A Valentine's Day of Love

With all the craziness with my health. I did not prepare for Valentine's Day like I normally would have but the kids picked up the slack and made home made cards for each other and Babe and I. They were SOOOOOOO excited for the time that the card exchange would take place! We had the card exchange at dinner and it was absolutely heart warming to watch them show each other the cards they had made for each other. Carson enjoyed his cards! They thought about what that person would like and made it. Gabriel had been cutting off flowers from his handwriting pages for awhile now and asking me which flowers I liked best then he would cut and save my favorites. Those flowers ended up adorning my beautiful Valentine card. I did get some candy for the kids that was fun and silly and they really enjoyed that. Babe's Valentine to us all was home made chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting! Mmmm, Mmm good! Ross and Babe spent time making cupcakes during the evening and I got to hang out and cuddle with Annalina and Gabriel and watch some TV until fairly late at night. Gabriel and Annalina both commented how it was the best Valentine's Day. It really was special with almost all of it handmade and time spent with each other. Annalina didn't want me to let the day end. I am so thankful for my kids and for my hubby. Babe and I, with everything going on lately, didn't get anything for each other and we both agreed it didn't matter we had each other. I thought it was a SUPER Valentine's Day with my Valentines.

Gabriel's Medieval Picture

Gabriel colored this picture for an Uncle that recently had surgery. He spent A LOT of time on it and he was so happy with the result. He wanted me to post it on my blog and I think that was a GREAT idea. It is a super picture!

Bit and Pieces of My Week that Make Me Smile

*I heard Annalina and Ross having some sort of spat and then I hear Ross's feet speeding towards me. I knew he was coming to tell on Annalina for something but then the feet stopped and I heard the 2 of them talking and Annalina was apologizing. Then I hear Ross say "That's not when your supposed to say that it is when it happens. That is how I do it!" That was so funny to hear . . . so he was telling Annalina don't come apologize when I go to tell Mommy that is how I do it! TO FUNNY!

*I am thoroughly enjoying Ross's new found ability to read! It will be fun to watch him get better and better! He can read a simple sentence now! He also is enjoying that he is getting paid for books like Gabriel and Annalina!

*Annalina wanting me to sing with her as she practices on the piano the song "Sweet Hour of Prayer." She thinks she plays better when I sing with her. So sweet.

*Carson really dislikes going to take a nap when everyone else is so busy. The kids now get in his crib when they know I am bringing him to bed and hide under his blankets. He knows the trick now and if it is bumpy when I lay him down he knows his siblings are in there with him and he smiles and enjoys the kisses he gets smothered with. He is more settled with this softening into nap time. Gabriel thought of this first and Annalina and Ross have enjoyed jumping in on the fun!

*A hubby that is so sweet and so in love with me and so funny. I won't give examples of everything ;-) but for the funny . . . today my phone rang and it has a weird ring tone and he started doing some weird sort of dance/prance/jump? whatever it was. For those of you who know Brian that is a hysterical sight! He makes me to smile.

"Off with her head!"

I have been meaning to blog this for a very long time, in fact, since July! My brother and his wife came to visit with us. While they were here me, my sister-in-law, Gabriel, and Annalina went to a play production of Alice in Wonderland at the Forest Theater in Carmel. Annalina was REALLY, REALLY into the story and when the Queen of Hearts said off with her head (speaking of Alice) Annalina was SO UPSET she YELLED LOUD "Off with HER head!!!" Well, Annalina was MORTIFIED when she discovered she had let that slip and that the audience was now laughing and looking at her!! She really did not do it to be disruptive because she was horrified at the whole thing! I was in tears I was laughing so hard. That is my Annalina "the defender".

Weekend Trip to Colorado

A few weekends ago Babe and I and Carson flew to Colorado for a house hunting trip which is a whole other story but while we were there we got to meet up with my brother Quentin and his wife Theo and their 2 foster kids. This was the highlight of our trip. We fell in love with the 2 little boys at first sight. Carson enjoyed the older of the 2 boys. This week those 2 little ones were taken back to their family and we all morn their absence but especially my brother and his wife who showered those boys with love and vice versa.

When Gabriel was doing his Bible reading one night he came across the verse Psalm 126 about "Those that sow in tears with reap in joy" he thought of his aunt and uncle and now feels sure that God has something great for them soon. I love how he grabbed onto that for them and even prayed that verse the day we got on the floor to pray for the transfer of the boys as it was about to take place. I am so excited to see what God has for them. They are an amazing couple that loves and serves the Lord with all their heart. They bonded with those boys and did an amazing job with them in the weeks they had them. I wish I could post pictures of the boys but I can't do that but I thought I would post some of Carson happy to be with his aunt and uncle!

Cairo's Riots aren't anything compared to . . .

When I saw this picture I got a funny caption in my head for it in lu of what is going on in Cairo, Egypt right now.

"Cairo, Egypt is nothing compared to the riots here at our house!" Ross and Carson are having a grand time!

Teddy's Button

In my opinion this is one of the best Christian children's books written!!! Absolutely amazing . . . convicting, funny, etc. The kids and I LOVED this book!!! Probably will read it again out loud. It really is good for so many ages. The little boy Teddy's father died in war and he is so proud of his daddy but his love for all things military takes a different twist than his countries army. He learns about the army of a Heavenly Father. As the book relays his prayer to his Heavenly Father to enlist in his army I was fighting back tears! A MUST READ!