Quality time with Daddy

Every second with daddy is especially precious these days with the deployment coming at us fast. After dinner tonight, Emma asked Brendan to read her new favorite book, "Whose Nose and Toes?" She is just so cute - she brings the book and points to her nose to ask us to read it to her. What a little smarty pants!

And this picture is from the other night. Brendan was showing the kids a website with Patriot Missiles. Liam thinks it's really cool. Emma was just enjoying the snuggle time.

Our 7th Anniversary & Valentine's Day

This past Monday Brendan and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary. Which seems just crazy to me! Time goes by so quickly.
With Valentine's day just two days before our anniversary, we decided to go out to celebrate both occasions on the day in the middle - the 15th. We had a really nice dinner at Ardivino's Desert Crossing and afterwards stopped by the casino. Unfortunately, it wasn't our lucky night, but fortunately, we didn't stay too long to see how bad it could get! We joked that we'll have to do it again in 2 years. Next year, Brendan will still be finishing up his year in the middle east.
Liam took a few pictures before we left.

Emma wanted in on the action, too. She is definitely a "daddy's girl!"

And here are my lovely Valentine's day roses from Brendan.

Snow!

We got snow flurries in El Paso yesterday! None of it stuck to the ground, but Emma had wide eyes and a big smile on her face as she experienced her first snow! It is hard to see in the pictures, but I promise, it is there. Poor Liam didn't even know it had snowed as he had been cooped in in his classroom learning how to read and speak Spanish all morning, among other things. Oh the injustices of being a kindergartner!

The sun will come out tomorrow!

Liam and I had our big date to Annie on Sunday evening. I love sharing my love of Broadway shows with him, but it is sometimes hard to find appropriate ones for kids in El Paso. We don't get too many that come through here. So I was really excited when I heard Annie was coming to The Plaza. Annie was one of my very first shows that I ever saw with my dad, at Ike Hall when I was a little girl. Liam already knows the ropes, having seen Peter Pan at The Plaza last year, as well as Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat at the UTEP dinner theatre. Admittedly, he wasn't sure if he really was going to enjoy Annie, but as soon as we got there, he was excited to see Daddy Warbucks and Sandy signing autographs and posing for pictures in the lobby. We met them and then went to sit down and Liam started raving about how great our seats were. (That's my boy! haha!) The show was top rate, it could have easily been on Broadway. Liam giggled the whole way through and at intermission told me how glad he was that we came. I think I am creating a monster. But that's ok, it's all my plan, haha! I told him about all the shows I've been to in NY and how I have figured out the secret to getting the best seats. (I'll never tell. ;)) He made me promise that next time we are in NY, I will take him to Broadway and get him the best seats. I better start saving my pennies for that! But I can't wait.

Dinosaurs at the Insights Museum

Brendan got home at 11:00 p.m. last night after two weeks in the field. And he got approximately 7 hours off before he had to head back in to work! Ugh. It's a working weekend as his unit is in recovery mode from their field exercise. So the kids and I decided to venture out of the house this afternoon and visit the Insights Museum. We haven't been there in ages and our very favorite exhibit is there (and apparently everyone else's in El Paso, too. It was a mad house!). DINOSAURS! The Insights Museum is a hands on science museum that that rotates its "main attraction" a few times per year. I think the last time the dinosaurs were here, Liam was only 2 or 3 and not the huge aficionado he is now, that's for sure! They're not fossils, but life size dinosaur replicas that move and roar and are generally just really cool!

Pararasaurolophus

Liam stading in awe of the T-Rex

Emma was impressed, too!

Here's the hands on part of the museum. Liam was trying to figure out a puzzle.

Cool electric thingy. (I should be a science teacher with descriptions like that, don't you think?) :)

As long as Emma has snacks, she is a happy camper!

Recap

We've had another slow week. Brendan has been in the field for over two weeks now. With any luck he will be home tonight. He did get to come home for about 4 hours on Sunday, but that time went really quickly. It was Superbowl Sunday and we barely caught a glimpse of the game, not that we really cared. (FYI, if you are looking for a good time to go out to eat without having to battle the crowds, go during the Superbowl! There was hardly anyone there.)

Liam has had a good week at school. On Tuesday, he celebrated the 100th day of school, which for kindergartners is apparently a very big deal. They did lots of fun activities that involved the number 100.

Emma has been learning new things everyday. She is loving her dance class and has just discovered Sesame Street and Barney - they are big hits! She also seems to be saying new words everyday. She's growing so fast. She is my little model, too. Unlike Liam, who sometimes goes into hiding when he sees me take my camera out, Emma runs over to me, starts saying "cheese!" and strikes some different poses. What a ham!