Valentine's Preschool Party

More from the preschool party last Thursday...

Decorating cookies is fun!  Eating them is even more fun!

Chloe, so excited to give and receive Valentines while Ryan decorates his cookie.

Chloe, exchanging Valentines, showing off her cookie and hugging her teacher, Miss Sheryl.

Hanging with pals, Austin and Ty. 

Chloe was one happy girl!  I think she wishes every day was Valentine's Day!

Valentine's FHE

Since Monday turned out to be so full we pushed Family Home Evening to Tuesday.  The topic, of course, was LOVE.  I cut out a large red heart and stuck it to a chair.  Then each family member stood on the heart while everyone in the room took a turn to share what they loved about that person. 

The kids loved standing on the heart, but also loved sharing what they loved about each person.  Here's some of what was said. Ryan didn't exactly catch on, but he did participate! :)

CHLOE

Neil: "I love Chloe because she is a good helper."

Valeri: "I love Chloe because she is cheerful."

Ryan: "Mommy!"

RYAN

Chloe: "I love Ryan because he plays games with me and lets me help him brush his teeth."

Neil: "I love Ryan because he's cuddly."

Valeri: "I love Ryan because he has a sweet and tender nature."

NEIL

Chloe: "I love Daddy because he plays games with me sometimes."

Valeri: "I love Daddy because he supports me as a mommy and allows me to be at home with you guys!"

Ryan: "bath!" ??

VALERI

Chloe: "I love Mommy because she cooks for us and gives me a bath and puts these decorations up."

Neil: "I love Mommy because she takes such good care of our family."

Ryan: "Daddy!"

After our little activity, we enjoyed chocolate fondue. So good!  Surprisingly, Ryan was more into the dipping than the eating. Either way, I think it was a big hit and something we'll definitely do again!

The kids also received a little treat in the mail from their great grandparents yesterday.  Chloe was so excited to put her dollar in her piggy bank. Thank you, Grandpa Don and Grandma Jean!

{that's strawberry syrup on Ryan's nose - too cute to remove in photoshop}

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day!  I will post more pictures from Chloe's preschool party shortly.

Day 14: In a nutshell

Valentine's Day 2011 in a nutshell: 

Got up way too early (6:24am to be exact - thank you, C & R).  Made breakfast: heart shaped pancakes with sliced strawberries and bananas, boysenberry syrup, powdered sugar and whipped cream.

Took the kids to Jo-Ann's to let them pick out fabric for their "Valentine's surprise".  In other words, waited too long to go to Jo-Ann's by myself to pick out their fabric so that it actually would be a surprise.  So to cover up my procrastination, made it appear as though their choosing their own fabric was part of the plan all along.  They didn't know the difference and thought it was great.  Ryan chose trains.  Big surprise.

Came home.  Made lunch: heart shaped grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup.

Hung these.

Ate some of these.

Kissed Neil.  A lot.  Didn't get a picture of that, sorry.

Fought Ryan on a nap for 1 hour and 45 minutes before finally defeating the stubborn kid.  Sent Chloe outside to play and [hurriedly] sewed the kids' gifts: rice bags.  They are constantly taking mine, and, inevitably fighting over it, which is what gave me the brilliant idea to make them each one of their own.  Now we can all have warm toesies!

Called Chloe in and got Ryan up from his nap. 

Ate our Papa Murphy's heart-shaped pizza for dinner as a family (and forgot to take a picture of it).

Presented the kids' Valentine's gifts to them and smiled watching the pure delight in their eyes.

Had planned on chocolate fondue for dessert but was way too tired (as were the kids) and decided to postpone until tomorrow.  Put happy kids to bed (each wearing their new sunglasses), watched Two and a Half Men and How I Met Your Mother with my honey, wrote this blog post, did not edit any pictures because I was too tired, and will most likely post this tomorrow when I have the energy to get back to said pictures.  Goodnight!

Day 10: My little Valentine

Today was Chloe's Valentine's party at preschool. 

