Date Night!!

Brian and I were super good about going on dates before kids. It was easy. Decide we want to go out and...go!!

Since The Girl and then The Boy came along, so much more thought goes into date night. We could even be planning a date just to El Torito or someplace close and we have to think ahead (quite difficult for my spontaneous hubby), call a sitter, arrange for the kids to have something to eat, give the rundown to the sitter, make sure B eats "safe things" while we're gone, show the Epi-pen and explain how it works to the sitter just in case B happens to stop breathing, explain bedtime routines and what Sadie may or may not say to try and get out of brushing her teeth...and the list goes on. But,

we do it. Why? To have the coveted "alone time" that ALL parents should take together!!! Last night was one of the REALLY special nights that we planned 2 weeks in advance and made reservations!!! Brian surprised me with where we were going. All I knew is that it was in L.A. and I needed to dress up. Uh, don't have to twist my arm for that!! :)

Here we are in the car getting ready to pull out of the driveway! So excited for some "no sippy cup to pick up off the floor 100 times" time together!!!

We were at a stop light and Brian said, "look up, that's where we're going...Astro Burger!!" Nice try, Mr. B - I know that is not what I'm wearing this dress for!!


This, my friends, is what I was wearing the nice dress for...(well besides for my husband)...Providence - an unassuming very cool, #1 rated new restaurant in the country!!

So we go in and get seated and open the menu...to discover that we don't even know what 1/2 of the stuff on the menu is!! We got a good, long laugh out of trying to pronounce things and act like we were all "cultured". We finally decided on a meal after I asked the waiter what his favorite things were (just so I could figure out how to pronounce what I wanted). Before we knew it, these cheese pastries and this "shot"* of cheesy stuff were in front of us. The waiter completely described everything that he put before us and when he left Brian said, "what is this?". My answer to that was "blah, blah with a cheese blah and and blahddy blah shot with Parmesan foam on top". Honestly, we both had NO idea what we were eating, but the experience was fun. The pastry thing was good, the cheesy shot*, not so much.

*the shot was only called a shot because of the container it was in ;)

Next up...our "Cold" - a lobster salad (that's not what the menu said, but that is what we called it). This was actually pretty good!!

And then our "Hot" - Ravioli!! I have absolutely no idea what was inside, but this was my favorite dish of the night.

The main course - I chose to have Duck...here it is. It wasn't what I expected. Not horrible, but not my favorite. It was fun to try something new, though!

Brian got the steak. It was very yummy!! I loved the presentation of the food. Wish I could do that at home - haha!!

At the end they gave us some "palette cleansing desserts". They were quite tasty - strawberry something followed by chocolate something and pear something or other.

After a yummy meal at a very cool restaurant with no kiddos!!

We headed to the Melting Pot for dessert after our dinner. Mmmmm.

Hot Chocolate!!!

Smores Fondue!!

Dipping items - bananas, strawberries and brownies were our favorites!!

Our waitress gave us mints after our dessert. Brian made me laugh when he said, "this is the kind of palette cleansing item I'm used to".

What a wonderfully fun night with my equally as wonderful husband! I am so blessed to have him to share life with! It was fun to not plan anything myself and not know where we were going because I didn't have to think about a thing except for having a great night!!

Valentine's Day

We don't go crazy for Valentine's Day in the Moore household, but I couldn't resist getting some pictures of the kiddos on Monday. Just an impromptu photo session with the kids on the front porch. I really wanted to document Sadie's cute outfit for the day!!

This was the last picture taken. Sadie was opening her reward for doing a good job letting me take a few pictures. She was standing right in front of me and Braden was holding on to my leg. I looked down and saw this and couldn't resist capturing the moment. Poor Braden always wanting what Sadie has. And who could blame him? Her hands are directly at eye level for him!!

Sadie's attempt at "kissy lips"!! Hee hee!!

Sadie's cute shirt!!!

Love these little ones!!!!

The B-Man!!!

And Sadie-Sue!!! (Seriously, I think that's what we should have made her middle name!!)

Stink-Bug!!!!

The Joy of Love: Kiss

Capturing the kisses of your loves...

Mersadie and Braden: sibling love. So sweet. Melts my heart!!

Brian and I on our anniversary last year - 11 years!!

The Joy of Love: Eyes

The assignment was "Eyes" this time. I chose the first picture because even though this is not of Brian's eyes, it's of him looking at me and there is no better feeling than knowing that after almost 12 years of marriage, he still "only has eyes for me". I love him so much!

This one of Braden was taken back in September when he was figuring out how to pull up on things. In this picture, he is so proud of himself for doing it and not falling down!

Here is a picture that I just took a couple of days ago. This is my girlie...I think her eyes are beautiful!! :)

And of course I had to add a silly picture. Here is Sadie when we were watching a 3D movie the other day!!

The Joy of Love: Where they are comfortable

"Where they are comfortable" was the assignment this time.

Sadie and Brian are comfortable in most situations/places you put them in! One of their favorite places to hang out and get comfy, though, is cuddling on the couch watching "Beauty and the Beast" or "Toy Story 1, 2, or 3" (always Sadie's choice, of course).

A few weeks ago Braden was sick and all he wanted to do was to lay on me. I snapped this picture with my iPhone. In my arms is where this boy is most comfortable. He is a people person, but if his Momma is in the room, his Momma is who he wants! That makes my heart happy!!

