Cupid Was Here

With February 14th landing on a Sunday, class parties were scheduled for Thursday and Friday and our family chose to celebrate the entire day on Saturday. It worked out perfectly. After all, you can't "spread all that love" in just one day!T
he Valentines

I found this clever Valentine card idea on another blog and I had to try it this year. We took a photo of each of the boys holding out their arm with a clenched fist. A little bit of work in Photoshop to create a border, a greeting, and a place to address the card was all it took to give these Valentines a finished look. A small slit was cut at the top and base of the hand, and a sucker was inserted. I had to laugh, though, when Brevin came home with two other Valentines from his class with the same design concept. I should have known. The blog I found the idea on is pretty popular. We also delivered our traditional heart-shaped rice krispy treats to Brevin and Spencer's Primary teachers and Garrett's nursery leaders.
tional Breakfast

Another Valentine's Day tradition that comes from my childhood (just as the heart-shaped rice krispy treats) is heart-shaped pancakes with strawberry syrup for breakfast. To the place setting, I added a gift can filled with candy and a small toy for each of the boys. Jason got a coupon book with one planned date for each month for the next year. It's a gift we will both enjoy immensely. The breakfast was a perfect way to start the morning off right. Let the calorie gorging begin!
ntine's "Tea"

I thought we'd make a day of it (you know, all of the celebrating and stuff), so we had a special Valentine Tea. "A what?" Jason kept asking me. "A Valentine Tea. You know...a Valentine Tea!" Basically it was just a glorified lunch of meat and cheese sandwiches on crescent rolls and served on china. The cupcakes and the fruit smoothies made it seem more like a "tea". My family of boys were gracious enough to humor me on this one.
e Traditional Dinner

For Valentine's Day dinner, we've always gotten a heart-shaped pizza from 5-Buck Pizza, but we tried the Papa Murphey's Take-N-Bake this time around and were very satisfied. We'll likely get our pizza from there in the future. And what "romantic" meal would be complete without a bottle or two of Martinelli's? Cheers, darling!

This post authored by Amber

Ronnie Price Hall of Fame Night

We attended the UVU men's basketball game where, Jazz forward, Ronnie Price, was inducted to the UVU Hall of Fame.  We ran into Angie, Karlie, and Parker while we were there, and so we got tickets for us all to sit together.  It was exciting to look across the court and see Jerry Sloan, Deron Williams, Kyle Korver, and of course, Ronnie Price.  The halftime presentation was a treat to watch as Ronnie graciously accepted his award accompanied by his wife who was busy physically wrangling with their young daughter.  Hmmm.....the daughter looked like she was about Garrett's age (I sympathize with you, wife of Ronnie Price.  I really do!).  Here are some fun pictures of the evening:

Oh, and if you don't know who Ronnie Price is, check out this sweet dunk!

This post authored by Amber

Have You Ever Wondered How I Keep My Windows Nice & Clean?

The Answer: Child Labor!

This post authored by Amber

Are You In For A Treat?

If anyone is interested, there is a delightful giveaway on my other blog, Sweet Indulgence Cupcakes.  You could be lucky enough to win some FREE strawberry shortcake flavored cupcakes (pictured above). Go check it out.  You won't be sorry you did!

This post authored by Amber

One Year Older (And Wiser, Too)

I love birthdays, even if they come with the expense of getting older. I mean, what other day do you get to sleep in while somebody else fixes a pancake breakfast? Jason even gets extra credit for attempting the heart shape!

I got in a great Zumba workout in the morning before my shower and I followed that with a little cupcake baking. I experimented to create a lovely piña colada frosting. Once the thirty-second and final vanilla cupcake was topped (one for each year of my life), I took a nap. Yes, I said NAP! Oh, lovely day! I woke refreshed and ready for a night on the town with family. I was craving the pineapple shrimp salad with mango salsa from Bajio. Perhaps I was subconsciously tapping into my "inner islander" with all of that exotic and tropical food (and my Shakira hair, as my sister-in-law calls it). My "inner islander" was thoroughly satisfied.

