Happy Valentine's Day!

I LOVE Valentine's Day! I always have.

I know some who think it's a made up holiday by Hallmark just to make an extra buck....who needs one special day to say I love you when you're supposed to say it everyday.

Not me...I'm a sucker for pink heart stickers, especially glittery ones. I love fun dip and pink M&Ms and my most favorite thing about Valentine's is making homemade valentine cards with my kiddos.

This year to celebrate, Justin bought tickets to the WFRN Valentine's Banquet. We went with our neighbors and good buddies, the McCarters. Nana and Pop came and babysat while we enjoyed good friends, a great meal and a concert by Jamie Slocum.

Here are just a few pictures from our Valentine celebrating this year.

My Toothless Man

This week Jacker discovered he had a loose tooth. Not just any loose tooth but one up top, front and center! He wiggled and jiggled and let me twist and turn. Tonight he yanked that puppy out like a real MAN! We could even "hear" it coming out as he yanked it from the gum. We clapped and cheered for how tough he was a he pulled his tooth free.

Bum deal was as he rinsed his mouth and cleaned the tooth off, he lost it down the drain. We were sure he would be crushed as he had worked so hard to pull that thing. He simply said "Oh Well." Then the conversation took a hilarious turn....

Jack: "Dad, can you give me money since I don't have a tooth to give to the tooth fairy?"

Justin: "Absolutely, I can!"

Jack: "Like $100"

Justin: "Uh...I don't think so."

Jack: "Why not?"

Justin: "Because you lost a tooth, not a kidney!"

Jack simply shrugged and walked away as if to say, "It was worth a try!" :) Gotta love it!

Dress Up

I can remember playing with my brother when I was little. I remember since it was just the two of us, that our worlds would sometimes cross over. He'd humor me while playing with cabbage patch dolls and care bears and I could wrestle WWF style with the best of them.

Tonight I watched as my two little kiddos did the same. Jacker was happy to play dress up with his little sister. He danced around in a little dress that he would be humiliated to be seen in around his friends. She donned a Jedi hat and played Star Wars fighting droids with her galactic powers. I love how much my little ones love each other and I love how much watching them play together takes me back to my childhood....playing with the best friend you'll ever have.....your sibling!

Roller-Skating Girl

Sophie went to her first roller-skating party last night. While Jacker sat on the sidelines refusing to skate, Sophie skated round and round and didn't want me to even hold on to her! She is definitely our brave child. I was happy to put on roller skates and be Sophie's sidekick but let's just say that I wasn't quite as smooth on wheels as I once was as a child. :) I think we'll have to plan a roller skating evening for a family fun night so Sophie can practice staying on her feet, Jacker can gain some confidence and I can practice my balance while in motion!

Infomercial Junkie

My Jack-man is the KING of infomercials! He is always bringing me a slip of paper with some 800 number on it so I can call and order the latest craft item, organizer purse or cleaning supply. One day when an infomercial came on he said, "Listen to this. They will say you can only call if you are 18. That is so not fair. You always have to be 18!"

I love this little facination he has right now with these as-seen-on TV ads. One day he'll get a kick out of knowing that he was ALL about shopping this way.

His latest item of choice is the amazing brownie pan. You know, the one that bakes your brownies like there are 20 mini-brownies all in one pan....perfectly baked edges in every bite! Well...he recently noticed that the BOOKS ARE FUN salesman at school had one for sale. We had to buy one and try it out.

We give The Amazing Brownie Pan....two thumbs up!

Sophanese

One of the things I love about the stage that Sophie is in right now is her speech. I wish that I could bottle up her little toddler talk to play back for myself when she is a teenager. Sometimes the most normal phrase can make me simply crack up because of her lingo right now. Here are some that I want to always remember...

Pupu Blankee....................................Purple Blankee

Titty Tat..................................Kitty Cat

Surwee Teml......................................Shirley Temple
(She is WAY into Shriley Temple movies right now)

Bubby......................................Brother

Wip Loss....................................Lip Gloss

Juicee............................................Apple Juice

Oda......................................Yoda
(Jacker is so into Star Wars and Yoda is Sophie's Fave)

Bassetball......................................Basketball

One of my favorite Sophanese phrases is when I tell Sophie that I love her and she replies back, "I love my mommy, I love my daddy, I love my Jacker."

I don't ever want to forget this language and how the simplest little lines melt my mama heart.

I Have A Dream

We've been talking a lot about Haiti at our house. My brother and sister-in-law traveled there last year on a mission trip and fell in love with the people. God instantly gave them a passion for this land and a desire to serve there regularly if not in a full time missionary status. Given that connection, when the tragedy of the earthquake came -Jack had a lot of questions about this event. We've spent time praying for the children there, looked at pictures that are appropriate for him to see on blogs that we follow from church and discussed ways that we can help in the releif efforts as a family and an AWANA club.
Recently, in Jacks's class, Mrs. Terrone had the students do an assignment linked to the celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr's birthday. Jack's version of "I have a dream" hangs in the hallway expressing his heart for the healing of a land that is hurt.
" I have a dream that the people in Haiti are okay.
Because they had a earthquake."
It makes my heart smile that my son has a heart for helping God's people and a burden for when mankind is suffering.