With budget cuts everywhere in the schools one of the first things on the chopping block are field trips.  So we were very excited to hear that Tatie would be going on a field trip to the science center after all this year!  YEAH for the PTA!  They learned all about magnets and electricity.  And here is Tatie finding out what its like to be inside a soap bubble!

She got to hang out with her good friends and enjoy a lovely day even though it started out a little rocky when we got stuck on the interstate for an hour waiting for an accident to clear.  After the day was through and the fun had her teacher sat the class down in a quiet hallway while waiting for the bus and asked them the following question:

“What did you learn today?”

She listened attentively as the kids told of levers, magnets, and body science.  And when she called on Tatie, Tatie happily related what she had learned as she toured the Childrens Science center that day with me as her guide.  This is what our dear sweet Tatie said:

“We learned that if you stick your hand too far into the glass displays an alarm goes off.”

I can not put into words how much I love this child!!!!!

This last Friday Todd and I had the pleasure of going to the temple with my parents and Holly & Seth.   Todd was so exhausted from his trip that week in Washington that he and I opted to do the shorter sealing session that evening.  I called Dad to let him know what we were doing and not to expect us in the regular session, he understood and I asked if he had any family names he wanted us to do.  He said that he had like 16 or so but that they were promised to their Ward who was planning a group sealing session later in the month.

After I hung up the phone Todd laughed and said, “Your mother will never stand for it.  I bet she makes your Dad do the sealing session with us so that she can be with you.”

I said, “Well, Dad seemed pretty set on doing a full session.”

And sure enough, who do I get a call from not an hour later?  Dad saying that they would all be joining us in the sealing session!  Hahahahahha  Point Todd.

We went to the temple that evening and got settled into the session.  Dad even brought his names in saying that, “It was fine. The Ward has plenty to do.”  (Tee Hee)

I would like to take a moment to say that I never intended on them joining us in the sealing and that what transpired was not some orchestrated event to get my way for the evening.  Now moving on…

Holly had never done sealings before at the temple so it was a new exciting experience for her to relive her own wedding promises on behalf of her own ancestors.

(For my nonmember loved ones - Temple sealings are an LDS ordinance performed in the temple eternally uniting a husband and wife, or children and their parents.  In our church we believe in eternal families under the sealing powers of the priesthood. And that work can be done vicariously for our ancestors so that we are all sealed as a family forever in the hereafter.  Its a beautiful thing to have your family forever and ever!)

So its Holly and Seth’s turn to be proxy and Dad and Todd are acting as witnesses.  As Lacy (the sealer and old friend of the family) begins he seals the first couple on the family file cards for time and all eternity.  And then pulls a second card from the stack.

Mom says she looked over at lacy as he said, “Oh this one going to be special.”  I didn’t hear him say that but I did hear Dad and looked over as I saw him reach for the card and say, ” That’s my Mom and Dad.”

He had no idea that day that that card was in the stack of sealing ordinances to do.  In fact he thought the sealing had already been done.  And so with tears in our eyes we watched my little sister (Who wears the ring belonging to the very woman she was doing the proxy for - our Grandma Walker) in her wedding band, and her new husband act as proxy being sealed for all eternity on behalf of Dad’s parents.  It was such a beautiful moment, words can’t quite express.

When I think about the events leading up to that night.  And how we decided to go to the temple spur of the moment the day before.  And how Todd was too tired to go through a full session.  And how Dad had already promised the names for someone else to do the work but changed his mind not even remembering whose names were contained within those cards.  How it happened to be Holly and Seth turn as proxy, and Holly’s first time ever doing sealings, and her wearing our Grandmother’s ring.  All leading up to this incredible experience, I stand in complete awe.

I found this awesomely fun French website!  So every Friday (that I can remember to do it) from here on out will be Photo Booth Friday!  Check out the site here to make your, own its so much fun.

