Happy Love Day!

I love holidays and Valentine's Day (as commercial as it may be) is no exception. Any excuse to celebrate, make a fun treat, or just do something a little extra special with the kids or Don and count me in!


How much do I love my little Valentines?


We had a fun day...


We got these cute little Valentine box lunches from Kneaders for lunch. The kids were so excited that Don got to have lunch with us.



My mom came by and brought the kids some little treats and a sweet book on being a mother for me.



And after a busy afternoon of piano practice, driving Elle to dance, baking red velvet cupcakes, and delivering Valentines to friends, we finally sat down to have our Valentine's Day dinner at 8pm. Luckily, (not really) the kids had totally filled up on candy so they didn't even complain about having dinner so late.



They each got one last little love note in their mailboxes for Valentine's Day and a small book. Of course, Elle and Easton's books were about Star Wars.



Elle is so cute with Jayne!


I got a few little surprises too. This kind of stuff puts me on cloud nine...

I love my sweet husband! Happy Valentine's Day!!!

You've got mail!

Every time we get the mail, Elle and Easton ask if there is "kid mail" for them. Who doesn't love getting mail? Well, the good kind--not the junk mail or bills. So, when I told the kids that I thought it would be fun to send little notes to each other leading up to Valentine's Day, they loved the idea! Luckily, I find my way to Target quite often and I found these fun mail boxes in the Dollar Spot. After a fun night decorating them and making them our own, our Valentine's mail boxes were complete and our kids couldn't wait to get "kid mail!" This tradition is definitely a keeper!

Decorating the boxes


Elle and Easton

Jayne and her mailbox

Checking for mail

Just a few of our "love notes"

10 years later...

Wow! I can't believe Don and I have been married 10 years! In some ways it has gone by so fast and in other ways, it seems like we have been married forever because I can't imagine life without him. We have had our ups and downs, but it has been an amazing ten years. He really is the perfect husband for me! Ten years and three kids later, I still get excited when I hear the garage door and know he is home. I am one lucky girl...


Flashback to the past--our wedding day

To celebrate, Natalie came and stayed with the kids and Don and I got to have a little overnight getaway. We had a great dinner and then went and stayed downtown at the Grand America. The next day, we had a fun breakfast and then spent the day wandering around town doing whatever we wanted--got some yummy chocolate from Hatch Family Chocolates, checked out a local art gallery and just enjoyed being together.


At the hotel



Tulips from Don (They are my fav!)



I made a book for Don of our first ten years. It was pretty funny going through old pictures. Great memories!

Star Wars Cookies

Elle and Easton LOVE Star Wars, so when my friend told me about these Star Wars cookie cutters, we just had to get them! I mean, a cookie in the shape of Darth Vader or Yoda? How cool is that?

Cutting the cookies out with dad

Let's just say, Elle and Easton loved them!

Our finished cookies--Darth Vader, Storm Troopers, Bobba Fetts, and Yodas

My special time with Jayne

Friday is a good day. Not just because it means that the weekend is almost here, but because Friday is the day I get to take Jayne to Gymboree class. It is my time with Jayne --without the distractions of home or my other kids. And we just play... I follow her lead and she shows me where she wants to go and what she wants to do--going down the slide, climbing a ladder, riding the rocking horse, playing with balls, going through tunnels, playing peek-a-boo, etc. She LOVES it! And because she loves it, I love it too! Then it is parachute time and one of Jayne's favorite activities--dance freeze. All the kids get maracas and they shake them to the music. Jayne gets so excited and just screams! When the music stops, she holds her finger up to her mouth to say, "Shhh." It is pretty cute! Then comes the bubbles--another one of Jayne's favorite things! She puts her hands in the air, claps her hands and screams for the bubbles too! Jayne definitely isn't shy about letting people know when she loves something. All the other parents look over and smile because they know Jayne loves her bubbles. She is so cute scooting around popping bubbles so carefully with her pointer finger. We sing more songs (Jayne screams "Yeah" and claps after every one), make a parachute house and then do a walking train with the kids. Then, it is time to go and all the kids say goodbye to "Gymbo" the clown. It is the cutest thing seeing them all give Gymbo a kiss. Yep, Jayne loves Gymboree and I love seeing those beautiful little almond eyes smile.

When I look back on that first class I took her to, we have come a long way. I guess I should say, I have come a long way. It was never hard for Jayne, but that first class was hard for me. It was the first time I didn't have the safety of my circle of family or friends with me and Jayne was side-by-side with typical kids her age. It was a harsh reality and made the fact that she still wasn't doing certain things very obvious. I felt like people were staring-- wondering why she wasn't walking or even crawling on her knees. And for some reason, I felt like I had to justify it. I remember almost starting to cry a few times in that first class. But I just kept reminding myself that this is for Jayne and she loves it! It doesn't matter what anyone else is thinking or how hard it might be for me. This is for Jayne and I would do anything for my sweet little girl.

Now, five months later, I don't give a second thought to what anyone else is thinking. I love seeing Jayne's face light up when I tell her we are going to Gymboree and I love every second we spend together there. Jayne is climbing, she is cruising and I know she will walk one day soon. Until then...boy can she make people smile!!! I am SO very lucky to be her momma!

I love my little girl!!!

She definitely gets around!

Playing peek-a-boo

Looking for the balls

"More balls please!"

"Look at how many I have!"

Jayne loves bubbles!

She gets so excited shaking the maracas!

Although it looks like she is eating her maraca, she is actually saying "Shhh" during the freeze part of "Dance Freeze"

Kissing Gymbo goodbye

The "Terrible Twos"

Jayne has reached the "terrible" twos...

Drawers are constantly being emptied all over the floor, there is more food on the floor than in her mouth after eating, we have elastics on all our cupboard doors to keep little hands from getting in and Jayne has found her very loud "this is what I want" voice. She can definitely get my attention. Easton told me the other day that he wished he had a button on his face to turn off his ears so he didn't have to hear Jayne when she screamed. How hilarious is that?

Funny thing is, I actually LOVE that Jayne has reached the "terrible" twos. I love that she can move around and get into things. I love that she likes to eat and can feed herself, no matter how messy. I love that she has a mind of her own. I love that she has a voice and wants us to hear it. (Sometimes I wish that voice wasn't quite so loud...but I still love it.)

I don't know if it is because Jayne is my third child and I have finally learned to relax a little more or if it is a change in perspective since having Jayne. Probably both. Whatever the reasons, I know these moments are fleeting. I heard someone say once, "The days are long, but the years are short." It is so true. I look back on when Elle and Easton were younger and it seems like yesterday. They are growing up too fast and I miss those busy two-year-old days with them.

I want to enjoy every moment, including the "oh-so-terrible twos." And when the tantrums come, I will just pretend I have a button on my face to turn off my ears. :)

One of Jayne's favorite things to do everyday is dump the markers out and push them all around. I'm not really sure how many are still under the stove.

Another favorite thing is pulling her clothes out of her drawer. (The stickers on her head are from Easton)

Jayne has started eating at the counter with Easton and she loves it!

If the dishwasher is open, Jayne scoots over and tries to pull things out or maybe just climb in.

How cute is she up on her toes getting into the drawer? She loves that skirt puts it on herself.

Jayne loves her toothbrushes!

Jayne and her favorite things!

Jayne loves her baby and was so cute tucking her in and singing to her.

Playing with her doll house