Let the Shenanigans Begin
February is fun around our house for many reasons. Now that we have 2 children the same age again, we like to have a little fun. It's almost as much shenanigans as April Fool's. Every year from Feb. 1 until June 30, Stella and Samuel are the same age. When we get the twin question, we simply say “no, they’re 7 months apart.” If we’re feeling feisty, we walk away and we can almost hear the math in their minds. Sometimes it’s fun having 2 kiddos the same age and other times there’s a challenge. School has proven to be a tad harder because they’re both learning to read at the same time. And by “tad”, I mean “quite a bit”. They’re both making strides in reading because they’re super smart. Stella has struggled a little more, but we’re working on ways to help her more and build confidence.
It’s the Day of Love and Creativity
I threatened to make Russ a shirt for next year! Although the shirts didn’t hold us so well, the kids are still kind enough to wear my creations. They let me help with their valentine’s too, although Samuel declared on 2/13 that he did not want people to see him as a snowman. Ugh, we must work on timing next year!! I put their little faces on a snowman and let them choose what the snowman would be holdling. Joey chose that his snowman would hold a book labeled “Warm and Peas”. Samuel chose a lightsaber and no one is surprised. Stella’s request was a bowl of Valentine food that looks like dog food. So, that’s what we did! Funny thing is that we gave hot chocolate because it’s February and supposed to be cold. BUT, in Texas sometimes you get a beautiful spring day in the middle of February. Hopefully our friends can hang on to their hot chocolate mix for just a few days until the winter weather returns!
Russ surprised me with some beautiful flowers and chocolate covered strawberries!!! Yum! He knows me well! Because we were getting ready for a trip, our gift-giving was kind of thrown off schedule. We shared gifts with each other a few days later. The strawberries were well hidden so that we could enjoy them alone! Joey and I had picked out a little Razorback wall décor while in Arkansas recently. We figured it won’t hurt for Russ to remind his co-workers that he’s a Hog! The kiddos got heart decorated food in their lunch, which is probably way more fun for me to prepare than for them to eat. I may have painted on their sandwich bread with food coloring and butter. It may have gotten all over their hands at lunch. Maybe. Ok, it did!
I encouraged my parents to see each other on Valentine’s Day, which they did. It was a quick visit for them, but it was good for them to see that the other is healthy and getting around well. I took Mom to visit at Dad’s place. One bonus to Spring in February is that we got to enjoy time outside in the garden. Mom had requested valentine gifts for the kids, so she and I had stopped by a store a few days earlier. We got Dad a new basket shelf for his room for Valentine’s Day. He likes to straighten up, so I thought a little shelf next to his chair might come in handy for magazines and snacks. I try to keep things off the floor to avoid a tripping hazard, so it seemed like a perfect fit for his room. Mom prefers pictures of the kids and snacks, so that’s what we got her this year. Both parents received cards and gifts from friends and family. I sure hope everyone felt love!!
Heaven on Earth
We’ve had a few weeks of extreme trip planning! Being away from home for more than 2 days Is quite the task by way of laundry and kid preparation. Preparing to leave 3 kids, 3 dogs, and 2 parents was a bit harder than I had anticipated. On top of that, SuSu had been torn between a daughter and granddaughter that needed her for a few days. Thankfully our baby niece is on the mend and getting the care and sleep she needs.
We have a village of friends and family who stepped in to ease our worries and offer encouragement while we figured out the plans. One "lucky" family got to care for all three kids all day long...and drove us to the airport too. It was like showing up at the Uber driver's house so that s/he could not deny you a ride. Pretty smart, hu? Our kiddos’ teachers were willing to take our kids home with them if needed. I joke that my teacher friends are way more qualified to care for my kiddos than I am because they teach and survive a room-full of kids each and every day. I think their super hero capes are tucked in their shirts. We even shared our dogs with dear friends too because it seemed like a lot to leave SuSu with. Hattie is "vacationing" at her amazing foster family's home and Tipper is being spoiled by our dear friends from school. Matilda is home on guard duty (aka barks at nothing and eats dropped food), which means absolutely nothing has changed for her! Thanks to the most wonderful SuSu ever, we are now off on an adventure of a lifetime. We will eat more dumplings than we can count. I will try new foods, but will not eat eyeball soup! We will ride in a tuk tuk and learn to dodge traffic. We will see the beautiful people and scenery that God stretched out to the other side of the globe. I will sleep a lot, but I will also work on our school’s yearbook and my family’s scrapbooks and I will somehow still fit in the bridesmaid’s dress for Wendy’s wedding! Those are the goals anyway! If you need us, too bad! We are on vacation thanks to a company that has gifted us in a way they can't even imagine!
“Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you
planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak ad tell of them,
they would be too many to declare.”
Psalm 40:5
