Missed it by THAT much!

So, my favorite candy bar is the Peppermint Patty...

I love the dark chocolate, the refreshing mintyness, and that little announcement on the bag that declares it to have 70% less fat!  (less fat than what is not disclosed, but I like to think it's 70% less fat than broccoli)

Anyway...

I found a recipe on Pinterest for how to make your own patties and I thought I'd give it a try!

Something magical happens when you combine a can of sweetened condensed milk and several cups of powdered sugar...

It makes this crazy dough that is sort of solid, and sort of liquid...

And you can mold it into all kinds of shapes!  (not circles, clearly, but then this was my first time!)

After refrigerating the...centers?...filling?...the middle stuff...

it's time to coat them in chocolate!

Behold the perfection that Hersey has achieved...

Behold!  The mess that I made!

It was difficult to keep the centers together while dipping, nearly impossible to coat the candy evenly, and while I dearly wanted to call this a pinterest fail, honesty forces me to admit that my lack of chocolate dipping skills were at fault!

Ugly though they may be...

They do taste pretty darn close to the real deal!

Bye Mom...I'm Off to College Now!!!

Noah graduated from preschool today...

 It's a cliche...

But he's growing up so fast!

Gigi sensed it was a special occasion and made sure to dress up!

And even Papa was able to join us for the ceremony!

The kids were dropped off at school one last time so they could walk to the park all together, and it was such a thrill to watch them head our way!

What a special group of sweet little friends!

Gigi finds the group irresistible and would have gone to school with Noah if she was allowed!

One of the high lights of the little ceremony was watching the kids sing "this little light of mine"...

Love this little light!

Every mom was presented with a thank you flower...

And then the diplomas were distributed...

And I was treated to a glimpse of the future...

We tried to get one more group shot, but two of the kiddos were missing...

Question...How do you keep a group of 4 and 5 years olds entertained while you wait for others to join the photo opp?...

You have them make their saddest faces...

And their silliest faces...

And their most surprised faces (which also happened to be interchangeable with silliest faces)

And finally you just give up the attempt at perfection and call for a group hug!

It's been an amazing two years, can't wait for kindergarten!

I am a Mother...

Once upon a time, Josh and I met and got married...

 and 4 years later we had a beautiful baby boy!

 Hello, Noah!

 And just like that, without any interviews or applications, I was hired for the best job in the world...

 My title?...

 Mother...

 The hours?...

 24/7!

The pay?...

 Priceless!

 Gianna came along 3 years after Noah to complete our little quartet..

 Noah's sentiment upon receiving a baby sister was...

"Dis is a Famiwee" and...

"She's so cuuute!" 

 I am a mother, the finder of lost toys...The washer of all clothes...the maker of all meals...the kisser of all boo boos...and...

 The luckiest person in the whole world!

And incidentally...

I learned from the very best!

Happy Mother's Day!

Italy...Part Tre!

Ah Roma...
Unfortunate timing on our part put us in Rome over a holiday weekend, and that meant people...

Lots and lots of people...

Happily, a well timed spring shower is enough to almost completely clear the Spanish steps, at least for a moment!

And if you have a nice zoom lens, you can take a pretty decent picture of the Trevi fountains, despite the tour groups and crowds...

And, if you're really brave, and dad is willing, you can fight your way down to the lowest level and actually toss your coin in!

We reached the Pantheon just in time for the rain to really make an appearance...

Which turned out to be pretty cool since it has a hole in the ceiling...

And rain on the church floor can be a very handy distraction!

The rain only lasted for a short time, and it cleared up enough to allow us to walk back to the hotel in comfortable awe of the city...

Day two in Rome meant visiting the Colosseum, and there truly are no words to describe what it does to me to watch this incredible structure rise up over the horizon...

And it's stunning historical splendor any direction you look!

It truly takes my breath away...

But, that's just me :)

And to the cranky man in line ahead of us who decided it would be a good idea to not only cut in front of us in line, but also to then yell at a  4 year old who accidentally brushed against him?  Guess what?  If you buy an audio guide you get to by pass the line all together!

Noah was fascinated by the structure...

After the Colosseum, we had a picnic in the circus maximus...

I didn't say it was a well balanced lunch...

But the views of Palantine Hill were pretty spectacular!

And after lunch it was time to visit the Forum...

This is the area where I noticed the most changes, when first we visited it seemed sort of neglected, but this time you could see where things had been puzzled together...

For example, on our first trip, I took a picture of this exact block lying half hazardly in a grassy field...but this visit, they had grouped several similar blocks together and had a notice of how they intended to put them back together...

And I just love the contrast of the bright red poppies against the white and grey marble...

And what's this?  Not Gilatto?! Sacrilege!

Day 3 found us journeying back to the Colosseum, Noah just couldn't get enough...

And really, who could blame him...

And since the crowds had thinned out a bit on Monday, we took a leisurely trip back through...

And Gigi seemed to enjoy it!

 I mean how many places allow you to use history as your own personal playground?!

We had dinner with a view...

And then Noah demonstrated his yoga moves in the piazza...

And then we walked back by way of the Colosseum...

Ciao Roma!

Hello Colorado?