The Countdown Begins!

Today starts our countdown to Valentine's Day.  It's not much...a little treat for each of seven days, including V-Day.  Today's confection is two dark chocolate-covered almonds, something small that will fit in the countdown pill box.

The girls haven't said anything about it this year, so I imagine they'll be super surprised to see what's waiting on them at the breakfast table.  And of course I can't wait to see their faces and hear their glee!

And of course the anticipation of the holiday makes me think back to some of our fun holidays past.  The girls were two in this first real Valentine's Day celebration.  Look at those adorable faces and their "Peace & Love" onesies!!!

Baby B

Baby A

And beyond the special Valentine's Day breakfast, we celebrated further with dinner downtown, the girls decked out in some of my favorite dresses ever.

Nose kiss for Sissy!

Three ladies on a mission!

I love any opportunity to celebrate with my loves...and any opportunity to take a trip down Memory Lane!

Thank you, as always, to the marvelous Cheryl at Twinfatuation for the Way-Back-Whenesday inspiration!!!

Life is Like a Box of Chocolates

We don’t usually do much in the way of Valentine’s presents…we try to focus on a fun family day with crafts and a yummy meal.  In years’ past I’ve given them a little book, or some fun new socks.

This year I decided to treat the girls to their first [miniature] chocolate sampler.  I bought a little heart-shaped box of chocolates for each of them.  There were five pieces inside.  They were thrilled.

For the past few days, the girls have chosen one piece of chocolate after supper.  Baby A chose a chocolate covered cherry the first night.  B observed, and – instead of following suit --  she said she would save her chocolate covered cherry for last, since that is her favorite.

The next three occasions, the girls discussed their choices and picked the same piece from their boxes.

The last night, Baby A got to her box before B.  She popped that final piece of chocolate in her mouth…and made a surprised face.

My poor kiddo learned a tough lesson about a box of chocolates...and maybe about life…it’s not always possible to save your favorite for last.

Hee hee!

“It’s a candy inside a candy!” she puzzled.  Poor A landed upon a cream-filled chocolate.  I’m with her on the ICK.  I felt sorry for her, so I told her she could have one piece of candy from her school Valentine’s haul.  She chose a Starburst…and then made a big face after eating that.  “It’s cherry!  It tastes like medicine!”  (We've had more than our share of cough medicine these past few weeks.  That must have hit too close to home.)

Hee hee, again!

I think my A is done with eating candy for a while.

My Snowy Valentines

The girls have a book called Snowy Valentine.  How many times have I thought about that title over the past few days??!!!

We had an unexpected snow day last Tuesday.  It was a big, white, slushy mess outside…not enough for me to work from home, but plenty that school was cancelled.

The forecast called for more snow on Friday.  That was the day of the girls’ Valentine’s party at school, and we were all hoping the weatherman was wrong.

No such luck.

The girls were a little bit disappointed, but they took it mostly in stride.  They agreed they could wait until Monday to exchange goodies with their friends.

And then on Sunday -- Valentine's Day -- we had our MoMs group Valentine’s party scheduled.

Until…

…the forecast called for snow again.

We postponed the party on Sunday morning, seeing the snow would come to fruition.

My friend D, whose twin boys are the girls’ BFFs, asked if we wanted to come over for a play date.  We thought the snow would start mid-afternoon, so we planned to slip in some heart-shaped goodies and crafts, just the few of us.

The girls were ecstatic when I told them about the play date.  “That’s even better!” B exclaimed, so happy to see her friends two-on-two.

Until…

…the snow came in earlier than expected.

We cancelled our play date.

Seriously.  Our poor girls were 0-for-3 in Valentine’s parties.

While we may have lost out on our original (and then makeshift) plans, it was actually a huge blessing that the snow came early.  We headed out as a family for some awesome sledding!

The snow was powdery…not good for snowballs or snowmen…but deep enough that we had a blast!

