Valentines 2017

The first little bit of this post has NOTHING to do with Valentine's Day. 

Just a small recap of life lately...

Last week, we went to the dentist.

You know your hygienist is AWESOME when she agrees to the request to do  3+ mazes with your child (on the chosen place of... the floor) while waiting for the dentist to give the patient(s) a check.  My mom got B this book as part of his Valentine, and he completed it (all 50 pages) in less than two days. The boy loves puzzles. OH, and they both got rave reviews from the dentist! Yay!

This one reaped the benefits of brothers last Scholastic book order...

THIS book is so cute for your little potty trainee! (Not that we are on the road to being diaper free any time soon... yeah... tried. failed. and will revisit when she doesn't cry if I ask her if she wants to go to the potty. :/ I STINK AT POTTY TRAINING.) But back to the book... it's "interactive" with flaps and stuff, and sister (and Burke haha) love it!

Also, one day this week I was taken back by my Timehop.

I mean?!

This sweet baby will be FIVE in two weeks!

I remember taking these pictures so clearly! We had so much fun. I haven't yet taken sister out by herself to snap her two year old photos, but it's on the to-do list once the weather warms up.

I want to make sure to remember to capture some of the same things... favorite book, stuffed animals (or dolls in her case), what they are into (obviously it was trains for Burke this point in time)... TWO is challenging, but boy are they so cute and cuddly at this age!

Friday night we were invited to surprise one of our friends, Kate, for her thirtieth birthday.

And surprised she was!

I had to leave before dinner was served because Ryan and I had been at a community event the night prior, so a good hug and laughs with the birthday girl and then I headed home to snuggle with my gang and watch Beauty and the Beast all on our bed. Perfection for a Friday night if you ask me!

The next day, we had breakfast... where sister wanted to eat like this... (did I just say age two was cute and cuddly? Maybe mischievous and sassy for this one. :)

We headed to the farm, where we would attempt to put together Ree's greenhouse... it didn't fair to week seeing as how we broke it. :/ Don't worry Ree, we have replacement parts on the way... :)

The best thing about that morning was all the flowers we picked.

(Here, Burke is bartering with sister to give him the longest stemmed ones.)

 After nap time, we hit a little tennis.

Burke does so much better with his daddy than he does with me. Ryan can hold his attention forever... and Burke actually does really well for a 4 year old!

Sister... well... we worked on hand eye coordination. :)

And of course, no weekend was complete without lots of games and Burke's new found favorite way to solve the world's hardest decisions. 

I have no idea where he got the "skin a pig" part, but it sure is hilarious.

Sunday, was jam packed from morning till night.

From Burke being a greeter at church, to me teaching Sunday School, lunch at a new mom and pop place (it was yummy!), baton lessons, basketball practice, cookie making (I'll get to that!)...

It was BUSY!

Those cookies I mentioned...

well, my sweet friend gave me her recipe for the most amazing sugar cookie. It's a process, and I will probably only make them two times a year (Christmas being one), but they are so so so tasty! 

There is NO way I could have made these without her guidance... as in I texted her a picture of my dough disaster at 6am on Sunday morning and she was knocking on my door at 6:03. hahaha After watching her process, I totally got this!

We made them special for friends, family and teachers for Valentines Day, but also for Mary Grace's Bitty Baby party that she was hosting Monday.

I mean!

Cuteness overload right?

 This happened while the boys were at school. :)

Burke would have much rather be creating something with his magnet tiles.

or playing at the park. :)

Tuesday was Valentine's Day!

I totally pulled through with the cheesiness. 

And slipped in a little nostalgia for Ryan. :) He totally loved that one.

As for my tiny Valentine's...

some little mailboxes filled with little surprises and balloons... you have to have balloons in this house.

Breakfast idea on the whim... (sorry it's upside down!)

I got my cheesiness on with the littles... only so much longer Burke will get into this with me. By golly, I'm taking advantage!

I sure do love my two precious ones!

We dropped B at school...

Then sister's turn!

I headed back to Burke's Fairy Tale Ball, where I was in complete awe of how big of a deal it was! I felt so bad I had not helped more! The teachers and those that decorated did such a great job! Sorry I was #slackermom.

The Robot Dance was about the extent of his solo moves... he was NOT leaving my side... so not the independent child he usually is! Of course this meant I had to dance... errr... jump up and down, run around in circles, and do the twist until I could twist no more... you know... 4 and 5 year old dance moves.

^His demeanor most of the dance.^

^Me forcing him to smile.^

I will say the next part of my day was super special.... we had a special Valentine lunch date since sister didn't have to be picked up for another hour or so.

I remember my favorite part of Valentine's Day was dumping out all the Valentines and going through each one. So that's what we did! He was full from junk food that morning, and I was starving... so we went to Odie's Deli. I ate, and he talked and read each and every sweet and thoughtful Valentine from his teachers and classmates. 

Then upon getting sister home, we did the same thing with her... and she finished up my leftovers. :) (Girl LOVES an Odie's grilled chicken salad!)

^Her teachers make the sweetest little crafts. :) She is always so proud of her work! ^

I mean... tell me everyone's house looks like a bomb went off after kids come home from school... especially on Valentines Day!

That afternoon, PaPa and Ree took them to the AU ballgame! I needed childcare briefly for that afternoon anyway, so they offered, and I knew the kids would love a night in Auburn. Papa had just had a surgery, so he was on strict orders to not pick up anything! So Ryan and Burke got to work on a list of all the things PaPa could not pick up. It was hilarious. 

And since Ryan was working at Pursell Farms (only 15 minutes away from the house instead of the hour that he usually is!) that day, I met him for dinner! It never disappoints! (AND the server told me to take the centerpiece. Eek! So pretty!)

I sure am a lucky girl to have this man in my life. 

No other person could know me, and love me at my worst, most selfish, and hot mess of ways... besides Ryan. He's super talented, kind hearted, the sweetest man, father, and husband. I am thankful for him daily!

Now...I hope everyone ate as much chocolate as I did and are still stealing their kids leftovers. ;)