Be Mine

Well, well, well, wouldn't you know I'm posting about Valentine's Day two weeks late. At least I still made it within the month. That's success in my book:) Anyway, I generally am not a huge fan of Valentine's Day, mostly because Kevin is always working crazy hours and things at home are out of whack. However, I decided this year we were going to have a fun night regardless. Kevin and I celebrated on the Saturday before, so it was a family Valentine's night at our house. I had this genius idea that I would decorate the house before the kids got home from school, make the family favorite breakfast for dinner, and make some yummy treats for us all to indulge in that night. Well, due to my procrastination, I wasted away the day and had nothing done when the kids arrived home. (this should be a post all it's own of how I can't manage time when I actually have it) Anyway, it threw me off schedule, and I was in a frantic mood trying to get everything ready for the perfect evening. I may have raised my voice a time or two and I may have made a lot of unnecessary demands of my children. Thankfully, they are resilient, and I was able to pull myself together, and we had a great evening. Maybe not the perfect evening I had planned in my head, but good nonetheless. I had gone to buy Kevin some chocolate covered strawberrries at Godiva earlier in the day, and a box of 6 was $50! I thought that was insane, especially since I had ingredients to make my own at home, so we made our own. They're not as pretty, but they were all eaten, so they must have at least tasted good.

And then, I made these neopolitan cupakes that I found the recipe for on pinterest. They were good. Really good. They were also actually really easy unlike most things I've attempted.

Unfortunately the best picture of the two of us from the evening. It was a long day for both of us.

Lincoln posing with his favorite person in the world.

So, when it was all said and done, I was exhausted and grouchy, but I think I hid it fairly well (which is quite an accomplishment for me), and that it's safe to say, we enjoyed a few treats and that we will be looking forward to the day of love as it approaches again next year.

Have You Been Spayed?

This whole dog thing has already provided my children with a couple learning experiences. For one, Londyn has learned how to effectively mop my laundry room floor on her hands and knees. Two, they have both learned the meaning of spayed. It's always fun explaining new concepts to first and second graders. In case you didn't know, once you adopt a pet, you have to immediately schedule a vet visit for it to be spayed or neutered. Well, since nothing goes unnoticed around here, the girls were crazy with questions. Once we explained it, they understood the concept quite well, and have used their new vocabulary word on a variety of occasions in some rather interesting contexts. It must be weighing heavily on their minds, particulary Skylar's, because she even wrote a story about it that I will include at the end of this post. The weekend following her surgery we were out with some friends eating dinner, and started talking about my friend's sister. It was somehow brought up that she wasn't sure if she wanted to have kids. Skylar who likes to think she is an adult and is always seeking to interject into adult conversation looks very seriously at my friend and asks "So, is she going to be spayed?" Well, it only makes sense, right? If you don't want to have kids, you should be spayed! The next day, she proceeded to write a story called The Hen That Couldn't Lay Eggs. Hmmm...Wonder where that's going?

For your reading pleasure:

The Hen That Couldn't Lay Eggs

By: Skylar Lawrence

Once upon a time there was a hen. She never layed any eggs, so the farmer decided to sell her. But nobody ever bought her. The farmer said, "I think I know why nobody bought her. It's because they know she won't lay eggs." That night the hen couldn't sleep that well knowing that nobody liked her just because she didn't lay eggs. So that night she left the barn and went into the woods and found another hen. The other hen said "What is your name?" The hen said, "Gabriella." The other one said, "Hi Gabriella, I'm Kayleigh. Your chicks are adorable!". Gabriella said, "Thank you, but you look sad. What's wrong?" Kayleigh said, "Nobody likes me because I don't lay eggs." Gabriella said, "I think I know what's wrong. I think you probably got spayed before the farmer bought you." "Oh, Thank you!" Kayleigh said and she lived happily ever after.

I guess she just needed to know what the problem was! Anyway, I think we've moved on. I hope we've moved on.

On a completely other note, I love that both of my girls like to write. I hate that neither of them are interested in my helpful suggestions for improvement:( Maybe some day!

OC Basketball

Last week we introduced the kids to basketball. OC had a game near Tulsa, so we thought we would go and cheer on the Eagles. I think this may have been their first sporting event experience that they may actually remember, the girls anyway. It was a great game, and they LOVED it! Lincoln was a handful as usual, but he enjoyed himself for the most part. He really wanted to play basketball more than he wanted to watch. He didn't quite understand why he couldn't go out on the court and play. It was a super fun, much needed family night out.

LuLu

So, we got a dog. Her name is LuLu. If you know me at all, I know what you are thinking. For those of you that don't, it would be an understatement to say that I am not a fan indoor pets, or any pets for that matter. Or, maybe I'm just not a fan of extra work and another expense. Any way you look at it, it's just not me. However, I suppose there comes a time in every family's life when they need a pet. My girls have been pretty much afraid of any living thing from birth, so they haven't pressed us too hard for a pet, with the exception of the hermit crab disaster that is. Lincoln, on the other hand, loves animals. Kevin thought he needed a dog. Kevin's parents did too, so when they were here for a visit a few weeks ago, we headed to the pet store on adoption day with the intention of coming home with a dog, and the girls had their hearts set on this little thing. She is tiny enough for them to not be afraid, and she never made a sound the whole time we were in the store. She is two years old, so we thought that may be a little better than a puppy in hopes that she wouldn't chew up everything in the house and that she would be potty trained. So far, she hasn't chewed up anything, not so sure about the potty training. It's been rather inconsistent to say the least. So, I suppose our adventure as pet owners has begun. We'll see how it goes.