Feb 11-18, 2017 Valentines and flowers!!!

We had a nice week full of love starting last Sunday! Here are some of my sweet Sunbeams helping decide which choices in different situations helped us feel The Spirit. We talked about how we can feel the Spirit when we love others and decorated hearts and had heart-shaped pretzels for snack. These kids have such hearts full of love, enthusiasm and desire to do what is right. :) So thankful I get to be with and teach these cutie-pies the gospel each Sunday!


Family Sunday Selfie!!! Sunday is one of the days I look forward to most each week!! Not only is our house usually pretty clean (because we've spent time doing chore auction and singing to Disney songs while we clean together on Saturday), but we get to hear uplifting spiritual music, renew our baptismal covenants at church with the sacrament, and spend quality non-rushed time together as a family. Sometimes we try to learn about a new ancestor for our Sunday activity, or pile on the couch and read several Friend Magazine articles together, or go on a family neighborhood walk, or call a grandp or geandma/ family member for a face-time chat, or we spend time around the table playing family games like monopoly cards, Mexican train dominoes (new for us this year), or Qwirkle, or nines. I just love not having to stress about the usual daily grind, cleaning, or going anywhere and just getting to be around my dear other half and our favorite little people around! :)
  
Sunday tickles and Sunday smiles

Monday, after a learning day of homeschool work, we checked out some different building options nearby. We have been looking for a different home layout which could accommodate the hopefully growing family of ours longer than just over the next 2 years. (Our dining area is just pretty narrow and tight for more than 6 or 7 people.) These two snuggle bugs waiting and playing on the stairs in the model home.  

Gracie presenting some coloring pages during family home evening. We had our lesson on love and service. We talked about different scriptures that teach us about love using conversation hearts to give us clues and played Service Love Bingo afterwards--- we really like this 2nd annual family night tradition!!   
Joshy loves going up onto the fireplace whenever it's time to sing so he can swing his arm and "lead the music." So adorable!!

Our Gingerbread hearts and homemade rolo treats! Love these little love bugs and teaching them about the greatest source of love, hope, peace and strength can receive comes from our Savior and sharing that with others!

Valentine's morning breakfast!! My other J-half surprised me with flowers-which I always love and bring such beauty and make this time extra special to be remembered so sweetly. :) We had mango orange juice to honor Daddy's love for mangoes from his mission, pumpkin waffles-my all time fave, pancakes with ice cream on top (only on special days.... Haha it's a tradition on Daddy's side haha), strawberries, pineapple and smoothies!!
   

Love this thoughtful, hard-working, faithful, determined, time-efficient, quirky, competitive, fun and goofy husband of mine. :)
 
Will you be my VALENTINE!!!? They loved their special Valentine chocolate boxes!!!   

Valentine's hugs!!! I'm so thankful for my Valentine who has worked so hard for our family and for our Father in Heaven for blessing us with these wonderful sweethearts!!!  Goofy tongue smiles and all... Had to do a double take! Haha! Oh for real life pictures!

 Snuggles and cuddles with our little loves!
 
The kids had a great time at our Classical Conversations Homeschool Co-Op this week, learning about World War II leaders and painting some shapes in motion after the style of Degas!! Katelyn did her presentation on having the kids guess what was inside her box with a set of clues. Her clues were... It's smooth and found in nature, it can be lots of different colors, usually creamy colored or light browns, and this one was found in WA on the coast. It was a moon snail!!!! From Grandpa!!! Woo hoo! We had lots of fun learning about them this week too! Some the the massive ones can completely slide themselves entirely under the same in 7 minutes....very speedy for a snail and pretty crazy how they bore holes in other shells with their proboscis to eat their own food! 

Nathan's special object he had his class guess had the following clues: It has holes in it, it's found usually outside and something lives inside it. It was a wasps nest!! (One we knocked down from our trampoline thispast summer! Lovely huh!) Way to go kiddos for being so brave and presenting some pretty neat items to their friends! 

 
On Friday, one of our friends invited us to go to the Dallas Arboretum which was absolutely breathtaking and beautiful!! We were amazed at all of the incredible blooms and variety of plants, flowers, and waterfalls! Even though Nathan got a Hairy Potter slice in his forehead playing in a grove of branches, he quickly was up for playing again with all the beautiful fountains and lush green, grassy hills to roll down with great friends. That seemed to make up for all the hurt, and we were thankful to find Washington-esque grass here amidst the somewhat drab plant winter of shrubs around here lately. It was a beautiful place and so refreshing and we are thankful for the Presdients 5 dollar day discount and great friends to make it all worth it!    
An amazing Texan sunset with a huge widely massive expanse of sky rolled out on the horizon before us... So magnificent and beautiful! 

 
These sweet kiddos sure keep my days bouncing with energy and activity, but these precious moments of them happily all bundled up for sibling sleep-over Friday night bring so much peace and warmth to my heart. Sure love them and especially when they love being with each other as best friends and buddies. 
Before his haircut... And After, a day later because I forgot to get the first after shot...hehe. :) Handsome boy!

 

Katelyn's own creative beaver teeth from carrots! Haha...gotta love these innovative minds!