Valentines Day

Elijah and his "Love Bug" that mimi gave him

I hope everyone reading this had a wonderful Valentines Day! I love that we have a day set aside to remind us to tell those we love how we feel.

Ian and I decided to have a family Valentine celebration this year and it was so special. Sunday night we all dressed up for the occasion and sat down to a "fancy dinner". (The fact that I lit a candle in the middle of the table really impressed the boys.) We all sat at the big table with place mats and our own "flower on a plate".

I cooked steamed artichoke for everyone and the boys LOVED getting to see their own "flower" open up and eat the petals. We taught them how to eat the artichoke with their teeth and that got a kick out of that one too! For desert I made everyone caramel apples with flax seed granola on them. (Hey, I at least tried to get something healthy on those pure sugar apples!)

Ian and I had champagne and chocolate covered strawberries too. I considered fondue, but decided to pre-dip the fruit just in case the boys got a little to excited about the dipping part and the table got crazy. :)

Ian and I both agreed that it was a really special Valentine celebration having our boys be a part of our fancy dinner. Elijah and Joaquin knew it was a big deal and we could tell they felt very special getting to be a part of everything.

Let me also just say that to all our friends and family out there reading this, whether we tell you a lot or hardly at all, we love you all. Ian and I truly believe that each and every person in our lives is there for a reason and has a particular roll they are to play in our lives. We are so grateful for all that we learn, glean, and aspire to because of your presence in our day to day world.

Even more than that, now that we are parents our gratitude and joy is multiplied to see those we care about loving on our boys. That is the greatest gift you could ever give us, to invest in the hearts and lives of our children. Thank you for helping us raise them; when you love Ian and I you are building us up and helping us be better parents to our children. All that to say, we love you. Happy Valentine day! May you feel and experience love all around you today and forever...

Elijah going to town on his flax/caramel apple

Joaquin, happy with his caramel face

Joaquin eating his artichoke (AKA flower petals)

My Valentines

Snow Day

It was such a fun surprise to wake up to snow today! The weather report was forecasting snow but weather reports in Texas aren't always that accurate. We are known to have sudden changes in temperature, to say the least.

So, last night before the boys went to bed we prayed for snow and the boys were so excited to wake up to find their prayers answered! :) We attempted a snow man in the front yard, but the final product was a nub with a stick in it because the boys hands got too cold to stay out any longer. That is the problem about living in a city that very rarely sees snow...you have no snow clothes prepared to keep you warm! Everything just ended up cold and wet, so the boys all came by the fire. We made a big pallet on the floor and cuddled and had story time.

Here are a few videos of the morning.

The snowman attempt...

Happy Snow Feet...

Where we ended up...