We did a good job celebrating Valentine's Day this year, I think.
We went to Anne's cupcake party - yum!
We made "Dino-mite" Valentine's for our cousins and the children in Henry's class. (Thanks for the awesome idea, Sarah - everyone loved them.)

Goodness sakes, do my children love to paint! Lily kept holding hers up and asking me, "is dis boo-tiful mommy?" Boo-tiful indeed.

And I let the kids watch Youtube clips of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on Saturday morning while I made heart-shaped pancakes. They could have cared less about the heart pancakes. They were asking for Mickey Mousers sixteen seconds after they sat up to eat.

We also welcomed Grandma Folsom to Oregon last week. We are sooo glad she's here! I never dreamed we'd get to be neighbors - what a treat. The kids ask to go to her house several times a day, they love her, but I think the fact that she gives them gum balls may play into their hankering for her house, too :)

While I was visiting with Henry at bedtime the other night, we had a hilarious little exchange. (Bedtime, by the way, is my favorite time of the day, I love to lay with the kids and chat - precious, precious time.) So anyway we were chatting and he said, "let's talk about the solar system, like how big it is and what kinds of colors are out there."
"Sure, let's do it." I agreed.
"So, how big do you think the solar system is?" he asked
My brain stretched to make a comparison..."HUGE! Farther than you can see, bigger than you can even imagine."
He looked around pensively. "Some things are just too big to talk about, Mom. It makes my brain hurt. Some things just don't have answers, huh?"
"Yep, there are some questions that only Heavenly Father knows the answers to," I told him.
"Yea...He knows all the answers, huh? He knows, like, everything!"
"yep, I think He does."
Henry thought for a minute and then said, "Lawyers know a lot...but they don't know everything. But Heavenly Father knows everything."
I cracked up laughing and asked him how he even knew about lawyers.
"Tom & Jerry," he told me matter-of-factly. And then he described a scene where the little mouse (is he Tom? or Jerry?) was riding in the car with a lawyer and asked a question. Upon receiving the answer to his question, he asked, how did you know that? To which the man replied, I'm a lawyer, I know everything!

Sort of crazy how much media can shape a child's perception. And funny, too.

I had a little meltdown to Nate last night about how much plans stress me out. My favorite thing in the world is to wake up in the morning and think, "No plans!" That's not to say that we twiddle away the day in idleness, but I just love the flexibility of creating our day as we go along. Pulling out the paints if we feel inclined, running to the store if we need to, getting to work on chores and projects, arranging a last-minute play date if we want one, stopping in to visit Mimi. I just like to keep our options open. But I know I need to get comfy with the reality of more busy-ness and more plans.

And finally, this was Saturday morning before the cartoons and pancakes:

They climbed into bed with me at around 7 and then we all fell back to sleep. (Oh, and those babies? Sally & Lola. They are such staple figures in our household I think we can claim them as dependents on our taxes this year.) This picture is so indicative of our life right now. Their favorite blankies, favorite dollies, and my favorite little people bathed in the morning light of my bedroom. I love them so, so much. Impossibly much. And their dad, too.