After we established our run down the hill (and Mommy got in a couple of trips), I headed back to the house for my camera.  It was a Valentine’s Day to remember, for sure!

Trudging up the steep hill!

Daddy and his B!

Daddy and his A!

Thumbs up after a great run!

B, zooming fast!

B's thumbs up!

Such a satisfying afternoon!

The Snowy Valentine book will no doubt have more meaning for us when we read it in years to come.  L-O-V-E!!!

(The girls were out of school AGAIN on Monday, but headed back today for a belated party.  I was able to slip away from work and join them for a bit.  They were just as excited on Tuesday as they would have been on Friday…seeing their friends after a FOUR-day weekend AND extending their holiday celebration.  Woo hoo!)

The Hunt for Hearts

The past three years, the girls have had such a blast with their Advent calendars at Christmas.  I've been thinking for a while about doing something around Valentine's Day...but, to be honest, I'm usually pretty tuckered out come February from Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas/the girls' birthday in January.

This year, I had an idea to count down just the week of Valentine's.  That seemed doable.  I made this cute little box for each of them (using a pill box from the dollar store), and they LOVED getting a small treat every day leading up to Valentine's Day.

The girls' treats were mostly small candies...a Hershey's Kiss one day, and a few M&M's another.  Mid-week, they got a "task" to make Valentine's puppy chow for their teachers, and they loved that!  And on Saturday, Valentine's Day, I decided to take another page from their Christmas Advent playbook.

The girls opened the final compartment to find a clue, leading them on a Heart Hunt!

(B dressed herself "for Valentine's Day" bright and early...down to her socks!!!)

Valentine, Valentine, here’s a hint…

Look for a clue inside your tent!

  

Valentine, Valentine, it’s you I love!

Look for a clue by Mommy’s tub!

Valentine, Valentine, if you please,

Look for a clue where we hang the keys!

Valentine, Valentine, take a look…

Find a clue among your books!

Valentine, Valentine, you don’t have to race,

Find your gift by the fireplace!

By the fireplace, the girls found their goodies...a new book (from the Mercer the Pig series), ones they could read themselves!  And they had a "voucher" I made with a pass to the movies.

I loved being able to incorporate a little bit of the girls' holiday fun into Valentine's Day.  It makes my heart dance to see their excitement!

LOVE!!!

Tender Hearts and the Big Screen

For Valentine’s Day, we took the girls to their first movie.  I’d seen the previews for Paddington, and I thought it looked sweet and funny.  I checked with a couple of friends who’d seen it, and they said it was very benign.  Their kiddos loved it.

The girls were excited to go.  We saw a “movie” at the planetarium a few months ago, and they have been talking about it since.  I prepped them as best I could, telling them how big the screen would be (“As big as the WALL???” Baby A kept asking), and that it would be dark during the movie.  They were set.

The movie began sweetly, but it was no time until there was a devastating earthquake.  Baby B hid her head, and Baby A started to cry.  Baby B remained tentative throughout the movie, and A cried off and on for the next 90 minutes.

My A was upset that the father of the family didn’t take kindly to having a bear in the house.  She was terrified of the villain in the film, the taxidermist who kept trying to steal Paddington from the family.  (Yes, a taxidermist.  Why I didn’t read about this and consider it might present a struggle, I don’t know.)

Baby B sat in my lap, and A sat by her daddy.  He kept hugging her, reassuring her.  A couple of times I tried to get his attention to see if he thought we should leave.  I had mixed emotions, for sure…it was torturous seeing A upset…but I thought it might be helpful for her to see the story through to witness the conflict resolution.

The movie had a happy ending, of course.  Walking out of the theater, Baby A said, “I liked the end, Mommy.”  She loved seeing the last couple of minutes, the family playing in the snow with Paddington.  And we talked a lot about the movie the rest of the day, confirming the girls’ understanding of certain parts, and trying to put them in context.