I went to observe/help/take pictures, and had so much fun watching her interact with her teachers and classmates.  She is such a precocious little thing, and her teachers always have a story to share with me about the latest thing she said or questioned.  Each child had a turn passing out the Valentines they brought for their classmates.  Out of 17 children, Chloe was last in line to get to pass hers out.  A few times, especially near the end, she got pouty and wondered why her turn hadn't rolled around yet.  But just as quickly as she'd frown when yet another name was called, she'd smile when I winked at her from across the room.  And she did get her turn!  I think she enjoyed passing out Valentines more than she enjoyed receiving them!  It's no wonder really.  She's always had a giving heart.  I sure do love my little Valentine girl.

I have more pictures to share from the party, which I'm hoping to post tomorrow.  Goodnight, all!

Celebrating Love...

Here's a peek at our Valentine's week.

To sum it up, the kids were spoiled rotten by their Grandpas and Grandmas!
Chloe also hosted a preschool party, which she's still talking about!

Hope you all had a love-filled Valentine's too!

Valentine's Day, Cafe Rio style...

This year for Valentine's Day I attempted a Cafe Rio feast for my husband, as we are both fanatics. He spent the week in San Diego on business, and after a very long day of meetings, flights and car rides, he made it home to my arms, safe and sound (at 9:12pm to be exact). I was thrilled to see him for the whole hour and a half of Valentine's day we spent together; and he was thrilled to be home, especially when he discovered the food that was waiting for him.

I found these on the internet, and every one claimed to be actual Cafe Rio recipes. I'm quite certain they aren't (except the salad dressing, which tasted about the same), nevertheless they have still become Andersen favorites (especially the pork) and I thought it'd be wrong of me not to share...

Sweet Pork
Ingredients:
3-5lb. pork loin or pork roast (bone-in roasts are cheaper and more tender)
1 1/2 cans Coca Cola
1 c. sugar
7oz. can chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
1 t. dry ground mustard (heaping)
1 t. ground cumin (heaping)
1 t. minced garlic
1/2 c. brown sugar (recipe didn't call for this - I included it for extra sweetness)
Instructions:
Place can of chilies in a bowl and cover with coke. Once the chilies are no longer coated with adobo sauce, remove them and throw away. If you prefer HOT, leave a few chilies in. I removed all but one chili and it was the perfect combination of sweet and spicy. Combine all ingredients (except pork) in a blender and mix. Place pork in crock pot and pour sauce over the top. Cook on high 4-6 hours or low 7-9 hours. Carefully turn roast over halfway through cooking. Remove pork and shred, then throw it back in and mix with juice. It may be liquidy, in which case you'll want to use a slaughtered spoon when serving.

Cilantro-Lime Rice
Ingredients:
1 c. long grain rice
2 c. water
2 chicken bouillons
1 t. butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t. lime zest
2 T. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 t. sugar
3 T. fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions:
In a saucepan combine rice, water, bouillons, butter, garlic, and lime zest. Bring to boil, cover and simmer 15-20 minutes, or until rice is tender and water is absorbed. Remove from heat. In a small bowl combine lime juice, sugar and cilantro. Pour over rice.

Black Beans
Ingredients:
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/3 c. tomato juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t. ground cumin
2 T. olive oil
1 1/2 t. salt
2 T. fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions:
In a non-stick skillet cook garlic, cumin and olive oil over medium heat just until you can smell it. Add beans, tomator juice and salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving, stir in cilantro.

Creamy Cilantro Dressing
Ingredients:
1 envelope buttermilk ranch dressing
1 c. mayonnaise
1 c. milk
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 tomatillos (look like green tomatoes surrounded by husks)
1/2 serrano pepper with seeds removed
Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in blender and mix until smooth. Refrigerate 1 hour to thicken.

And voilà! A romantically yummy dinner for two!








I found the tortillas at Costco - $5.99 for a package of 44! That's cheaper than the 12-packs you can buy at the grocery store (and at least a hundred times better - just another reason I love Costco)! Once you try these you'll never go back. They are uncooked, which means when you throw them in the pan for the entire minute and a half they take to warm up, they come out smelling and tasting like hot fresh restaurant-style tortillas!


This food was to die for! We've had it for dinner the last two nights and will probably eat it again tonight. Needless to say, Neil was pleased. Hope everyone else had a Happy Valentine's Day!