Aloha Mini 1

To celebrate that the boys are halfway through their last semester we hosted a luau party for Sunday dinner. We made our favorite Mochiko chicken recipe from Tin Roof a restaurant in Maui. Tanner and Amanda had been in Ohio where there is a giant warehouse space filled with goodies from around the world called Jungle Jims and they were able to pickup several cans of authentic Hawaiian Passion Orange Guava juice (aka POG). Zach and Jenna brought some tropical fruit and Taylor and Keile were in charge of dessert and made a pineapple coconut not upside down cake but it was still very good. I had seen a cool banana leaf backdrop on Pinterest so I decided to try to recreate it. So crafting is the first item of business I've filled my free time up with. However as we learned at my NYE party I make these backdrops and then forget to take pictures in front of them. The same thing happened with the CMU Crew. Everyone loved the backdrop but also forgot to take pictures in front of it. So the one of me and Jaden was taken using a self timer and stacking multiple chairs, stools and books on top of each other to get the shot. 

I can hardly believe that the boys graduate in a couple of short months!

Peaches

• Emie and Jaden made HUGE strides this week she loved playing with the random toys I have in our game bin and didn't even bat an eye when Jaden set her on his lap. It's a delayed Christmas miracle. Look she is even smiling!

• We did a pizza crawl with Zach and Jenna where each couple went to one of the two "rival pizza joints" in downtown Squirrel Hill (the neighborhood we live in) then we brought both boxes of pizza home and taste tested them. To be 100% honest neither one was particularly awe-inspiring but we think that the one we went to Aiello's was better. Mineo's had wayyy too much cheese. 

• The lady we minister to told us about these delicious coffee cakes from Aldi. When we took her to get her groceries she picked us up a box, which was very kind of her. 

Pits

• Disappointed by both pizza places
• Our apartment is a little chilly these days, came out and saw Jaden bundled in a hoodie, beanie and two blankets 

• Forgot yet again to take pictures in front of the backdrop I made