Brett Willis family

So, I signed up for a 10K race at Lovell Canyon in the Spring Mountains out here, thinking I should run a shorter distance due to the warmer weather we had been experiencing...Then, lo and behold, the days leading up to the race saw unusually cooler temperatures for Las Vegas, with lows in the 40's (which of course, equated to freezing temperatures in the mountains!) And that's exactly what we got the morning of: air so brisk and biting, your hands and feet felt like pins were poking into them, but it was all for the experience, right? As I was struggling to get comfortable, I pulled out the handwritten notes my kids had made for me the night before that were stuffed in my pocket (since they would not be present at the race.) And I eventually found the means to work my way to the front of the group, as pictured below. When we hit the 4-mile marker, it was just me and the young guy, and I figured it would stay that way to the end. Finally, with only 50 yards to go, and the two of us sprinting to the finish, he pulled out ahead and beat me by a few seconds. Kudos to that young kid--he deserved it!!

After placing 1st Woman overall, I did receive a nice potted plant that now sits next to last year's award. (that Jake happens to refer to as the real award and the lame one.)

Here are two of the notes they wrote to me:

Isn't Valentine's Day the best?! Not only do you get to eat all the chocolate you want, but you also get to express your love for your friends and family in all sorts of cheesy ways! So, for the fun of it, I googled several new Valentine's traditions and here are a couple we decided to implement this year. For an inevitably unhealthy yet delicious breakfast, we made chocolate griddle cakes with powdered sugar, strawberries, and Hersheys syrup on top (earlier this weekend Brett showed the boys how to make edible snowmen out of donuts and candy, as shown below). For a surprise when the kids got home, I did a heart attack in their bedrooms by sprinkling paper hearts and chocolate kisses all over their beds and floor. Then for an equally hearty dinner, we decorated the table with red ribbons, hearts, and red tableware with what else, but heart-shaped calzones and red punch to complete the meal!

Finally, as the boys' way of celebrating the day (and through Brett's insistence), they each delivered me two red roses made of Hershey's kisses, a basket full of Dove chocolates, and a homemade valentine that hangs proudly on our fridge. And I can't leave out Brett's special contribution to this lovefest: a double chocolate pudding pie made especially by him. How sweet is that?

(yes, I had to make their beds for this picture)

I just wanted to share some of Brett's culinary creations from this past weekend. Now that our church meetings have moved from morning to afternoon, Dad came up with a brilliant idea: Make Sundays a special breakfast day! So after searching online for some new recipe ideas, here's what he came across:

Snowman shish kabobs

...and Snowflake tortillas!

They were really good, so much so that 3-year-old Dean polished off 5 shish kabobs and 1 1/2 snowflakes all by himself :) Where does he get that kind of appetite? Oh yeah...

Here are some highlights from our holiday break which flew by in a matter of weeks! At Dad's suggestion, we all tried to construct our FIRST gingerbread house that ironically ended with Brett and I putting on all the finishing touches, as the boys quickly grew disenchanted with the whole idea! (after realizing you didn't actually eat the candy as you worked). Unsurprisingly, the finished product only lasted a few days in our house, due to the miniature munchers pictured below. Then, we visited Ethel M Chocolate Factory on Christmas Eve for a taste of their delicious pecan brittle and chocolate truffles after a stroll through the beautifully lit gardens. One of the boys boldly suggested that if we didn't get their famous hot chocolate next year, he would just stay home! And finally, after writing letters to Santa and baking hoilday treats for our neighbors, we awoke on Christmas morning to find the Man in the Big Red Suit had visited our house!! And he brought the boys...drumroll please...a new Wii game system with 5 new games included! They couldn't be happier--whew!