Happy Valentine's Week!

Apparently, my last blog sounded depressing... and I didn't really mean for it to! So, now with a new blog entry, and some fun new pictures, my mom can stop worrying about my state of mind! :) Ha ha.

So....Happy February! Except for a fever virus that has hit our house the last few days, we have been in a state of constant celebration around here!! Kendyll's turning 7, Abby Kate's turning 2, Valentine's day has brought party after party, and we are one week down in Reading Rally! So, we're blowing and going and having a great time with it all.

Last week, was Valentine's parties like crazy! Carlie had THREE parties, and Kendyll had one. It really is one of my favorite times of year, and it's a perfect holiday for our girly household. :)

Somehow I only got pictures at Carlie's school party. This is when they are singing "This is the Day the Lord has Made" for us.

She never lets me take a picture with her at her parties. So, this was a big deal that I got one this time! :)
(Aunt Carol, do you recognize those shoe boxes?! Grammer would have been proud of how much Carlie's friends loved those boxes. :) )

And, Kendyll's school party was so entertaining. This is the perfect age for exchanging Valentine's, and they all had so much fun reading each others. It was adorable to watch them treasure each little card and talk about it with each other. Look at that face of concentration as she reads!Aunt Cassie found us the MOST adorable Valentine's this year. They are vintage-style, with the sweetest little pictures on them. I'm addicted to this new-found old-style Valentine, and hope to find them again next year! Why don't they make them like this anymore? Here, Kendyll is showing her friend, JoAnna, the one she made her.

And, this is the part of their parties that always makes me cry. :) They sang their "hymn of the month", The Lord is My Shepherd.

Kendyll decorated her "creative Valentine container", and she was very proud of it, jewels and all. :)

She also got a little "extra" Valentine after class, that made me laugh. A little boy named Charlie, who is not in her class, came up to us in the hallway after the party. He had a little box of chocolates and a card for Kendyll. He walked directly up to her, and at the very last minute, turned and handed it to me...said, Here, Mrs. Jacobs...and walked off. It was so funny. I told Kendyll to say "thank you", so she walked up to him, looked at me the whole time, and said "Thank you, Charlie." Talk about AWKWARD! It was hilarious. And, unfortunately, the box of chocolates were not very treasured. They ended up in the backseat of a friend's car, never to be seen again. :) Oh, the joy of school-age Valentine's parties.

Of course, I managed to not get one sister picture in all of their pink and red, which is really funny, seeing that they wore it ALL month. But, oh well. They looked alot like past years anyway. Ha ha.

Some other Valentine events from the month:

We had Valentine milkshakes in a tub full of bubbles...a Valentine heart pizza with red & pink fruit salad...Valentine goodies from grandparents...Krispy Kreme heart donuts...and more Valentine treats and cards than we could have imagined!(Little sister had to wait until after the bath...who knows what she would have done with a milkshake in the tub. :) )

She LOVED it...look at that smile! My Valentine gift from Mark was a night without children. :) We went to a long dinner, walked around Target, and home to hang out. It was wonderful. We also watched Fireproof, which we had not seen yet. SUCH a great movie, with so many great messages. Very much inspired me to strive to be a better wife every day.

Of course, along with hearts and doilies, glue sticks, and valentines, we've also seen a lot of this around our house:

Kendyll has spent time reading to herself, reading to her parents, reading to her sisters. And, then, has already had the opportunity to listen to books read by Daddy, by Mommy, by Pops, by Grandma, by Aunt Cassie...and more guest readers to come! It has been a fun time for us, even though it takes up literally every spare minute we have. I can already tell it will make great memories for our family in future years. And, I can also tell that February will officially wipe me out every year. :)

But, it's worth it.

Next blog: Our Mad Hatter Tea Party this weekend for Avery, Abby Kate, and Kendyll!!