The Joy of Love: Gift from the Heart

Today's assignment: what has your loved one given or promised to you? Well, this was another difficult one because Brian has given me so much (material and immaterial). One of the most recent "things" he has given me is the gift of Friday mornings to do whatever I want. He gets the kids up and dressed and they head out to breakfast so I can do things that I can't get done with both kiddos at home. This means so much to me at this very stage in our lives because a toddler (well, almost) and a preschooler are very fun, but very busy and tiring. Each Friday they leave the house my heart aches a little because I want to go spend time with them and have breakfast, too! But once I see how much I can get caught up on, it sets me at peace to enjoy the rest of our Friday as a family! Thanks Babe!!

The Joy of Love: Passions

This time I am recording the Passions of my "loves". Brian, Mersadie and Braden are passionate about a lot of things, but here are a few that stick out to me!!

Mersadie is "passionate" about anything Disney! Her favorite place to go is Disneyland. She switches her favorite princess almost daily and is also very "passionate" about the Toy Story Trilogy!! Here is Sadie with Snow White - who happened to be the favorite that day!

Braden is "passionate" about 2 major things these days. He is quite passionate about eating - he will definitely let you know when he "needs" to eat! And, taking after his "dada", he is seriously very passionate about basketball!!

And Brian. He is the definition of "Passion" - but one thing that he is most passionate about is teaching and telling people about Jesus!!

The Joy of Love: Generations

"Generations" was the title of the next assignment. I have kind of sat on this one for a couple of days because I realized that I don't have many pictures of my kids with their Grandma and Grandpa Moore. We need to change that. Next time we get to spend some time with them, my sole mission will be to take some amazing photos (or at least just some photos) of Brian's parents and our kiddos!! In the meantime, here are some pictures of Mersadie and Braden with some of their "generations" from my side. Enjoy!

This is a picture of me and my Grandma Yearta.

My mom (Mimi) and the kids!

Mersadie and her GG (Great Grandma Yearta).

My dad (Papa) and the kids!

This is Grandpa Charlie with the kiddos. Grandpa Charlie is my "adopted" Grandpa - he holds a special place in my heart and it's always fun to spend some time with him and all of the York family when we can!

The Joy of Love: What they Love

The assignment this time was really supposed to be "Who the Love". "They" being the love(s) of my life. Instead of trying to fit in all the people they love in this post, I decided to change it to "What they Love". Although there are a lot of things my loves love, these are the things that happened yesterday that I was able to photograph. Enjoy!

Mersadie "LOVES" ice cream. Yesterday, chocolate was her favorite flavor when asked. Sometimes it's vanilla, sometimes it's pink, but yesterday it was chocolate and that is what she got!! I love this little girl so much! I "LOVE" discovering all of her loves and am so blessed to be her momma!!

Yummy!!

Braden "LOVES" all of Mersadie's toys! Especially when she is playing with them! Here he is enjoying some "Sadie's toys time" all alone before she comes in and finds him!! Braden LOVES all sorts of things these days! Just yesterday he was LOVING watching the birds by the ocean - he just squealed with delight. As with Sadie, I LOVE discovering what he loves and am so incredibly blessed to have him call me "momma" - which I'm pretty sure he LOVES to do! ;)

Brian "LOVES" to read!!!! And this Kindle was one of the all-time best gifts for him! He reads EVERY DAY - 8 books so far this year!! I am so blessed to have him in my life. He is a magnificent husband, father and God-chaser!!!

The Joy of Love: Love to Hate

There is a photographer that I came across who is doing a "Joy of Love" challenge for the month of February. Every day she gives you a different thing to photograph. I got in on it on day 5 and the topic is "Love to Hate". The assignment was to photograph the one(s) you love doing something you love to hate about them - the picture doesn't have to include people every time, just as long as it covers the theme. I don't really like that this was the assignment I came in on, but the pictures to follow are of my loves...minus Brian - you'll see what his photo is. I am going to be doing the assignments every day, but you may not see them posted daily. I might post a bunch on the same day.

My biggest "love to hate" with Little B these days is the fact that he is 15 months old and the first time I gave him Lucky Charms cereal, he figured out that the marshmallows are the best part and now picks through and eats all the marshmallows and discards all the grain on the floor!!!

I "love to hate" that Sadie won't give me a real smile anymore! She always has to be silly for the camera!!

I "love to hate" that Brian leaves his clothing/shoes RIGHT where he takes them off. The only thing that doesn't bother me about this particular pair of socks being right in the middle of the floor was the conversation I heard surrounding why they are there.

Sadie: "Daddy, take your socks off."

Brian: "Why?"

Sadie: "Because I have mine off."

Brian: "Oh, okay!"

Sadie: (a few minutes later) "Here comes the tickle-bug!!"

Brian and Sadie: Laughter and Squeals!!

My heart is happy to have those socks on the floor RIGHT where he took them off! Best Daddy EVER!!!

I couldn't "gripe" about what my family does that bugs me without sharing something that bugs me about myself: I HATE laundry!! It's a never-ending cycle. I like it when things have a beginning and an ending. I feel accomplished that way. Not the laundry. NEVER done. Anyway - here is the laundry that I have been doing in stages. It got washed and dried. Then it sat in a basket in the laundry room. Then I took it upstairs and dumped it on our bed. Then it stayed there for a while until I folded it. Then I went to do something else and FINALLY put it away. I have another load waiting downstairs for me!!