Valentine's Day!

 

 I was going to make my primary class pink sugar cookies with their names on it.  But when I saw the lesson was on the birth of Jesus Christ and that we would be talking a lot about birthdays, I had to make cupcakes with a candle in it. They liked them, of course.

 

 We found a solution!  Halle loves to sit at the table with us!  (DUH moment)  Hayden has been using this booster, but he can sit in a regular chair now.  The screaming is completely gone because she feels like a part of the family now. Halle is also going through a growth spurt, so she's eating a lot.  Of course it would happen that as soon as I complain about her problem that it would get better. That's ok with me!  Did I mention that she prefers drinking out of a regular cup to a sippy?  I guess she just really wants to be like the rest of us!

  

 On Sunday we had a special Valentine's dinner.  Everyone had to get dressed up. Since it was also Chinese New Year, we had to have Chinese food!  I decided not to go with our usual ham friend rice and sweet and sour chicken, because we had just eaten it the Sunday before.  I saw a post on Pioneer Woman about some Chinese recipes and decided to try them.  We had a shrimp dish, orange chicken, white rice, and egg rolls.  It surprisingly tasted like something from a Chinese restaurant (especially the shrimp) instead of my Americanized stuff.  We will be making them again. Eventually. I don't know how those Chinese people cook like that all the time!  It dirties a TON of dishes, and it's kind of a lot of work!

  

 It wouldn't be Valentine's day without pink sugar cookies!  It was a tradition of Derrick's mom that he pretty much begs (demands in a nice way) me to continue.  I can cook a lot of good things, but I just can't get the hang of good sugar cookies!  These ones were just ok.  I guess it's hard to compete with the perfect sugar cookie, especially when he has had them his whole life.  Next time they visit, I will just have to have a lesson from his mom.

I took Hayden out to play in the snow and to shovel the driveway on Tuesday during Halle's nap.  It was the first time I have taken him out in the snow. I just don't like being out in the snow at all! We had fun though!  Derrick was home sick (we thought it was pink eye, but it turns out to be a sinus thing that is gooping up his eyes... He went to the doc and got a RX for antibiotics that he refuses to fill, but he's feeling better today, he says.) so he took pictures from the house when he heard us.

Hayden plopped himself down in the snow so I'm trying to teach him how to make a snow angle.  Notice all the footprints.  They are all his.  Reminds me of a Family Circus cartoon.

He didn't get it, so I had to do his arms for him.

And then his feet.

Derrick made this mound/slide thingy for Hayden every time he shoveled the driveway so he could sled down.  He insisted on climbing up it himself which was really difficult.  He loved it though!

Now that we teach the four year olds in primary, we actually have good lessons for FHE!

 

This time we pretended to be shepherds looking for the baby Jesus when he was born and we talked about how much joy it brought to everyone because He made it possible to return to Heavenly Father.

 I loved dolls as a little girl.  They were real babies to me.  I was so hoping that Halle would love dolls too, but she prefers cars and all of Hayden's toys.  She rarely likes to cuddle with the dolls we got her for Christmas, but Hayden loves them!  He loves all stuffed animals and babies.  He's really sweet and pretends to take care of them.  Every time he gets sad, you will see him carrying around a bear. Today he lined them all up and tucked them in.  He does this often and it melts my heart.

 He loves his sister.  Today he insisted on scooting his chair by hers for dinner.  He makes sure that she has enough to eat and tells me when she wants more milk. They talk and laugh the whole time.  Yes, they are still in their pajamas at dinner. So was I... :)

He tries to help her sign thank you.  Halle is signing a few words now.  She knows more, please, thank you, I love you (which is just waving really soft with a cute smile), and milk.  She can say more and hi.  When we ask the kids at bedtime what song they want to sing she always gets really excited and says, "Heeee!" as she touches her head.  She loves head, shoulders, knees, and toes.  She also wants to kiss everyone every time we say a prayer, and she often folds her arms and makes me say a prayer at random times during the day so she has a reason to give everyone kisses.

I'm taking a cake decorating class at Hobby Lobby. It really is a lot of fun and I have learned a lot!  Here is my first cake, which doesn't look that great because I used too small of a tip for the hearts.  I should have just done one heart and filled inside it with stars.  I was told by my instructor (which sounds funny, because she's one of my good friends here) that it was one of the smoothest cakes she had ever seen!  Not bad, eh.

 And here are the kids working on some Valentines... which I still haven't mailed out yet.  But we did make them, so I'm going to anyway.  Better late then never!

the end.  whew.