913.  I am so glad I don't live in a sod house.  Or a log cabin.  Or travel by horse & wagon.  Or let my kids walk 2 miles to school by their own little selves.  I am happy to look at the blizzard from INSIDE, thank you very much!!!!