Happy Heart Day!

This year for Valentine's Day, the primary decided to host another family dance. We had a couple of sickies at our house, but we braved through it and went so that we could be supportive.

As before, all the kids had a fun time playing and dancing, and Maisie even got into the spirit with her cousin Henry.

Finn, per his usual, went from one person to the next to dance with, being the social butterfly that he is.

Danyn was one of the sickies, but it's hard to hold her back; that kid just has a zest for life.

Rory started to burn out though, and spent the last half hour like this. Not surprisingly, she was sick a few days later.

On the actual day of Valentine's, we once again had our special family Valentine's Day dinner. We all enjoyed grilled salmon, mashed red potatoes, sauteed fresh green beans, and sparkling apple cider, with a strawberry parfait for dessert.

We went around the table and said what made us happy, and everyone seemed content and well-behaved. It was a lovely meal.

I know some people don't care for Valentine's Day in general, that they find it too commercialized, or generally cheesy. But I must say that I like turning Valentine's Day into a day where we can show appreciation to those closest to us, to look for ways to serve, or brighten, or enhance the lives of those who mean the most in our lives. Because that's what love is really all about.

Happy Heart Day to you.

Spring is a Time for Shearing

So... I've had my hair long for a really long time now. But I got a bit of an urge. It happens sometimes. So I went from this:

To this:

To this:

Yeah, that's a lot of hair. It's like an entire Wookie on the floor. I think I lost five pounds just in hair. The funny thing was, Teag didn't think I'd go through with it. We made a bet; he wrote his prediction on a post it and then sealed it in an envelope that we both signed. When I got home, I opened it and found this:

Ha ha, he should know me better than that :). It was kind of hard to say goodbye to my curls, they were kind of my identity. The good news is, I like it, and it's fairly versatile. I even tried it curly the other day, and it wasn't too shabby.

So there you go, an extra-special glimpse into me any my hair choices. Now you can all die happy.

Presents, and Parties, and Photos, Oh MY!

Danyn has now turned eight! She got to celebrate her birthday in high style, complete with an eighth birthday party. On the day of her actual birthday, we celebrated as a family. Dany got to open her presents from us, which included some of her favorite books.

And her very own iPod.

She was super disappointed, can't you tell? After that, we all ate her chosen dinner of pork ribs, sweet potatoes and broccoli. Fun fact about Danyn: she loves all meat that comes on a bone.

A few days later, we celebrated with her friends. She got to invite some people over, where we had a movie themed party, complete with a photo op on the red carpet.

The gossip rags went haywire when they saw these two celebs together.

Then we played a game where they had to "earn" their candy to eat during the upcoming movie.

I was really proud of Danyn here, because she kept rolling the dice, and was never getting a one or six, but she didn't get upset. When she finally did roll one though, well, her face tells the story.

Then we did presents, so that we could start to settle them down for the movie later.

Danyn was so excited, and tore through her presents so fast, I don't know that I could really even tell you much of what she got. A game, and some coloring stuff. Her friend Tressa made her a pillow. That's about all I know. This was followed by cake; another mint chocolate chip ice cream cake, because the first was such a hit.

Then it was movie time. Dany had picked the Lego movie, because she knew everyone liked it and because she knew that with boys at the party, she couldn't pick a "girly" movie. Smart thinking. We gave the kids their own popcorn boxes and soda mugs, and glow sticks just for fun, as well as their candy from the game earlier.

While they were watching, Teag ran to a photo place to print out the photos of the kids on the red carpet so they could take them home. It was a very noisy party, but everyone seemed to have a good time, and Danyn was thrilled with it, which is all that really matters.

Danyn is one spunky kid. She's always dancing and singing, and she loves to be doing anything creative, especially if it involves art supplies. She's sweet, and fashion conscious, and really good at doing her own hair. She's working to master various kinds of braids. She absolutely loves her 2nd Grade teacher, Ms. Pfeiffer. We love this kid to pieces, and are grateful she's a part of our family.

Love you, Bananyn!

Maisie Turns 11!

Alas, no letter from Hogwarts however. She did have a pretty great birthday though, complete with a dinner at Chuck-a-Rama (of course!), and some gifts for which she'd been waiting since Christmas. One of them being this particular Lego set of Bilbo's Hobbit Hole.

Along those same lines, she also got another One Ring, because she lost her first one. Oh the irony that she has had more than one One ring.

She also got a book that I would definitely classify as "tween". She's getting up there in years for sure.

After presents, Maisie was very excited to be able to partake of her very first ice cream cake. Mint chocolate chip.

Maisie is definitely growing up, and maturing. It's amazing to think my oldest will be joining my YW group a year from now. She's continued to be an exceptional student, especially in language arts. Her reading and comprehension levels are at the level of a Senior in high school! Maisie is also quite the piano player, and often memorizes her pieces so that she can play them without music. She participates in a group called "Running Forward" at the school, and was also selected to be on the Dream Team for the Ballet West program that her elementary participates in. We're very proud of our amazing eleven year old.

Love you Mais!