Love Day

I was excited for Valentine's Day this year. I have been very contemplative as of late, trying to figure out how to make sure that the relationship I have with my family is a more loving one. I admit that having my dad pass away has made me afraid that my kids will only have bad memories of me, so I aim to cover my bases a bit better than I have been. I want to be remembered as the mom who loves, not the mom who snaps and yells and worries only about hygiene (not that good hygiene isn't important, kids).

As I was making the littler kids breakfast this morning before school I told them that we would open their little Valentine's gifts at dinner time. Bud was so cute and said, "What? You don't have to do that. I don't need a gift, I only need THIS!" As he said it he ran over to me and gave me a giant squeeze around the waist. Such a sweet moment. Then Big piped up with, "Well, I need a gift. I love presents." Love the honesty from both boys.

I sent a little Valentine's love to school with the kids today. It was totally unexpected to have Bud tell me that he was embarrassed by it. Wha? Not that I'm going to stop, or anything.

Rophone and I got each of the kids a book for Valentine's Day. We believe in keeping it small, and you can't get anything better than a book. After I put Edith down for her nap today I decided that Rophone needed a book, too. So, I made him one. A few years ago my sister, Martha, gave me an awesome deck of cards that is artistically beautiful, but is completely mind-boggling to try to play with. So, I decided to put it to good use. Thanks to Pinterest, this is what I came up with. 

I really do love Rophone. A lot.

We had fun tonight with the kids, and Rophone took us all out to frozen yogurt for a special treat. Pen was pretty sad when hers was gone, but luckily Ginger was willing to share. What a good sister. 

I am really happy with the way this Valentine's Day turned out. I think we all felt loved and that's what it's all about, right?

Gummer

Bud lost his fourth top tooth last night while he was at climbing club. He couldn't find it and was worried that maybe he swallowed it. Chances are, it probably just fell to its demise. None of the 4 teeth have started to grow in, leaving Bud with a very gummy smile that I absolutely love. He is anxious for them to start growing back in and I tell him that I'm sure it will happen soon. As soon as his mother stops praying that he'll keep his cute gummy smile for a while yet.

Cute, see?

Bud was concerned that the Tooth Fairy might not come since he had no tooth to put under his pillow. He wrote an excuse note that worked like a charm.

It reads: "Dear Tooth Fairy, I'm sorry there's no tooth under my pillow. I lost my tooth and couldn't find it. Love, _____" Sincere apologies always make things better. 

Congrats on another lost tooth, Bud! We love you!

Family

Last week ended up being a really great one. Ginger, the poor girl, was home from school the whole week with a nasty cold (which I am now trying to ignore that I have), and the boys missed school on Friday with it, but some really great things happened. I got to spend a bunch of time with my family.

My nephew went into the MTC for his mission last Wednesday, so we got together with him, my brother, Art and her family, and my mom for dinner on Tuesday night. It was fun to be together, and Art spent the night so we were able to play some games. It was so much fun that I took a picture of my sister's hand and my brother's elbow. You can tell what a good time we were having.

My brother and my mom came over to my house on Wednesday night after dinner so we could play more games again. It was fun to be able to spend time together two nights in a row, and I realized that I don't get much opportunity to spend time with my siblings in smaller groups. It's nice. Although, I will admit that I was a little creeped out by the fact that my brother was dressed entirely in my dad's clothing and he and my mom were carrying and sipping from matching water bottles. But, I guess when you leave your whole suitcase at home you do what you can. 

After my brother left, my sister, Opera, came into town for a few days. You probably can't guess what we did. 

The game playing lasted pretty much all day, with a few breaks for food and some good talks. 

It was pretty much Bud's dream day, I think. This is the face of a kid that got to play Skip-Bo and six (yes, 6!) games of Clue. Plus, he just loves spending time with his aunts. (I do, too, Bud)

And I love the fact that getting together multiple times in one week caused Edith to really begin to get into playing with her twin boybie cousins. I can't wait to see how their friendships develop. 

Ever since my dad died I have really begun to savor the time I get to spend with my family. I want to make the most of each visit, taking time to strengthen our relationships and discover who we have become in our adult lives. I think so often we get stuck in viewing our family members how they were when we all lived under one roof, before spouses, kids, and experiences molded and shaped us into who we are today. Each of us are even different than we were a few years ago. 

I am trying to find what it is about my siblings and mother that I really love and appreciate, hoping that it will be an example to my kids to try to do the same. I love my family and I love being with them. I really do. 

Ooooh! I'm so excited for our sisters/sisters-in-law/mother getaway in a few weeks! I can hardly contain myself!

