Sophie the Climber

Here is where I found Sophie when I got off the phone with my grandparents last night. She is sitting on top of my jewelry box on top of my dresser. She must have climbed on my dresser from our bed. She looked so proud of herself. I hesitated taking pictures because I didn't want her to think it was funny, but I couldn't help myself!

Round Rock and Valentine's

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. Three kids sometimes takes all of my time! My mom, sister, me and the kids were able to go to Round Rock, TX last week. We had a lot of fun visiting my Aunt Gail (my mom's sister) and cousin, Staci. Staci's husband is deployed until May. They are stationed in CA, but Staci wanted to be closer to her mom while Joe was gone. We took that opportunity to go see her and their three kids. Aunt Gail and Staci both have dogs, so that took my kids awhile to get used to. The boys were okay with the dogs, but Sophie hardly let us put her down. She would scream if the dogs even looked at her! On the trip I finally went to Ikea. It was a little overwhelming, but I loved it! I especially loved their kitchen section. The kids were perfect in the car. It took us 7 hours to get there because of a traffic jam. It only took us 6 hours to get back. 

Owen and Evan watching a movie with Duke

Watching Aunt Gail make the kids pancakes. She made them dinosaurs, a seahorse, baseball bat, ball and glove, a little girl and boy, a seahorse, a shark, and an octopus. It was such a special treat!

Aunt Gail made Sophie a necklace. She loves it! My little girly girl.

Sophie and Faith - they are only three days apart. Aren't they cute together?

We went to Aunt Gail's jewelry shop on the way out of town. The boys loved trying on the bracelets.

Sophie with her "neck-neck" that Aunt Gail made her.

Valentine's Day was a lot of fun. I did my traditional thing with Matthew where I give him a gift every day of the week that leads up to Valentine's Day. I always look forward to doing that. Friday night was the night before Valentine's Day, and it was Date Night at our church. Date Night is such a blessing. One Friday night a month they have childcare from 6-10p.m., and it is only $5! Sometimes there is a planned Sunday School party that you can choose to attend, and the rest of them are just for you and your spouse to reconnect. The kids love to go because they get to be with their friends, play in the gym, watch movies, and get fun snacks. And, of course, we love it because it gives us a night without the kids. So we had our Valentine's date a day early which we loved because it was not nearly as crowded as it would have been. We had a nice dinner and then went to Cuppies and Joe. It is a darling cupcake and coffee shop that some friends of ours have just recently opened, and we love to go there when we can. Matthew gave me a short sleeve cardigan and a 3/4 sleeve tunic. I love them both and cannot believe what a great job he did of picking them out! I love that man! He is so good to me.

Saturday morning I made a Valentine's brunch. Here are the strawberry, banana pancakes that we enjoyed. We also had some homemade fruit and yogurt parfaits.

The kids enjoyed waking up and seeing the fun little Valentine's surprises.

Elizabeth

God Bless Our Mothers

We are blessed with our two precious mothers who love our kiddos almost as much as we do! We were able to have two fun dates within 4 days of each other. What a treat!  Matthew's mom had all 6 of her grandkids last Thursday night, and they had a blast! They played games, watched a movie, and ate popcorn and cupcakes. I then met them at Journey Church on Friday around noon. Journey church is in Norman and has an awesome indoor playground that is bigger and cleaner than one at McDonald's, so we go there quite often. Matthew and I were able to go to a late movie Thursday night and sleep in on Friday. Thank you Mom H.!

On Sunday I went and cleaned my bro-in-law's dental office and my parents and brother kept the kids on Sunday night. Matthew and I went home and watched the Super Bowl and The Office in a quiet home. It was very nice to be able to hear the TV!

Monday we were able to sleep in a little bit and then we went and walked/jogged at the Oklahoma River trails. We are both participating in the OKC Memorial Marathon in April, so we are trying to get ready for that. We had a quick lunch date, and then I went grocery shopping before I met my parents to pick up the kids. They had (and always do have) a great time with Grandpa, Grandma, and Uncle. The Zoo was free that day, so that is where my family took the kids. It was Sophie's first time to really notice the animals, so she was excited. Thank you, Mom, Dad, and John, for always being willing to watch the kids. 

I started Beth Moore's Esther Bible Study this morning, and I am very excited about taking it! I have been looking forward to this study since I heard about her writing it. I almost cried while reading the dedication, so I think I am in trouble! Can't wait to dive in! Esther has been one of my favorite characters in the Bible since I was a little girl. We had a cassette tape of the story and would always listen to that in the car.

After Bible Study I took the boys to get there hair cut. Talk about some long, disheveled hair! They were long overdue.

Signing off for now,

Elizabeth