2 important things...better late than never

1. S turned 3!!!! (back in november, i'm a little late posting)

she wanted a strawberry shortcake birthday. auntie sar made her a cake that looked like strawberry's hat. it was adowable.
she wanted to wear the special dress that D wore for her birthday. and she also wanted to do her own hair...
we played "pin the diamond on strawberry's tiara". the big girls were trying to put the diamonds over strawberry's mouth and eyes. we then said you have to be 4 or under to play the game. they just laughed and went back to eating strawberries and drinking pink milk.
it was a great party and i can't believe my baby is 3!

the other important thing.....

2. our beloved dog Koda passed away 9-14-2009. he was almost 13. it was so sad. we knew he was getting close, we even joked about it, but when it came down to it... it was heartbreaking. i miss him so much.

here i am at 19 when i got him. paul and i drove all the way to winslow to get him.
my bow obsession started early. good thing i have girls. (poor koda was a boy and i still had bows for him)

his cousin is the white husky on the cover of the movie iron will. yeah he was famous.... well, his cousin was anyway.
he always cleaned S's hands and the floor.... until he got too old and wouldn't come off of the carpet anymore.
we miss you buddy! i forgive you for the million times you ran away, the hundreds of $$$ we spent freeing you from jail, the pound, legal courts, kidnappers, etc., attacking city workers (defending noni), getting put in the back of cop cars, etc. etc. there may have been a few more examples but who's counting...

i love how you used to say "rauuullll"

i love how you used to "mush" thru the snow

i love how you played/put up with the kids even up until the end

RIP koda. 12-25-1997 to 9-14-2009

i heart hillside cafe.

i am so excited about this place. it's about time we have something like this on our side of town. my friend told me about it 3 days ago and i have already been there twice! (IT'S IN THE OLD COFFEE PLANTATION ON WARNER AND 48TH)

i got these cupcakes for the kids for an afterschool snack. they gobbled them up. $2 ea.

i love the natural decor.
didn't try these... don't care for nuts in my brownies, but i loved the stamps and the cake plate so much.
the menu: yummy breakfasts until 2. they also have lunch starting at 11. dinner is starting in feb. i had the croque monsieur... DELISH. i also ordered a kids meal, grilled cheese and fresh cut french fries, only $3!!
cute baskets of candy...
S was eyeing those lolipops. she didn't get one.
hurry over there and try it out! it will be worth it :)

little chef

this little chef prepared a wonderfully impressive dessert for us the other night. she cracked open the coconut, filled it with her own vanilla pudding with coconut milk, and added a sprinkle of coconut shavings on the top. voila!

S: daddy, my teeth shut my tongue.

translation: so you bit your tongue?

S: yes.

wintery wonderland

highlights from our trip to indiana.....

1. spending time with gram and gramp
2. spending time with friends and eating at our FAV restaurant... and by some miracle the kids all sat quietly and happily at this non kid restaurant for 2 hours!!! we couldn't believe it.
3. getting to go to the American Girl Place in chicago with noni. we even ran into a friend there, she sat down right next to us at lunch! small world.
S finally decided on Molly. she loved her long hair and glasses.
D was very excited to do some shopping for Josefina. she even got her hair done.

(thank god for gift cards!!)
L loved going back for her second time. Chrissa was happy to see some old friends and get some new clothes. since she was the doll of the year for 2009, we couldn't get any of her signature clothes, but she wasn't too depressed with her new purchases. noni and i were on the lookout for a clearance section but the employees just stared at us in disbelief.
they were pretty pooped after a long day. they actually slept on the way there and some of the way back.
4. playing left right center. D won this game. she added the winnings to her american girl fund.
5. staying with the timkos and learning new video games, throwing snow at eachother and having a new appreciation for grilled cheese and hot soup (when taking a break from the snow).
6. silly adult time after the kids finally passed out.

7. late night trips to marsh to get my new fav ice cream. (thanks for the new addiction ingrid) the problem is they only sell it in the midwest. if you are ever in the midwest you have to try this.
8. grammy's breakfasts
9. forgetting that things actually freeze if you leave them in the car overnight.
10. getting to visit with our favorite priest... Fr. Phil. he told the kids to "do all the right things" i think they love him beacuse he gives them lots of candy. i love him because he lets me look at all of his thousands of pictures.
11. getting the kids all bundled up.
12. having hot cocoa at grammy's
13. making snow people.
we had such a great time with everyone. and it was fun to be in the cold snowy weather, but i have to say it was pretty nice coming home to 75 degree sunny weather and spending all day in the backyard. (i'll be biting my tongue in a few months when it is blazing hot)