Todd had to go to Frankfort this week to deliver Ky Farm Bureau love to the capitol.  And while he was there he got his picture taken with the Governor!  Todd thinks he looks like a kid in the picture but I think he looks awesome!  Next week he is off to Washington.  I am hoping for a picture with him and Mitch.  We shall see I suppose.

This winter has been INSANE!  I can not believe all this snow!  I have had to shovel the driveway 3 times already this week and its only Tuesday!  *ohmyback* The weather man says we have another storm system on the way for the weekend and then and even bigger one for next Thursday!   I have never seen anything like this.  I used to want to live in the northeast…I have CHANGED MY MIND!  We have a little over 13 inches in the back yard where no one has been playing all week.  And the roads are a mess still.  But we have been keeping ourselves entertained with Olympic coverage, so its not so bad!   We are all full of Olympic fever here.  How about you?

Here is the measurement from the back yard.  Crazy huh!

And here are a few frolicking pics from this afternoon.

I found this idea on a friend of mine’s craft blog and I just had to do it for Tatie!  Kinsey helped with the photo shopping.  And Tatie picked out the treat that she slipped inside her closed hand.  Check them out!  They were a HUGE hit!

It’s BRACES day!  Sydney got braces this morning bright and early.  Here is the before and after.  Be sure to tell her she is just as beautiful with them on - she has been a little nervous about that.   Her teeth have started moving already!  WOO!  T-730 days and counting!

Its was a snow day!  YEAH!  We went outside to shovel the driveway at 11:30 this morning just as the big snow showers were coming to an end.  We had 7 inches as of noon today.  We should be getting an inch or two more tonight.  I doubt we will have school tomorrow.  The snow was wet and heavy.  My back is killing me now but it was PERFECT snowman snow!  And so we built an awesome snowman after the driveway was done.  Then headed down the street to a big hill and did some sledding  We had a blast!  We spent 4 hours outside playing and working.  It was a wonderful afternoon.  The missionaries even came by and borrowed our snow shovel to do some service around the neighborhood. They are awesome like that.

Meet our Snow Woman.  Her name is Shirley!  Isn’t she awesome! If there is no school tomorrow we plan on making her a husband too.

I was listening to the radio this morning on the way back from morning drop offs and on the radio they were having a call in poll.  The poll was whether or not you prefer a “meaningful” or “extravagant” Valentine’s day.  I thought about this as all the people called in to boast about their grand plans or their deeply sentimental expressions of love.  And I just smiled a sad little smile for every one calling in.  You see.  I know my husband loves me, he tells me so every day.  He goes to work and improves his career so I can do what I want to most - raise my children.  He makes me laugh constantly.  And best of all he thinks I can do anything.  So why on the 14th day of February do I need anything extravagant or overly meaningful?  I don’t, grand gestures just aren’t necessary on this Halmark holiday. 

I have a husband who doesn’t really like holidays and who has even on occasion forgotten a few- or ignored them all together as the case maybe.  For him I need to keep it simple.  I ask for the same 2 things every year.  I want a bouquet of flowers from Kroger (NO CARNATIONS!)  and a box of chocolates that DON’Tcontain caramel.  Simple and perfect.  For me it was about getting to the essence of what made me the happiest on the holiday of LOVE.  But it wasn’t always so clear cut.  It took years to come to this happy resolution to Valentine’s Day expectations.  The moment that turned it all around for me happened 7  short years ago.

We were living in Louisville then, Todd was with LeapFrog and I was working a paper route every day.   This left us with very little time to spend together.  And as Valentines Day approached I became more and more agitated knowing that he wasn’t thinking about Valentine’s day gifts and plans at all.  I was determined not to mention it to him this year because it was “his job” as my husband to remember and spoil me.  I had quite a chip on my shoulder that got larger and larger as the days passed. 

