The things I LOVE

Week 6: February 9-15                                                                                                          

I love this sassy girl, red shoes and new dress.

I love the SEVEN months that Jane has been a part of our family. I love this baby girl.

She has been sleeping a little better since increasing baby food consumption. She is waking up about twice a night so still lots of room for progress. This week she started making sounds: mama, dada and baba. The kids LOVE this. They think its such a great trick! A few days ago she added blowing bubbles to her list of talents. My favorite is her new grin where she bites down hard on her gums, making a straight line with her lips. Its too funny. She will not hold her own bottle. Its quite ridulcious. She refuses. I have started holding her hands on the bottle while I feed her so she will {hopefully} get the point. She loves books and toys. Unlike my other kids she does not put anything in her mouth, just her fingers. She is curious and content.

I love having ward conference in my own ward. So many great people that I love. I had a total of 4 meetings that day. It was a little much because they all felt like a waste of time! I came home very frustrated. When I was talking with Kurt I finally had to stop because I was sick of hearing myself. Sounded like too much complaining.

I love how these two interact during Girl Scouts.

Ok honestly it would be easier if they didn't come but it all works out somehow. Lucy is perfecting multitasking by watching a show on the Kindle and feeding Jane at the same time.

I love beautiful sun-shining winter days. I love when the boys go directly to play when we get home from school/activities instead of in the house. I personally would have liked more clothes for the snow ball throwing, angel making they were doing but they didn't complain.

I love when people are happy and non-complaining about trying new food I make.

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers. A complete vegetarian meal and the vegetarian turned up his nose.

I love hand-made Valentine's. In preparation for the parties on Wednesday we completed all notes that night. Ruth and Spencer were candy free {wahoo!}

Ruth: "Sip, Sip Horray its Valentine's day" {with heart straw attached.}
Spencer: "Valentine, you BLOW me away." {balloon attached - his idea!}
Emma: personalized hand drawn Valentine with candy
Austin: create different valentines in Microsoft Word with "Mindstorm" pics his googled and 2 pieces of gum attached {all him!}

After the kids were in bed I made 3 batches of marshmallow caramel popcorn for all the teachers and staff at school.

I love the excitement for holidays. Ruth was very excited for her class party the next day and wanted me to put in soft curlers after her  bath. Her hair is getting longer and so she is having fun with the possibilities that comes from longer hair.

Even though Lucy's hair is already curly she wanted to be just like Ruth. So for 2 minutes she had 2 curlers on the top of her head. {{I can never get her to hold still long enough to get a picture!}} When Lucy saw Ruth's finished head of curlers she exclaimed, "Ohhhh you look like a gorgeous queen."

I love dressing up the four beautiful daughters I was blessed with.

 She was channeling her inner poodle with the tight curls. But she felt so oh fancy so it was perfection. Love the plaid skirt, tights, leg warmers, and boots. Only a kinder could pull off such amazing fashion.

This one could NOT be left out! Nancy invited Lucy to join her preschool party so she did have somewhere to go.  She put together "My Little Pony" Valentines and felt SO special to go her own party and pass out her own Valentines. What made it even better is that Kenzie and Tyler were there too. Lucy told me on the way over, "Kenzie is my favorite." 

I love volunteering at the school. They asked me to help pop popcorn for the class parties that afternoon. We started that morning after we dropped the kids off at school. Because it was late start Wednesday it took all the time right up until lunch to get it finished. Angelica was also helping so that was super fun to visit.

 Baby Tien is getting big! 

Jane played like this for hours while we popped all the popcorn. 

Best package you could ever receive!

Since we finished right at lunch time we HAD to stay and eat with our kids. That is always a fun treat.

I love being a stay-at-home mom so I don't have to miss the little and/or big things. I'm glad my kids, my family, is my focus. So many days I feel like there are so many things that I should be doing that I'm not - I cannot imagine how working mom juggle it all. I am grateful that for right now the circumstances of our life allow me to stay at home {or on the road} with my favorite little friends.

