Father's Day Weekend

I was so happy that my mom and dad could be in town for Father's Day weekend!  I always love to be able to spend time with my daddy on Father's Day!  The weekend fun began with Nana and Papa coming over on Saturday to hang out with my little part of the clan.  The older ones were with their dad, so the younger two had a blast playing with them.  We went to lunch and then played some serious "Sorry" while Faith snoozed the afternoon away!

Side note:I am seriously getting upset with myself for not taking more pictures lately!  I don't know why I haven't gotten my act together! Anyways....

Papa and Nana have to spread the love, so they left to visit at Nick and Stacey's while I prepared for everyone to come over later.  We were going to be celebrating Father's Day and Mom's birthday that was the past week, and I guess we were also celebrating the new baby coming in February 2013 to Andrea and Josiah's house!  My little sister is preggers again!  WOO-HOO!!!!

Andrea and Josiah and the girls were driving back from Colorado all day and arrived just in time for the girls to finish up Nana's birthday gift (which was pretty much for Nana and Papa), 5x7 mats for the 4x6 pictures of the kids I took awhile back.  Since Mom already had frames for each of the kids, we had each of them paint in watercolor their own mats, so each one is special and individual, just like them!

For dad I used the pictures we took of the kids and did something kind of like the album cover I did for my mom except we changed the words and enlarged it.  I love how it turned out, and I found the most gorgeous frame to put it in (on sale!!!).

Dinner of spaghetti and meatballs (Dad's request), seriously you would think our family is Italian based on our diet, but no, apparently not.  We just love the food!  Then, for desert, this recipe I found on BabyGizmoBlog they consist of a layer of butter pretzels, a layer of peanut butter cookie dough, a layer of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (MY FAVE!), and then a layer of brownie batter, all baked into this amazing, yummy goodness that is now Rob's new favorite desert (YAY ME!).

It was a really great evening, Mom and Dad stayed late playing with my babies, which they loved!    While we were visiting I had Pandora playing and my dad asked if I had a Beach Boys station, as soon as I changed stations, my kids couldn't help but move, dancin like they can't stop, you would think that they had heard it in the womb.  I spent a great amount of my childhood listening to groups like The Beach Boys, I remember family vacations singing at the top of our lungs to all the great hits.

That era of music is so familiar to me, almost as familiar as the sound of Dad's voice.  When I hear that music, instead of the Wilson brothers, Johnny Nash or B.J. Thomas, in my mind I can only hear his voice singing those familiar lyrics, I love that.  That night the kids went to bed without a peep, exhausted from such a great day.

The next day (Father's Day) the kids got to give Rob their cards and gift.  We got him Ice Age 3-D, for us to all watch together on the 3-D feature of the TV that we had not used yet, and then Avatar for he and I to watch after bedtime.  He was very pleased.

After church Andrea, Josiah, Mom, Dad, Rob and I, with our kids went to Johnny Carinos (Italian again, I know, right?), which could be one of the better kept secrets (or forgotten) in Topeka apparently, there was no wait for 8 of us, on Father's Day, and the food was great.

What always strikes me is the choice of food that Faith makes when we eat out.  When given the choice at a restaurant, she chooses salad and bread, almost always.  It is so funny to see a 3 1/2 year old enjoying salad and bread so much.  And not just plain bread, please pass the oil and vinegar with roasted garlic, she'd like to dip her bread too!  Oh, and she'd like to have the virgin strawberry daiquiri that Papa had too, but settled for Papa sharing some whipped cream from his on her Italian soda.

Zach, who is always entertained by Uncle Josiah, was pleased as he could be to get to sit next to him and then proceeded to win at Tic-Tac-Toe, 4 out of 5 times, Josiah learned what a methodical thinker that almost six year old little man is.  Andrea even tried to stump him and failed!  Did I mention that said little man also beat us all in Sorry, two games in a row, call it luck if you want, but he will explain to you every move he makes, he's very clever.  I would love to take credit, but Rob taught him.

I am always so impressed with Rob's ability to teach our kids.  He is so good at explaining things in a way that they really understand.  I overheard him just tonight teaching Zach how to make tacos, I never would have explained how and why we brown meat the way we do.  I can tell how much Zach thinks like him, I have caught him explaining things to Faith the same way, she is more like me and has more of a "I'll figure it out" attitude and ignores him.

I really feel so blessed to have married a man that is such a great father and that loves them so much.  

After lunch...family nap time, well, at least for the Ball fam!  Followed by movie night.  It was really nice to end the day snuggling with these three.