Valentines Dinner

"Two Birds Floating in a Sea of Love"....

this is what we have had EVERY valentines day, by candlelight, with the children, for dinner, since Bruce and I were married. (Thats 15 Valentines Days)

We make chicken parmigiana, light the candles, set the mood music, tape the hearts up, serve sparkling cider... and go around the table saying why we love each person.

okay, not every reason between the children would be classified as "nice".... like, "I love so and so because he's someone to fight with..." and Lily couldn't think of anything nice about anyone, but she's 4. Last year when I was telling Bruce all the reasons I loved him, I started crying.

This year Ashlin told me that most kids in highschool can't stand their parents, but she is so glad she loves being with me, and has fun with me, just like a friend.... made my day.

Then afterwards... a treasure hunt with clues, through the house, that leads to the dessert.

Tradition.

Las Vegas

Bruce had a Veterinary conference in Las Vegas... and Sophie and I left the other 5 children at home and went with him on

Y Valentines weekend Y

Honestly, when all was said and done, I LOVED just driving there with Bruce... Sophie was so good, and we actually had HOURS in a row just to talk to eachother. Amazing.

Sophie LOVED having me in the back next to her for part of the way... but especially loved when we were stuck in traffic getting past the Hoover Dam for ONE AND A HALF HOURS!

Since the traffic was almost non-moving, we took her out of her carseat... look how she loved it:

Truth be told... Bruce was kind of bugged we were stopped in traffic for so long. I was not. How EASY it is to be in a car with out SIX children. I said to him, "In the past when I've had all the kids and been stopped in traffic, I've looked at other people who THINK they're miserable in their cars with NO children crying about the stop and thought they didn't even know how hard it could be..." and this delay didn't even rattle me, I had my cute baby to play with and feed and a husband to talk to.


The first day there was HEAVENLY. Bruce went to class and I.... didn't even leave my hotel room. My friend Brittany lent me this book:

I started reading it in the morning, and never wanted to put it down. I read and cried all day... Sophie napped, nursed, played next to me... for hours... until I finished. I felt the spirit so strong. It made me want to be a better mom, a more serving and giving person. It was just what I needed.

That evening when I finally left the hotel room for dinner... I had had such a spiritual experience in my little world of the hotel room with just Sophie and I, that it was WIERD to walk out on the strip of Las Vegas and remember that is where I had been all day, but forgotten that was even around me.

We stayed at the New York, New York




EVEN though there are some cool things to look at there... LAS VEGAS IS A GROSS PLACE, and I honestly hope to never go back.

We still had a great time, just to get away... and I left the strip and did shopping... and spent Valentines Day eating WAY YUMMY food with Bruce...

...and Sophie

And I was glad we went.
And Sophie was glad too...

character counts

Way to go Emma and Logan. In the last few months they have both been nominated by their teachers to get recognized in the "Character Counts" Assembly, and got gift bags and these t-shirts, for showing the character traits of:

Emma- "Trustworthiness"

Logan- "Citizenship"

waving

"Look at me, I'm cute, and my parents don't sleep!"

Baby

Sophie will be 7 months old Feb 10th. Wow. Bruce finally decided it was time to upgrade her bed. She has been in a little bassinet all this time. Since we were about to start greasin' the sides to get her in and out, he said she needed a bigger bed.

Sophie liked her little bed. This morning I was trying to get her to take a morning nap, but she kept waking up, stressed out with all the room in her new big bed.

After many attempts, I finally decided to let her cry for a little while, to see if she would fall asleep. I was down stairs and happen to be checking someones blog who had pictures of their cute baby. I was looking at their pictures thinking how PRECIOUS babies are, then realized it was pretty messed up that I was looking at a blog picture of a baby thinking that, while MY baby was upstairs crying. So even though it had been less then 10 minutes, I went and got her out of her big bed and brought her downstairs with me.

Look how much she loves me.

She was so happy laying there with me for a little bit. She was so thankful I took her out of the big scary crib, but then she decided that even though it had not been 3 hours since eating, she didn't care about "the clock", and wanted more then a pacifier....

It's amazing how babies are so tiny, yet they KNOW how to get what they want.

The first months of nursing are SO hard and SO painful, at that time I always have to keep reminding myself that it gets better and it's worth it eventually... and oh how it is. She is so tense when she takes her occasional bottle, but when she nurses, she is... just.... so.... relaxed, and content. I love it.

Look how happy she is now,
I love that only I can make her that happy.