Twelve Years with Ginger

Ginger turned twelve today! What's up with that? It seems like just the other day that Rophone and I were marveling over the fact that Pen was twelve. I'm sure I'll get used to all of this kids-getting-older-at-the-speed-of-light thing right about when they leave the house. 

I am so happy to have Ginger as my daughter. She is turning out to be such a superb human being. I love how helpful she is, what a good big sister she is, and how she can take advice and apply it to do things better the next time. She is super fun to talk to and I can't wait to see what this year brings for her. 

Tonight we had my sister, Art, and her family and also my mom come over for a little party. We opened gifts before dinner, and Ginger got a lot of clothes in her favorite sherbet-y neon colors. Super cute on her. She also got some Tom's. It took a few years to wear Rophone down (he thinks they look like prison shoes), but eventually he always gives in, the softy.

Art made Ginger this really neat three-legged trinket/jewelry dish. It is super cool.

There was some fun with bows taking place during the present opening, of course. There always is.

Ginger's requested dinner of fajitas was really nummy. The flavors are so, so good. After that we ate the wrecky-looking but good-tasting cake. It's not the first time I've made the cake that Ginger requested, but it's the first time I've messed it up. Guess that's what I get for trying to multi-task. I accidentally added too much cream to the chocolate peanut butter glaze for the top of the cake, and it was lumpy.

It started out looking pretty good...

...and ended up looking pretty bad.

At least Ginger thought it was delicious. It worked just fine for the blowing out the candles thing, too.

I had a blast celebrating Ginger's birthday and I hope she did, too. Happy Birthday, Ginger! We love you!

Friday Favorites

1. Last Saturday we went to watch Ginger play in both her basketball and futsal games. It was a lot of fun. I already posted about it in fact.

2. I went to the dentist on Monday morning. I love how clean my teeth feel afterward. Plus, no cavities! Awesome.

3. Edith and I read The Eye Book and then practiced winking. It was so much fun to do together. Edith is really good at it when she uses her finger. Hanging out with Edith is definitely a favorite.

4. I am still loving my mocha hot cocoa. Every morning. Ahhhh.

5. We got absolutely dumped on with snow this week. I loved it. It cleaned the air (I really, really hate the inversions around here) and gave me something to do outdoors. I feel so much better when I am able to do something active in the (clean) outside air. I enjoy shoveling snow, and we got enough that I had to shovel twice on both Tuesday and Wednesday. Big and Edith didn't seem to mind, either. We had a lot of fun.

6. Big was quizzing me on basketball stuff the other day, and I was pretty proud of myself for guessing his 2nd favorite basketball player on only my second try. Then we had this conversation:

Big: "You guessed my second favorite basketball player on your 2nd try!"

Me: "Yeah. I'm pretty amazing, aren't I?"

Big: "If you were really amazing you would have guessed it on your first try. I've told you this stuff a thousand times!"

Hilarious. As difficult as Big can be, my life sure would be boring without him. (Oh, and just so you know, he changes the order of his favorites all the time, so I really do rock.)

7. Edith is my favorite almost-two-year-old. She makes me laugh.

8. I am so glad Edith is starting to enjoy baths a little more. It makes it a lot more fun for both of us. 

9. It was so cute this morning to see Edith sitting at the art desk spinning Bud's globe, saying, "I'm looking for Turkey... I'm looking for Turkey... I'm looking for Turkey." The chair was low so she was only able to see the Southern Hemisphere. I had to laugh at her relief when I lifted her up higher to show her where Turkey was located. I think she was worried that all she could seem to find was Argentina and Australia.

10. We went as a family to the Museum of Art at the local university tonight. It was so much fun. The kids were all well behaved and kept their hands to themselves, even Edith. I love having respectful kids I can take out in public. It was great how interested and enthusiastic Edith was about all of the different art pieces. I was a little surprised when she announced that the Captain America holding the severed head (that I was worried would scare/scar her) was her favorite. Her reason for loving it? "It's gross!" So much for dainty.

11. Rophone bought me a cute little camera key chain at the museum gift shop. It flashes a little LED light when you press the button and makes a shutter noise. I really love it, although I need to remember not to look right at it when I press the button. I'm sure my vision will recover eventually. 

I'm actually thinking of discontinuing the Friday Favorites thing. I feel like maybe it keeps me from writing more detailed posts about the things we're doing and what I'm feeling, allowing me to just skim over things we've been up to with only a synopsis. On the other hand, I guess it keeps me posting. I don't know. What do you think (Yes, you. The few (very few) who actually read my blog)?