hot stuff...

Yesterday was Ben's birthday!  With his big day falling on a Tuesday, we decided to stick close to home and invite those who live within a few miles - my side of the family.  Poor Ben was stuck celebrating with his crazy in-laws.  :)

I think he managed to have a good time.  You be the judge.

We headed to Mizu Japanese Steakhouse in Covington.  Ben absolutely loves this place...and I don't mind going because they serve sushi.  :)

Apparently, Ben isn't the only one who enjoys this restaurant.  The youngest Weber was rather impressed...his eyes glued to our chef for much of dinner.

Now I realize this shot isn't the most clear, but I love how I captured Gavin's reaction to the huge flame!

Jordan and Jamie joined us for the fun...I absolutely love these two!  We haven't seen much of them lately.  Hopefully, if Ben's work schedule continues to SLOWLY improve, we'll be able to carve out more time for family (both near and far).  It's been tough lately, but I'm praying!

Dad made the trek alone - mom's been super sick the last few days.  We had to make due by talking to her on the way home.  At that point, we filled her in on all of the details.  Although we missed her - it's not the same without her - we all had a bit more time with Gavin since she wasn't around to steal him.  :)

The Weber clan came all the way from Maple Valley - I think the drive was 2 or 3 miles at most.  (Look at all of those baby teeth!)

Obviously, it was Ben's birthday.  However, I couldn't help myself with the little guy around...hence the abundance of photos featuring Gavin. 

Look at those eyes!  Having been to this type of restaurant several times over, it seemed more fun to watch Gavin's reaction to the chef.  We had all seen this "show" before, but the little man found it all new and entertaining.

Remember this post where I talked about Ben's love for Sam (the cat)?  Well, apparently both of the cats - Sam & Jersey - have nothing but love for Ben.  They sent their own gift to him on his birthday.  Check out their wrapping skills...paw prints and all.

Look at Sam & Jersey's gift to Ben - a dryer sheet, a few kitty toys, a black cat cut-out, a wine cork, and some wadded-up cash.  (My mom is quite possibly the most creative person this world has ever seen.)

Happy birthday to the smartest, silliest, strongest, sexiest (you saw that one coming), strangest, sweetest man I know!  I hope you enjoy this image of him using one of his new birthday presents.  :)

worth bragging about...

Ben's entire family seems to be musically talented (understatement).  Mine, not so much...there are a few in the bunch, but we certainly don't/can't sing Happy Birthday with all sorts of harmony.  With the Simmons, I just lip the words for occasions such as a simple round of Happy Birthday...and I sit back and enjoy the blending of voices.  Seriously!

So, with that said, I think you will all be blessed by the song found over on Emily's blog.  Not only can she sing, but she can write too - a great blog post and a song for Jesus!  

The best part of it all?  She does it for the Lord!  You won't be disappointed, I promise.  :)  

Enjoy!

Thank you for sharing your gifts with the rest of us, Emily.

when i should be grading papers...

...i spend time finding projects around the house to keep me busy instead.

It's no secret, we have a small kitchen.

There's not much counter space and it quickly fills up.  So, I've been wanting to take our spice rack that only holds 16 spices and takes up a bit of counter space and morph it...into something a bit more practical.

It was my hope that this new solution would also free up some much-needed counter space.

All it took was a few containers (ordered online from a bulk company for super cheap), some magnets from Joann's (the weekly coupons helped), my circle punch, some simple word art, and the amazing Cricut.  Ta-da!  :)

happy valentine's day...

Here's a peak at some of the miniature treats I gave out today.

 

This is what they look like on their own.  However, I felt they should be grouped before handing them out.

This one was for Bobby, Kelli & Gavin.  The adults had red hot candies inside their boxes while the little man received some Gerber Puffs.

I saw this idea a while ago and decided that I would have to try creating my own.

I had a lot of fun...even if I waited until yesterday (Ben was working) to put the idea into action. 

Happy Valentine's Day!  ♥

happy birthday ky-lay...

Here is a quick post with some pictures from our adventure tonight at Sky High Sports.  It was so much fun - and an incredible workout!  (Please note that the following photos were quickly thrown together to create this post.  The lighting inside the facility is horrible, but you'll still get the idea.  Just don't judge my ability to capture this event on camera.)

Oh, and with so many pictures, I had to make up a bunch of collages.  Enjoy!

(Please take note of the small children fleeing from Kyle)

Kyle's girlfriend, Shelly, is hilarious!  Check out her facial expressions.  I loved watching her jump tonight...she knows how to have fun!  :)

Michaela's just amazing.  Check out her sweet moves!

My husband was in his element.  He loves this type of stuff...and he's rather good at it too!

Please pay close attention to the picture of Kyle - the one where he's pointing over his shoulder.  While we were waiting in the lobby to check-in, a random guy (in the blue shirt, same picture) came up to Kyle and said that he saw his birthday event posted on FB.  The stranger said that he was at Sky High for another event, but it still creeped us out a bit...espeically when left his group and joined ours.