And just the way I like it, the celebrating was drawn out over the course of a week with a cupcake (or two or three) a day, a bit of online shopping for new clothes, and having our family treated to lunch at The Brick Oven by Jason's parents.

It's just a horrible shame I have to wait a whole year before I turn thirty-three!

This post authored by Amber

For Auld Lang Syne

We filled our final day of 2009 with errands and activities, and just like the past year, we made the most of every minute together. And while we didn't take pictures of the errands (tidying the house, taking down Christmas lights, shopping for medicines and a new calendar, etc...), we did snap a few shots of the activities. And now for your viewing pleasure, I present our New Year's Eve:

Early Morning Sledding

Recent snow storms have created the perfect conditions for a favored past time of our family. We "hit the slopes" early and enjoyed fresh powder and minimal crowds. Brevin invited a friend to come along and join us, and we all had a fantastic time.

A Trip to Tepanyaki

In order to beat the dinner rush, we ate dinner at about 5:00 p.m. Whether I was hungry by that time or not, I was able to easily down a plateful of shrimp, chicken, steak, noodles, and vegetables. This may be the traditional locale for ringing in a new decade. (We were at the same place ten years ago ushering in Y2K, sans children. Remember all the hype and hysteria surrounding that New Year's Eve?)

A Toast to the New Year

After dinner, we came home for a Wii party and to don our totally awesome, handmade glasses. Yes, with our sparkling white grape juice in hand, we exude nothing but sophistication and refinement. Wouldn't you agree?

Happy 2010 everyone!

This post authored by Amber

Picture A Christmas

Truly Christmas was the most wonderful time of the year as we gathered with family and created new memories through time honored traditions. Once again, the events surrounding this year's holiday made it the happiest season of all.

The Park Family Christmas Party

Two days before Christmas, we got together with all of Jason's family at his parents' home for food, gift exchanges, and a musical program. It was a great way to kick off the celebrations (not to mention, all of the over-eating). Brevin and Spencer had performed the song Picture a Christmas with the rest of the primary in sacrament meeting and so they shared it with the family that night.

Christmas Eve Dinner

I prepared a special turkey dinner with all of the trimmings on Christmas Eve. (By the way, Garrett loves turkey.) We even brought out the china and silverware for the occasion. Certainly we felt to be grateful for all that we have as we looked upon our expansive spread of delightful foods.

Christmas Eve Traditions

The boys were anxious to help clean up after dinner so they could open their new pajamas. We all sang Happy Birthday to Jesus before we forced cupcakes upon our already full bellies. One of the cupcakes was left for Santa with a cup of hot chocolate and some carrots for the reindeer. After singing a few carols of Silent Night and Away in a Manger to the boys, they were fast asleep by 8:30 p.m. (I credit the turkey).

Christmas Morning

Everyone slept in until 7:30 a.m. (a Christmas gift of sorts to Mom) before we were all drawn into the room to see what gifts were received. We enjoyed breakfast burritos before opening the gifts under the tree. Jason got a Nintendo Wii for Christmas, so I'm sure there's no doubt about how the majority of our day was spent.

The Funk, Gilliland, & Page Family Christmas Party

The day after Christmas, we traveled to St. George for more family festivities where an abundance of food was consumed, gifts were exchanged, and we had an awesome "Grab Bag."

Family Dodgeball

Clark started a bit of a tradition last year at Thanksgiving with a family dodgeball game. With concern for life and limb, Jason and I opted to be spectators rather than participants. I mean, look at how fierce Clark competes in this game (he's even wearing a t-shirt with the definition of dodgeball on it, for heaven's sake)! Besides, we were so sore from playing boxing on the Wii that I don't think I could grab a dodgeball, let alone throw it. It was hilarious to watch the rounds which were played by all the young children. Even when they tried to sneak forward to gain an advantage in the start of the games, the boys lost several times to the girls. Man, we had a great time!
This post authored by Amber