Happy Valentine's Day

We just finished kissing and saying good night to 3 very happy children that are "full of love". They had such a sweet day including a V-Day party at school complete with face painting and exchanging valentine cards with their teacher and classmates. Mom even got to pick them up from school today which was such a super treat for me. The smiles on their faces when I arrived were priceless! Dave and the children treated me to dinner at the Rainforest Cafe at the MOA so we could check out the free Josh Wilson concert in the rotunda afterwards. Josh is a Christian music artist and his latest hit is featured on our blog "I Refuse" which is one of our family's favorites. Great song with so much truth and meaning.

We hope you all enjoyed your Valentine's Day as well. Below are a few photos from our date tonight. Dylan is sporting a newly roughed up nose; the aftermath of a sledding "incident" yesterday. Let's just say boys will be boys and Dad won the race :)

Perfect Playdate

This last week was hilacious. Mama Bear had weeklong training at work to get certified in 2 different AIA courses (American Institute of Architects): Wayfinding: The Psychology of Movement, and Introduction to Digital Signage. I passed and am officially certified to present the CEU courses to architectural and design firms! The downside, I have been studying and preparing all week and have had very little time for my family. So on Friday at 5pm, it was time to turn the career button off and focus on the people I love most in life. Dave and I treated the children to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants Friday night and afterwards, I fell asleep by 9pm snuggled tightly in the arms of our children. What a perfect way to end a very busy work week.

Today after Dylan's soccer match, I couldn't wait to share the entire day with LTD so I treated them to a Mommy Date at the MN Zoo. What a perfectly GORgeous day!! The sun was shining and the weather was a balmy 35 degrees above 0 which was a breath of fresh air compared to the sub zero temps we have had all week. We truly had such a blast and I savored every single moment with my favorite little people. They even talked me into lollipops and zoo stuffed animals (thank goodness Sugar Police was not around to ix-nay the lollies AND the animals were half-off :). They deserved it!

My heart about broke in a million pieces this week when Lindsey said to me at bedtime "Mom, are you going to leave AGAIN tomorrow morning before we get to say goodbye? I don't like work!" The next morning as I finished my shower at 5:30am and opened the shower door, there at my feet was Lindsey with her pillow pet and blankie laying on the shower rug looking up at me with sad puppy eyes and said so softly, "I didn't want to miss your kiss this morning, mommy." I had all I could do to avoid breaking into a river of tears.

All in all, life is good and I am thankful for life, family, friends, our health, our church, our home, cars to drive, food on our table, and our liberty and freedom (thanks to our troops). Thank you God from the depths of our hearts for blessing our family in so many ways. God is great and to Him we owe EVERYTHING. It's not about what we do, but what's been done for us. Amen :)

Snow Tubing

Nothing better than snow tubing in 35 degree weather & sunshine with awesome friends! Late yesterday afternoon the Brigham's joined our family for a fun family outing. It was perfect weather at Buck Hill and we all had an absolute blast! Fun was definitely had by all. We had lots of races (Dave seemed to win most the time - of course :) and we thoroughly enjoyed the great outdoors in such balmy weather for MN. The outdoor bonfire was a big hit as well. LTD had so much fun with Ava, Asa and Aidan since we don't get to see them as much as we would like. All that distance between our suburbs and busy schedules I guess :)

Afterwards, we savored a delicious dinner at a local Mongolian grill before the duo slumber parties commenced: boys took off for the man cave at the Brigham's and the girls kicked back at Camp Clark. I believe it is safe to say the kiddos were in high heaven and the parents appreciated quality time together, especially after the munchkins fell asleep after the giggling and chatting subsided.

Lynne and I have already begun the plans for a waterpark weekend and this summer's cabin retreat - summer is not that far off - or at least we can only hope :)