Finally Valentine’s day arrived.  I gave the girls their customary boxes of chocolate and went about waiting for a surprise I knew wasn’t coming.  Valentine’s fell on a Saturday that year and so Todd was home all day to feel the full effects of my wrath.     By around 2 in the afternoon I had had enough of waiting and resigned myself to vacuuming and not speaking to him.  How could he have forgotten when every retailer between our house and the Atlantic ocean was decked out in pink and red? 

I don’t remember now why I sent Todd out to Super America (a local gas station) that afternoon.  I imagine it was to get some ice, or gas up the cars for Sunday.  All I remember is that he went.  And I began to cry, heartbroken, as I moved through the house with my vacuum.  When I was just finishing the master bedroom (the last room to be done in the house) Todd appeared in the door way.  I turned off the vacuum and he sheepishly looked at me, smiled, and said. 

“I know I screwed up.  And so I went to Super America and tried get you something.”  And then he showed me a convenient store plastic rose he purchased while out.  “But this is all they had.”  And then he handed me a bottle of blue Gatorade - my favorite flavor. “And I know you like the blue kind.  I am sorry.  Happy Valentine’s Day.” 

“Is this the best you can do?” I asked.

And with all the sincerity in the world he replied,”Yes.  Yes it is.” 

And here came the tears.  Only this time they weren’t angry tears, they were tears of joy and laughter.  In that moment I realized that it wasn’t the grand gestures I needed.  It wasn’t extravagant amounts of money spent or poetry written.  I needed to feel like a girl.  Not a mom, wife, hard worker, chauffeur, cook or any other title that comes along with this job.  Just a  girl who has a boy - who loves her enough to bring her flowers (even plastic ones) on Valentines day.

And so from then on I got specific.  Specific and simple.  Conversations leading up to Valentines day now go like this.

“Remember I like white oriental lilies but if they don’t have those or those are too expensive anything that’s not a carnation will do.” 

“Honey don’t forget, its tomorrow.  Do you need to go to the store tonight?”

Calls at work the next day, “Its Valentines day, stop and buy me flowers on the way home.”

And sometimes he even replies, “Will you go with me to buy them?”  and I say yes.  Because I get to be a girl who loves a boy who doesn’t like to go anywhere with out her. 

Todd was putting on his work boots this morning to go out and trudge through the snow and mentioned that he was wearing 2 pairs of socks.   Why two pairs I ask?  Because he said, “All my boot socks are being used as heating pads!”  LOL!!  Too true my dear.  I have stolen all his boot socks over the years to create the best heating pads ever.  Socks you say?  How do you make a heating pad out of a sock?  Here’s how!

Materials:

1 of your husband’s boot socks.  (just one, you can leave the other in his drawer for use at a later date or to drive him crazy cause he can’t find the match.)

A Funnel or piece of paper you can shape into a funnel.  (I am cheap, I use the paper.)

3-4 cups of uncooked rice (depending on the size of your husbands foot).

A Microwave.

Directions:

Sneak into your husbands sock drawer and “borrow” one of this thick boot socks.  Preferably one without holes unless you want to add needle and thread to the materials list.

Later remember the excuse…”The dryer must have eaten it honey!”

Turn the sock inside out.  Cause the inside is all soft and fuzzy (We like them soft and fuzzy!).

Use funnel/paper to fill the sock with 3-4 cups of uncooked rice.  Use the cheap rice, cause its not like you are going to eat it later…though I suppose you could count it as food storage…. eeeeewwwwww!

Tie a knot in the end of the sock.  This keeps all the rice inside. Duh.

Pop it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes depending on how warm you like yours to be.

Ta Da!  HEATING PAD!  Its reusable, disposable, and all around enjoyable!  And no sewing was needed!  They are great if you need one on the fly because you can make one in just a few minutes.  And if it one day gets a hole, guess what?  You go and find its match and make another.  The kids love them, especially when they are sick, or have come in from a cold play day.  Here are a few pictures of them I found online.  Make one!  You’ll thank me later.  :D