Here's To Loving The Ones You're With

It's that time again.

Time to sit down and reflect on all the happenings from the past month. I TRY to purposefully savor the moments: the childlike wonder of a snow fall, the twirling of princess dresses, the discovery of a toy train... the oatmeal stuck to the floor. And yet, despite my best attempts it still passes by so quickly and as I sit to write all that comes to mind are mere shadows of memory.

Listen to me... sounding rather forlorn. Truth is... we're busy living life to it's fullest, celebrating each day the best we can, all the while remembering that we are merely sojourners on a journey. This journey's end has not yet come... but when it does and a new chapter begins, I'm sure we'll care most about the relationships fostered here. And we've been blessed with some great ones!

So here's to February! A month for lovers. A month for chocolate. A month for loving the ones you're with! Here's what that looked like for us:

My little love, MJ, is still a momma's boy. I keep shooing away the worried male figures in his life, reassuring them that it's only temporary. While I certainly hope he has a lifetime of love for his momma, I know that his interest in me is short-lived and that one day some other gal shall have his heart (*Hi there, daughter-in-love... praying for you and looking forward to meeting you one day!*) and until he attempts to soar to new heights away from the safety of my lap... well, I'm enjoying his toddler love.

 I don't, however, disregard the concerned faces of the men when they saw this:

 MJ, 21 months

Yes, that's my son. Playing dress-up. In a ladybug costume.

I told my husband that perhaps with a little squinting he could see that MJ was really pretending to be St. Valentine... with the measles.

He didn't buy that description and promptly purchased a Batman costume. MJ retaliated by putting on a purple ball gown. I was forbidden to take pictures of that.

So there you have it.

In other Valentine's news... you've heard the adage you've got to say it with flowers? We put a new spin on it this year: you've got to have your flowers... and eat them, too!

Romantic candlelit dinners don't happen around here anymore. We've traded them in on something better. Bacon roses for breakfast. Need I say more?

Yes. Yes, I did make Jadyn eat the bacon rose she stuck her nose on.

Many thanks to Pinterest and all the wonderful people who dream up such crafty festive concoctions... perhaps during their candlelit dinners. I'm not jealous.

And speaking of Jadyn... she takes the cake (or ice cream, as the case may be) for the best quote of the month:

Jadyn: Pawpaw took me out to get ice cream!
Mommy: Where did you go?
Jadyn: He took me to Wendy's house. She has really good Frosties. :-)

 Jadyn, 3 / Morenna, 4 / MJ, 1.5

Now for some real family fun. As you've probably noticed by now, my camera taking skills were a bit pathetic this month. That's mostly due to... to... all my laziness time spent doing hands-on things with the kids. At our house the quickest way to assemble the troops is using a general call to arms: "Who wants to help Mommy make..."

On this particular day my patience was wearing thin as I not five seconds before had made my summons only to quickly find myself blocked from the very mixer I had been using before they came. How is momma supposed to help-you-help-her-make-you bread?!

In other news... yes, Jordynn is alive and well. She just didn't make the cut this month. No really... she's sitting on the counter in her infant seat in the picture above. I just figured leaving her foot in the picture wasn't necessary. :-)


Matt and my dad had some quality male bonding time finishing our basement crawl space this month. The project may have been fueled by Matt's aspirations of converting half the basement into a theater/movie room like in his bachelor pad our old house. They did an excellent job and the organization of all our junk seasonal decor is wonderful.

Last but not least, the real reason for my failure this month as a family photographer comes from the fact that I have returned to school part-time. After much consideration (and God-led series of events) I decided to return to school for a certification in Clinical Homeopathy. The program is 2-years in length, self-paced, and affords me training under one of the leading U.S. homeopaths. Holistic health care has been a growing passion for our family and we have been blown away by the resulting vitality we've seen in our family from using homeopathy and other forms of alternative medicine.

Speaking of... the business my girlfriend and I have been working on is just about ready to sprout wings and fly. Tune in next month for information on that!

As I draw this rambling note to a close, I am reminded of Jim Elliott's relevant quote: Wherever you are... be all there. I hope that rings true of your today... and your tomorrow.