Kite

About a week ago Summer's teacher sent home a blank kite and said to return it to school decorated. Summer loves paint and ribbons and of course all the stickers we added to her kite. I think we are all ready for spring!

Daddy Time

David asked Summer last night if she wanted to go to the lake with him. She gave a BIG smile and said yes! As soon as Summer finished her quiet time she started running around the house getting her shoes on, getting her "lake clothes" on and of course her lifejacket. She then sat on the garage steps and waited for David to finish loading up the car. She was sooo excited to go have special time with her daddy. The two of them go to the lake to check on the sailboat as often as they can. I know they have fun playing together but I think the best part for both of them is having time together.

Happy Chinese New Year

We had a super fun night at the Chinese New Year celebration. Lots of friends, lots of Chinese food, lots of beautiful decorations and a whole lot of noise. It was a perfect combination. We all had way too many fried rice and lo mein. Summer wore a Chinese dress she borrowed from Coco, one of Summer's friends. It was adorable to watch these two little girls dancing on stage. The kids were really excited to watch the performances.

Red Feathers

This woodpecker graced our backyard on Valentine's Day morning and was the highlight of our breakfast conversation. Isn't this a cute one?

Be Mine...

Forever.

Frosty the Snowman

Winter Wonderland

When we tucked the kids into bed last night the kids turned on the back porch lights to look for snowflakes. There were none. The kids' school teachers told them earlier that day to put on their pajamas inside out to wish for snow. This is what we saw when we woke up. A winter wonderland! What a treat for us east coasters! We hurried outside as soon as we finished breakfast to enjoy the snow before it all melted by lunch time.

Class Valentines

Today is Summer's class Valentine's Day party. She is sooo excited. I remember my elementary school valentine parties like they were yesterday. The night before carefully writing my name and choosing specifically which valentines to give to boys and which ones to give to girls. A mistake in that department could be very embarrassing! We worked on Summer's valentines yesterday afternoon and this morning for her to pass out to her classmates. She worked really hard and had to write her 20 classmates' names. Yesterday at the store she chose peanut m & m's for her candy. She is my chocolate lover so it was an easy decision. Summer chose her outfit all by herself. She could not wait to wear her red dress. She wanted to look extra fancy today for the party. I can't wait to hear all about it when I pick her up from school.
On a side note... while out shopping yesterday Summer said she wanted to have her hair cut short. She feels very grown up with her new haircut and in her own words, very "sassy".

XOXO

We make a huge deal about Valentine's Day. For the kids' school party treats, I saw this adorable idea from this month's Martha Stewart magazine and could not resist doing it. It was super easy and the kids loved putting together the party bags. I worked with Forrest on his bags while Summer was at school. His favorite part was to put his hand on top of the stapler while I put my hand over his and punched down. Each time he felt the stapler snap he laughed so hard. To make it festive for this week's batch of our usual pumpkin cookies, we topped the cookies with pink frosty. You should have seen Summer's face lit up when she saw it all pretty in pink. Valentine's Day isn't even here yet. I love every minute of it. I love hearing my kids telling me how much love they have. There is a lot of love going on around here for sure.

Hand Made Valentines

I have never been one to buy store bought valentines since I became a mommy. To me, it just seems so silly to do this because I think it is the perfect opportunity for the kids to be creative and have some fun with arts and crafts. Yesterday afternoon Summer sat at her usual spot next to Amelia at the Imig's. They played with doilies, hearts, pens, glue, paper, glitter, stickers, candy, stamps and embellishments, all brought in by the art teacher. It was so much fun to see what the kids make. Summer could not get enough glitter glued on her paper. Her artsy motto is pretty much this: the more, the better. Amelia is a very sweet friend and I am so grateful Summer has a friend like her. To fuel their young creative minds, the kids munched on valentine treats such as heart candies, pink and red popcorn, and red freckled cupcakes. I love to see what Summer will come up with year after year. These are some of Summer's finished valentines.

The Great Outdoors

My parents in law came into town yesterday morning. One of the things the kids could not contain their excitement was showing Grandma and Baba their "great outdoors". Beavers built a dam near the Town Creek River which created a serene pond. The amazing thing is that the pond is within walking distance from the back of our house. David built this cute little bridge to place over the creek a few weeks ago. A bit further out, there is a playground hidden in the woods, with swings and picnic tables. It is sure the great outdoors from our backyard. Summer and Forrest loved showing it to Grandma and Baba.

... and back

Lately I have felt that Summer and I are in a constant silent struggle. Summer wanting to grow-up and me continually trying to keep her my little girl. I was lying in bed with her the other night as she was dozing off to sleep. We were nose to nose and she was playing with my neck. She has done that since she was an infant. When she was little she would just say, "Mommy neck". So random and to me, so cute. So there we were lying in her room and she said, "Mommy, I love you to the moon, lake, flower, stars, trees, sun, rocks... and back". With that one little sentence my eyes immediately welled up. She can be so trying at times and I think how can I be a better mom. I am learning that you have to mother each child so differently. I try my very best each day and on lots of days I just hope that I am giving my kids what they need. I know I am not the world's best mom but I do think that I am the best mom for my kids. I think we were meant for each other so that we can learn from one another. I hope my kids know that I love them very much, to the sky, lake, rainbow, ocean... and back.