My Funny Valentines!

Valentine's Day isn't something we've celebrated much in the past... often Matt and I have been out of town, working, or otherwise apart for whatever reason. My husband does an amazing job of treating and surprising me often enough that I never feel neglected by "just a card" on Valentine's, although he usually does more!

Fun fact: 2 years ago I was 37 weeks pregnant with Finn, and this year here I am 36 weeks pregnant this time with baby number 3, but we managed to pull together some Valentine fun anyway! We started a couple days ago when Kenna and I sat down in the afternoon to make some Valentines for her friends at church and back in Raleigh (and I made some to send to their mommies!). I had bought these little pre-made blank ones in the dollar section of Target, so it was super easy for Kenna to add her special touch to them.

 In fact, on the very first one she randomly wrote an "H" and an "I" on it... when I told her she had spelled "hi" she was so excited and wrote it on all of them! So proud of how much our little big girl is growing. She also has started learning to write her name!

Her Valentines were so cute I could hardly stand it. I wanted to keep all of them!

Finn, not to be left out, did some coloring as well!

The Target dollar section also provided the cute Valentines I sent to my grown up friends... love these! (I mailed Kenna's little ones tucked inside these big ones.)

This morning we woke up to beautiful roses Daddy picked out- a dozen for Mommy and one special one just for Kenna!

We made cinnamon buns for breakfast and then it was time for the little Valentine baskets I put together for them. I"ll have to be quicker on the uptake next year, I didn't get a single picture of them before they were enjoyed! Finn was the most excited about the candy. He ate two cinnamon buns, some fruit loops, a box of sweetheart candy, four peanut M&Ms, and a partridge in a pear tree... for breakfast!!!

I had a full-on real present from Matt and guess what was in it? Some of the nicest shoes I've ever owned, and just the ones I wanted! He did a little sleuthing and ordered them online in the perfect size. Thank you, babe! I absolutely love them!

Matt had gotten supplies to make chocolate-covered strawberries, so he and Kenna got right to work and made us some really delicious strawberries. They didn't last long and Kenna kept begging for more.

In the spirit of the time we made an all-pink Valentine lunch, Kenna's next cooking endeavor was to help me make her and Finn pinterest-inspired nutella and sprinkles heart shaped sandwiches. The difference this year was that I in no way attempted to make it nutritious- nutella sandwiches, chocolate covered strawberries, and heart shaped marshmallows! 

 On a sidenote, you know Momma's 8 months pregnant when she's wearing a tank top in February:

 

 Finn on the other hand was not so sure about the chocolate covered strawberries- he has been known to hand chocolate covered items back to us saying "poop."

We spent the rest of the day running some errands and then playing with Daddy when he was done with work. The kiddos headed to bed early for Daddy and Mommy to cook a special dinner together... salmon, rice pilaf, chocolate strawberry cheesecake, and Mommy's attempt at stuffed mushrooms.

Matt's gift from me was not expensive, but made with lots of love... a mad lib style love note we filled out about/to each other, a handmade card, and a shovel full of his favorite candy that said "I dig you," -which was one of the first things he ever said to me to indicate he was interested in me as more than a friend! Sentimental, loving, and cheesy... just as a Valentine should be.

It was also fun to do a little Valentine decorating in our new house... although let's be real, this will probably all still be up after the baby comes sometime in March, at which point I will get embarrassed and redecorate! I tried to keep it simple (and cheap!) with glass jars, paper doilies, and a foam glitter heart half off at Hobby Lobby... my favorite!

 And a new verse for our chalkboard in the kitchen:

We love our sweet Valentines! Next year we'll celebrate Valentine's Day not only with 3 kiddos, but gearing up for 3 March birthdays in the family!

Togetherness.

It's been such an amazing thing to see Kenna and Finn's sibling interaction over the past almost two years. They've gone from Kenna barely being older than a baby herself and fascinated by this live baby doll we had living with us, to two small things that seemed like they were the same age, to definitely a big sister/little brother relationship. The biggest thing they have conflict over is toys- Kenna is a classic oldest child and likes to play with her toys exactly in her very specific way, and doesn't want them touched while she's hard at work playing. Finn is of course, a classic little brother and delights in the crazy noises his sister makes when he purposefully messes things up.

This is usually how it goes: Kenna is playing with a toy. Finn takes away part of the toy. Kenna flips out and yells. Finn laughs and runs away with the toy.

