This and That

Aren't they gorgeous?!! BFF's...

Hours of playing fun...

What do you do while you wait at the hospital?...put together puzzles of course.

But we would much rather play on the playground...Driving the tugboat

Maybe we would rather be train engineers...at least Levi would...

...or let's play Mountain Explorers...

MANDY's SURGERY... This is post Phase III and pre- Phase IV

After surgery... later that evening, we had to remove the stained bandages and put on ointment ... Mandy got to see her ear for the first time...she was so excited and amazed(we were too... God has truly blessed Dr Key's hands and given him amazing abilities)

A front view... Relaxing with her new MP3 player... her Valentine from her #1 boyfriend, her daddy
LEGO MANIA has hit our house... our boys have a new found interest in legos... they have been occupied for hours this week... Here are two lego buddies...

Nolan helping his little bro...

Some Lego Creations...

Garrett and Nate hard at work on their designs...

Just wanted to share a few of the pictures from the last week or so. We started the week with Mandy's surgery. She is managing it all very well. Mom,however, is exhausted. We have just been trying to get caught up with school and housework. We have spent most of the week laying low at home. None of us have felt up to doing much and are generally exhausted. I am praying that it is because we are tired and not getting the flu.

We had a low key Valentine's Day. The kids had some friends spending the day with us and enjoyed playing with their friends. Mia was so happy because her "bestest" friend got to spend the day at her house. While the kids played, mom and dad were able to tackle a few chores. Daddy had to help put up fence guards on the LL baseball fields here in town. I spent the day trying to catch up on laundry(... I think it feeds on itself and grows by the minute,haha). We have to do 2-3 loads a day around here or it takes over. Mom made special heart shaped PB&J sandwhiches for lunch, and we spent part of the afternoon watching movies.

We started a tradition a few years back of eating a "fancy" dinner at home for our Valentine celebration. Our tradition dates back a few years and begins when Brad and the boys(before the girls joined our family)dressed up in suits. I planned a dinner at home to avoid the restaurant crowds. Brad surprised me by having the boys dressed in suits as they came to the dinner table. I looked up, and one by one the boys entered the room(from youngest to oldest) carrying a single red rose. By the time they were all seated, I was crying happy tears. Brad scored big points for that amazingly romantic Valentine's dinner several years ago. From that year on we have continued the tradition of a "formal" dinner at home. ...Memories... This year I fixed the "fancy" dinner, but we kept it a little less formal because we weren't feeling much up to it. We did set the table complete with tablecloth,cloth napkins, china, and candle light, but we opted out of the dress up part. The kids amaze me at how wonderfully they manage. We work regularly on table manners, and they transfer those manners into more formal ones. We enjoy visiting with one another and listening to music. As a special gift to mom, the kids work extra hard at proper table etiquette. They are pleasant to one another(which is a big plus). It is fun to share this extra special event, and I love sharing it all with them!

I hope your Valentine's day was filled with love,love,Love. ...Mine definitely was!