So even after eating, she still didn't want to go up to sleep in her new big bed, but just wanted to play.

Who do you think Sophie is staring at so intently...
(I love baby profiles)

Lily, ofcourse... PEEK-A-BOO!


Lily LOVES Sophie, and smothers her with her crazyness.

Bruce told me that babies can get autism from being over-stimulated. This stresses me out.
It could actually be a problem at our house.

The kids are constantly in Sophie's face playing with her,
repeating the same thing... over and over and over,
"Hi Sophe, Hi Sophe, Hi Sophe, Hi Sophe"......

I am trying to calm them down about it,
but isn't she lucky to be so loved?

It's amazing how you forget just how hard it is to get stuff done with a baby (and how depressing a messy house can be).

I find I really have to force myself to remember that it will go by too fast, so I just have to cherish it now while it's here.

Saturday nights

Because almost everything is harder to do with a baby...

weekend night life is often just spent at home.

Pretty glamorous, eh.

messy hair

Lily was bored and wanting to watch movie # 2 of the day, and it was only noon. Instead I said, "lets invite a friend to play." We called Bailey.... and just like that, she was on her way.

Lily was all game on the idea.... until I said, "Now we have to brush your hair."

Excitement hault.

Then she says, while smoothing her tangled hair down with her hands, "Noone has to brush theirs hair when noones not going somewhere, but only Bailey has to brush hers hair, because she's going to ours house."

ha ha. That was such cute actual reasoning, (who needs to get ready if you're not going anywere)that I had to reward her for it, and didn't brush "hers hair".

lunch

There are plenty of things that STINK about living at our house, I am sure. The following is just an example of one of them.

This morning before school Emma says, "Mom, you never took me out to eat for straight A's"

WOOPS.

Our rule is: "Straight A's = Out to Eat with mom or dad". Emma's report card came home a month ago... and we had not gone out yet. I felt bad. Kids have to really want something at our house enough to ask, and pester, and remind us lots... otherwise.... well.... unfortunately.... it just might not happen.

I felt bad enough that I promptly rectified the situation and 3 hours later I was at her school to surprise her and take her out to lunch, just her and I, to Olive Garden. Yum.

I think she forgave me.

And later that night (while watching American Idol) she, out of the blue says, "Mom, I love you". And I said, "I love you too." Then she clarified, "Sometimes when I am at school, I miss you, and I just want to be at home with you... and other times... (she hesitates) well, I don't want to be with you at all."

I responded, "I totally understand, sometimes I don't want to be with me either."

It was clear though that she felt renewed love for me because I had taken the time to make her feel important. And I was glad we did lunch. I love Emma.

Babysat

For the first time in Sophie's life, this last weekend she did not get to come on "Date Night" with Bruce and I. Yep, she is almost 7 months old, and I was finally brave enough to leave her home.

I totally trust Ashlin with her, but.... there.... are..... just so many other kids at home too, that I worry.

We came home to this, Sophie sleeping on the couch with Ashlin. What a sweet big sister.

And I might add that it could have taken longer to leave her home, but Bruce and I were both exhausted enough, that we NEEDED a break. I think I can honestly say this last 2 months have been the most sleep deprived we have had EVER since having babies. Sophie has been so congested for 2 months on and off... that she wakes up all night. I really and truly have averaged like 5 hours of sleep a night for weeks now. TIRED is who I am.

So when my friend Elena invited us to their house for games, and said that for her birthday all she wanted was for us to all get babysitters and come child-less (ha ha). I was like YES, I NEED a night like that!! We stayed until almost midnight. It was so fun. (Thanks Elena)

And look at that, Ashlin and Sophie did great. We just might have to do it again.... who wants us to come to their house next???

A Good Deed

It is amazing how much a few kind words can mean.

Yesterday Emma and I walked alone together to a park a little ways away in our neighborhood. (She held my hand the whole way there and back, so sweet) On our way there we ran in to a new girlfriend of hers that I'd never met, and she joined us walking to the park.

While they were playing at the park I overheard her friend say to Emma, "Your mom is pretty".

It surprised me, and was so sweet, that I got tears in my eyes. Because I am deep in to double-digits overweight, people just don't say that about me.

She more likely just thought I was nice, because Emma and I were holding hands and I was having them sing to me, and I was laughing with them. None-the-less, it reminded me just how much a few kind words to a tired heart can mean. It brightened my day. :)

I left thinking that I need to say kind words to others more often then I do.