 Right after lunch I went and picked up Lucy. She was so excited to join Ruth and her class.

 Learning that balance of giving Austin his space in fifth grade. 

 I love the bags the kids created to put their Valentine's in. Spencer especially put a lot of detail into his Wild Kratt bag.

I love time off school! 6 days off of school. Sweet! Budget Nazi Rachel canceled our family trip. Say what?! You know how much I like to go. So ya, this is a big deal. I'm serious here. So basically it made me depressed. I feel like I'm in budget detox. I KNOW its good and necessary and an important means to an important end but. Phew. Just hoping I can survive until I reach that point. Finally Friday night Kurt and I were able to analyze our spreadsheet and get on the same page and that really helped my stress levels.

I love YES day! I told the kids that Thursday was YES day. The rules were simple.
I had to say YES to whatever they asked as long as:
1.) no one got hurt
2.) it didn't cost $
3.) we didn't have to get in the car

Unfortunately they were not very creative. They just wanted to watch endless movies, and play continuous Kindle and computer games. Luckily I still had the ability to redirect them to other creative activities. But they watched/played way more than normal so it felt like a big treat (which it was.) My favorite was Ruth coming up to me many times during the day, "Can I have a piece of candy?" "YES!" (Grinning)"You have to say Yes! It's YES day!" All Valentine candy was consumed by lunchtime.

YES we can have caramel popcorn for breakfast!

Yes we can jump on mom's bed!

Yes we can plan Apples to Apples turn over!

Yes we can get out every LEGO we own to create a LEGO city!

Yes we can watch Sponge Bob! {had to bite my tongue on that one! First and last time, at least until the next YES day that is! ;)}

I love my Valentines.

In preparation for our RED dinner Emma Lynn went a little crazy with the red lip stick and then wanted to share with her sisters. So thoughtful!

When Kurt got home we had a nice dinner followed by our tradition Valentine scavenger hunt. I added a new element this year: in order to get their next clue they had to perform a task {game.}  First was Musical Hearts {Valentine version of musical chairs. They walked on large over-sized conversation hearts Emma Lynn made for me out of paper.}  The second game was Valentine "Head Bandz."

Third game Tic Tac Toe

Fourth game was Valentine Minute to Win It! 

Move the cookie from your forehead to your mouth without using your hands. 

Austin and I were the only ones who could do it. 

Conversation Heart stack {timed} And also threading Fruit Loops on a string one handed. 

It was a fun night and a great addition to our scavenger hunt that I think will become a permanent tradition. Ruth was started to run a fever by the end of the night. No complaints other that her head/body hurt and fever. By early morning Lucy was also fevering. We spent lots of time cuddling sick girls Saturday. Kurt went to the adult session of Stake Conference by himself since they were still feeling poorly. 

I love those precious everyday moments. Like Jane feeling so big now that she sits in the booster seat at the table. 

I love Jane grabbing the spoon of applesauce and flinging it on her forehead.

I love Jane reaching and stretching out of the bumbo to get grapes, holding them in triumph only to drop it moments later and the process starts again. Never even once did she try to put it in her mouth.

 I love finding selfies on my phone.

I love hearing my kids play the piano {and/or keyboard} for the love of playing.

 I love that my boys are not too big to be loosing teeth. {Both on Wednesday night.}

 I love recording Romans Reflections:

---Romans Reflections---

- "let's fight this fog away." Lucy and I were both sick of driving in constant fog.
- Ruth suggested that we do an emergency plan for FHE which we hadn't done in our new house. I was drawing the map of our house and where we would gather if there was a fire and Ruth said, "Just draw some dump."
- I looked over at Ruth during sacrament meeting to see her writing "Sins" over and over on her paper. Too me by surprise but glad she was listening and it was her first non family name that she sounded out. hahaha
- Jane discovered faces and wanting to touch mouths and  noses
- Ruth told me at bedtime that her "bunny saves the day its like a wonder pet!"