Datebox 1 year Review

We've been enjoying Datebox for a whole year now, and I can truly say it has enriched our marriage. It has given us unique experiences to share at home after the kids go to bed. We'd never be able to dream up all these unique and fun date night ideas on our own and we look forward to opening each box we receive! 

Our November Datebox was a coffee roasting party.  I'm not a huge fan of coffee but we still had a blast making it all, especially thrilled to see Ethiopia represented in this coffee flight!  

Roasting 

Grinding 

Seeping 

And they're ready to test! I didn't partake but they smelled amazing and we had other taste testers including our kiddos who are now obsessed with coffee! 

We didn't do our December box until January because December was totally crazy, but it just gave us the opportunity to have two wonderful dates in January. This box was so much fun as we added a little bit of Italian to our lives. 

We got to try our hand at making pasta for the very first time

And ate a delicious dinner of chicken alfredo while listening to italian music and learning romantic phrases in Italian :) 

And for January we had a cocktail/mocktail party complete with another great playlist. 

This included stuff to learn how to play cribbage of which we never even got around to because we were too busy chatting and just enjoying each others company.  One of the best parts of Datebox is how it always starts up interesting conversations that we would never even think to have without their prompts. 

All that to say we both feel like Datebox has added a lot to our lives in this first year. I love how excited even Peter gets when he sees we have a new box and we look so forward to setting aside that time together one night a month once the kids are in bed. We often get to try something new together and start up interesting conversations that bring us closer together. 

As always, if you'd like to give Datebox a try, by using our referral link you can also receive $10 off your first box.  

Foster Pups #23 and #24 - Bacon And Egg

We got another round of foster pups a couple weeks ago. The shelter came down with an illness that they wanted to avoid the puppies getting so they asked us to keep them for 2 weeks instead of the usual 1 week. Fortunately Bacon and Egg were good little houseguests and overall pretty easy to have around.  I think it helps that they were about 4 months and a bit older and less work than the young pups. 

In general they just wanted a warm lap to snuggle up against, which I was happy to provide when time allowed! 

He puts on a tough front about puppies, but he really does like them! 

Yeah, that's gross but I couldn't convince my 4 year old of it. 

Awe, Bacon was my sweet little boy! 

And they tolerated the kids wonderfully. I hope they find great homes! 

Phone Dump - New Year's Edition

Time to clear off the phone (again).  Some still leftover from 2016, some as we entered the new year! 

Family movie night to see Moana - great movie and we all have loved it and still sing the songs in the car! 

Woke up to this site one morning and wanted to sneak a quick picture before they saw me. Love moments like this! 

First Daddy/LB date night! 

school school and more school 

Fun Volcano project (we've made another one since then too) 

Snow day fun! 

A BIG milestone!  We are diaper free! 

Basketball season started for both boys! 

Mr Chill, so much like his father! 

Adorable baby girl at church! 

Nap time snuggles

My workout buddies 

They ransacked our room before passing out! 

and some more snow 

These two and their bond is something else

Sneaking Christmas cookies at Grandma's house while out looking at Christmas lights 

Fun painting class with my MIL. Never in my life painted so I thought it turned out pretty good. 

Swinging at speech class, and completed speech - yay! 

Baby girl wanting to go to grandmas house, maybe should put on a few more layers first. 

Christmas baking 

And off to get passports for this crazy bunch 

Yeah, that was fun.....

The grocery store on Dec 23rd. Pure INSANITY! 

Yummy Christmas Goodies! 

Peter's Christmas present to me was so much fun!  Over 4000 legos we put together after the kids went to bed! 

Oh and more snow days! 

Love them! 

And yay, more snow! 

Grandparents next door makes for fun in the snow 

And this urgent message in email, a letter in the mail, a text, and phone message. Maybe someday I will get to share more about this: 

Snow days make for sleepy kids

Oh and just like it worked out last year, the whole house falls sick while Peter is off on his busiest work days of the year.  Poor Eli always seems to get the worst of it but they were all down pretty sick for a couple weeks. 

First games! 

And more school fun - eek 

And poor dude just sicker and sicker 

But got some extra snuggles with him 

And AFTER he was better he showed me this little trick that he said his daddy taught him 

Our Wednesday night date night tag-a-long while siblings are at Awana. She loves it though. 

Wearing my snow boots while cleaning the kitchen, funny kid! 

Eli's first game! 

A fun day to the children's museum after Peter finished up his busy days at work. 

Love watching them sleep! 

My running buddy getting ready for his track debut! 

My new sign in my dining room, love it :) 

So when we bought our house, we walled in the old fireplace for the time being. Well, imagine our surprise this past weekend when we heard an animal scratching from inside that wall!!!  We think it was probably a squirrel. Peter went under the house to investigate and determined that there would in fact be a way out for this animal. We haven't heard it in a couple days so I am crossing my fingers that it found a way out! 

100th day of school! 

All the kids LOVE Taco Tuesday! 

And the date night tag-a-long strikes again!