Caroline turns 5!

My sweet Caroline just turned FIVE years old. I can't believe it was FIVE years ago that my beautiful daughter, my firstborn, came into the world. What an amazing five years it has been. I love you Caroline Elizabeth!

February 19th was mostly spent preparing for the "friend" birthday party, and the extended family dinner that were the next day. At dinner time, however, I hung up the towel, finally sat down and we were treated to carry-out sushi from our favorite sushi restaurant. Yes - Caroline and I both LOVE sushi! Then we got to eat the delicious bakery birthday cake, compliments of BB!

Caroline had 10 of her preschool classmates over for a fairy birthday party.

I had so much fun decorating!

We made fairy - toadstool birthday cakes for the parties.

I made fairy crowns and flower fairy hair barrettes as party favors.

And, of course, all the girls got to pick out pixie wings!

We played a number of games - like "find the puzzle pieces and then assemble the fairy puzzle...

musical flowers (musical chairs, but with flowers instead of chairs), duck duck goose, and hot potato (with a fairy, of course!) The girls also got to make colored bead necklaces.

Then the girls had cake and fairy punch.

It was a very fairy party!

After that, Caroline' grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, great grandmother, and Godparents all came over for a birthday dinner.

What a day!

Valentine's Day

I LOVE holidays! Can you tell...?
Making cute valentine treats for the kids to hand out at preschool.

Caroline made lollipop butterflies with 2 hearts as wings.

Clayton made heart-shaped krispie treats.

We had heart shaped food all day - heart eggs, heart toast, and even "sweetheart burgers" on heart shaped buns!

To make the house festive for Valentine's day, I made a paper heart garland.

The kids worked on valentines for family members.

Before bed, the kids went on a "heart hunt". Even Austin could participate this year!

Kevin put forth a lot of effort this year and secretly had the kids make me valentines and special bracelets and necklaces with their names on them.

After a very nice quiet dinner, just the two of us,he gave me beautiful salmon-colored roses and a big gift card to H&M.

I love my sweetheart! I am one lucky girl!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!!

Happy half birthday!

Happy half birthday Clayton! You're three-and-a-half!

Story & craft time at the library

Caroline singing a heart song

Valentine Visit to the nursing home

My small group friends and I got together with our kids to make valentines. Then, we took all the kids to deliver them to some elderly folks at a local nursing home.

It's hard to describe the mix of emotions that accompagnied the visit. It was a wonderful way to model service to our little ones and I think we brought joy to a lot of the residents there. That said - it was a little chaotic with so many little kids in a strange environment. The kids were also a little frightened of some of the "grandmas and grandpas" . Some were fully functioning, talking, capable individuals. But then others were either asleep in their wheelchairs, or would just babble indistinguishable words, or twitch. I have to admit that it's a little terrifying to see what old age can bring. Caroline was scared to death. None of it phased Clayton at all and he went right up to them to hand their valentines. If they couldn't take it, he would just try to wedge it into their arms or chair. All in all, it was a good experience. That night, when we said prayers, Clayton piped up "And God, please fix the teeth of those elderly people so they can learn to talk. " In his little mind, he noticed that some of the residents had jagged or missing teeth, and thought that must be the reason they couldn't talk. Bless his little heart for thinking of that prayer all on his own :)