But for all the times they don't get along, there are just enough times that they do sit and play nicely together to keep Mommy sane. And it makes it extra special to see them sitting and watching a movie together- they almost always choose to sit right next to each other even when there are plenty of other seats (especially if there's a snack to be shared!). It's just extra sweet.

This morning Kenna invited Finn to sit on the chair with her while they ate breakfast. It's funny because the way they are leaning it looks like neither of them are sitting on it. And yes, they are eating goldfish for breakfast- it was easier than an argument.

Dazed and confused right after a nap (we wake up slow in this family!):

They like to play "laptop" like Mommy and Daddy:

 Pretty much, we do everything together!

Even though breaking up arguments all day can be emotionally exhausting, there is a lot of sweet togetherness going on. Kenna goes in Finn's room every morning to check on him, and if he wakes up first from a nap he will wander the house asking for sister- that's if we can keep him from going in her room to wake her up. Their favorite game is jumping on Kenna's bed together at night before bedtime.

I can't wait to see what adding a third into the mix will look like!

These ARE the Christmas Memories

The closer it gets to Christmas, I've been thinking a lot about what traditions from Matt's and my childhood are important to us enough to keep doing with our kids, and what traditions they will remember or what will be important to them. There's a lot of pressure to think that Matt and I will almost single-handedly shape the memories and traditions of the way our kids celebrate a holiday so important to our faith as they go into adulthood.

I'm finding as a momma it's easy to feel like the buck stops here with traditions... and it's even easier to get wrapped up in the to-do lists and the worry that we aren't making enough/good enough memories for our children. Caught up in the decorating (and protecting the tree from the littles' occasional destructiveness), sending Christmas cards, shopping for and wrapping gifts, planning menus, making ornaments and cookies, and even trying to keep memories of my mom alive in our traditions... and all those other 'traditional' necessities that you forget to make memories in the process. Not to mention on top of all our extra responsibilities that are new this year as a senior pastor's family to a church and town that are new to us, new traditions to learn and navigate. And hold still... Mommy wants to take one more picture of you guys being so cute and Christmas-ey. Sometimes it feels so much easier to decorate the tree or make the cookies at night after the kids have gone to bed instead of putting up with the tantrums and cleaning up the epic messes and dealing with the 'over it' after just getting started just to claim it as a tradition/memory.

In the car with our marshmallows and hot chocolate, well past bedtime, ready to see some Christmas lights:

Christmas card outtakes:

Kenna and Mommy making ornaments together:

Eating Christmas Tree cakes in the kitchen:

Mommy and Kenna watching a Christmas movie (photo by Kenna):

There's a lot to remember and it can get very stressful, as we all unfortunately know. I remember vividly the Christmas that Kenna was about 2 years old (I was pregnant with Finn) and there was so much 'hustle and bustle' that what she came up with completely on her own was the phrase "ho ho hurry." Funny yes, but I don't think I will ever forget it because it's so terribly important to me that that's exactly what the Christmas season is NOT about for our family. That it is not about Santa or reindeer or shopping or hurry up or gimme gimme or even good traditions, but of hopeful and excited expectation of the birth of a baby that changed the course of the world... the only savior, the only one who can bring peace on earth, God incarnate. Oh come, Emmanuel.

So today as Finn napped in his crib and Kenna fell asleep on the couch by the light of the tree, with Christmas carols playing and me trying out a new Christmas recipe in the kitchen, i realized that these are the sights and sounds and smells of Christmas that she will start remembering this year. Yes, there will be some talk of Santa and viewings of Rudolph, riding in the car to look at Christmas lights and hot chocolate, and even some spoilage when she unwraps all those presents, but these will be her memories, and they are good memories. They are safe, happy memories of a warm home with parents and siblings who love her, and whose home hopefully exudes the love of Christ that we work so hard to celebrate and remember in the season. And that's the most important memory to me for our kids.

We have lots of blog stories to catch up on after Christmas (and hopefully after the baby comes I'll be able to keep up so that his little babyhood doesn't blink by as quickly as I'm sure a third child's does. But, until then, we wish you all who may be reading, a very Merry Christmas and a home full of the joy and peacefulness that comes not from perfectly behaved children, perfectly executed traditions, or perfectly arranged plans, but the love of that one little baby, Emmanuel, Christ with us.

Merry Christmas!

Wordless Wednesday: Movie Watchin'