Valentines Day

This year I got a little more into Valentines Day then usual. The kids are at a really fun age right now where they get into all the holidays and are old enough to understand what is going on an have fun with it. Leading up to Valentines I did the valentines hearts on their doors, which was fun, and then Valentines Day morning Cory and I had little "love gifts" for each of them. Luke got the Darth Maul lightsaber he has been dying to have, and Halle got a princess camera she has also been dying to have and a little princes magnet book.

Luke loves Star Wars right now and thinks it's the coolest thing ever. He loves to play with his lightsabers and do "cool moves" with them, twisting them around in the air and swooping them down and through his legs. Halle is really getting into princesses lately. It's just been lately, too, that she seems to really understand the whole princess thing and she tries to act like them and do princess type mannerisms. The other day she said, "I am a sensitive princess."

So anyway, the presents were a hit and started the morning off fun. Then we had red dyed pancakes that were heart shaped for breakfast. In the afternoon we made our usual Valentines Day heart sugar cookies and for dinner I decided to cook dinner and do a candlelight dinner with the kids. The really liked this and thought it was so neat that they got to drink out of goblets and eat a fancy dinner. It was a fun night and I think we'll keep up that tradition. After dinner we took around valentines to friends and delivered valentines cookies to the kids primary teachers.

We had a lot of fun with Valentines Day this year. It's a fun holiday and I tried explaining to the kids that it's an important one because it's a special time we can show and tell each other how much we love each other. They seemed to get that, and were really cute on valentines day about telling each other they loved each other and also us. Kids are so fun. Without them, Valentines Day would just be a boring holiday! Kids make everything more fun! I love my little family so much!

Luke's Valentines countdown hearts

This year for a fun little Valentines countdown activity I decided I would write something I love about each of the kids on a heart each night for ten nights leading up to Valentines Day. I taped the heart to their door so they would get to see/read it in the morning. The kids had fun with it and would get excited to run to their door each morning to see what their heart would say.

Luke, I love you SO, SO much and hope this was a little extra way to show and tell you how much I love you and a few of the little reasons why!

Slow down, time.

Two weeks ago my sweet boy turned 5-years-old. FIVE! Doesn't that sound old? I was talking about it to a friend the other day and we decided that going from four to five is a big step. It just kind of seems like they go from being an older toddler to a kid.

Luke's definitely not a toddler anymore. And with that front tooth missing that he got knocked out last month during a head bonk (so much blood!) combined with him being on the taller side for his age, plus that "little man face" he's always had since he was a baby, he really is looking more like 6-years-old these days.

Luke at 8 months old. Just look at that cute little man face.

So all of the sudden I've gone from having two toddlers to a kid and a toddler. That's how it feels, at least. I try to focus on the positive. There is a lot to look forward to. As much as I dread him going into elementary school because then he really will be a big kid, I know it will also be fun to move onto that next step. I'm excited to go to his sports games and to sign him up for piano lessons when he gets a little older.

But let's be honest, sometimes I just want to wrap him back up in that swaddling blanket we brought him home from the hospital in, big kid or not, and cuddle him like the little baby he was just five short years ago. The baby he still is to me. I love that he still likes to cuddle with me. I cherish that, because I'm afraid sooner rather than later he's going to be too "big" for that.

Being a mom is so fun. So rewarding. I love watching him grow and go through new stages of life. But sometimes, can't time slow down, just a little? 

Ferguson's Christmas card

Daddy's work Christmas party

We went to a holiday party at Cory's work and it was a lot of fun! There was food, games and crafts for the kids. We took this photo with the "sugar plum fairy" at it. 

Visiting Santa

First lost tooth!

Luke got his front tooth knocked out a few days ago! It was already a little bit loose from him falling over and hitting it on our wood floor a couple months ago, but then Cory's cousin Ammon was here playing and his head hit Luke in the tooth and knocked it completely loose so it was hanging by a thread! Poor Luke! It was bleeding everywhere. So then daddy pulled it out the rest of the way, which didn't hurt a bit.

Once Luke got over the shock of it he was excited for his first visit from the tooth fairy! He's pretty young to have a front tooth missing being only four! It could be awhile until his tooth grows in. But that's alright!

He really wanted to keep the tooth so he wrote the tooth fairy a note asking to keep it, and lucky she let him :).

You can still see the tears on his face here...poor guy.