I don’t think the girls are scarred from the film, but I don’t think we’ll be making it back to the movies very soon.  Baby A has only seen a few movies (including Curious George and Milo and Otis), and she’s found both of those to be too intense, or “scary”, as she calls them.

Certainly I hate to see my babies in distress, but I so loves their precious, tender hearts.  I do hope they’re able to enjoy a good movie one day, but I hope that dear part of them never, ever fades.  

Show of Sistership

("Sistership" doesn't come up as a word...but I think it should.  It's not "sisterhood" I'm striving for, exactly.  There's a big component of "sportsmanship" I'm trying to convey.  I'm rolling with it.)

The girls have been working on their valentines.  Baby A chose to make bookmarks, and B opted for the very ambitious task of making rainbow loom bracelets for everyone in her class.

Valentines are due to school today (Wednesday), and A finished her bookmarks Monday night.  B was not tracking quite as well.  As of Monday night, she still had 8 or so bracelets to make, plus she had to write her classmates' names on the package and assemble everything together.

B made a couple of bracelets before supper on Tuesday (after she finished her homework).  After supper, it was all hands on deck.  I suggested that A help B, and I was so pleasantly surprised that was amenable to everyone.

B didn't balk at wanting to do everything herself, and A didn't boast that she was already finished and had time to do something else.  Everyone pitched in, and -- although it meant we were 20 minutes late for bed -- we got it done!

While B concentrated on writing her classmates' names on the cards, A finished making the last few bracelets.  She then helped me put the bracelets in the little bags.  And then she painted some cardstock that B would need to finish off the envelopes.  That was a big test in my mind.  Both girls LOVE to do anything with paint.  But B didn't bat an eye when A -- solo -- got to don her smock and do her thing with some paint and a Q-tip.

I love how the girls' valentines turned out.  I love that they wanted to make something for their classmates.  But above all, I love-love-love how they banded together to get the task done on Tuesday night.

This is a great valentine present to this mama...seeing my girlies working towards a common goal so seamlessly.

Happy Valentine's Day to me!!!

SPLAT!

This weekend we finally packed away the Christmas books.  We love them so much, but I don't want to leave them out all year, as I don't want them to lose their "special" we so enjoy during December (and January).

For bedtime on Sunday night, I told the girls I had a surprise.  I brought out the first of their Valentine's books, and they were delighted!  What a treat it is to read that familiar text we hadn't seen since last year.

"Can we read Splat tomorrow night?" the girls both asked.  That story line is not the most sentimental...but Splat is a cat...and that makes him a favorite.  (We have acquired several Splat books over the last few years, although this was our first.)

I told them we could...but we had a change of plans the last couple of nights when I couldn't put my hands on that particular book.

I was tickled tonight to find it (precisely where I'd been looking!).  The girls were thankful to be reunited with an old friend.

It is so sweet to me how clearly they remember details from the story, not having seen it in almost a year.  Baby A pointed to a certain illustration and chuckled.  And that just made me smile.

This particular book holds a special place in my heart, too.  I remember so precisely when I bought it...exactly what happened that day...and it's hard to believe that was SIX years ago.

I was supposed to have a dentist appointment on January 7, 2009 (I think it was).  I wasn't quite able to make it, seeing as the girls were born on January 5.  I rescheduled my appointment for February 18 (I think).

It just so happened that my appointment fell during the girls' nap time.  (As they were still tiny, we were still having to wake them to feed, so I was "safe" to go out for 90 minutes or so.)  I put on my maternity jeans and a black sweater (the same as I wore when the girls came home from the hospital).  I specifically remember the receptionist saying, "You don't look like you just had twins!"  "Thanks, but I sure feel like it!" I remember joking.

My cleaning was a quick one, and I still had a few minutes to spare before the girls were due to wake up.  I decided to stop by the bookstore, which is close to the dentist's office.  I was feeling sorta-kinda guilty that I hadn't gotten the girls anything for their *first* Valentine's Day.  The bookstore had their V-Day books marked down to half price, so I decided to get them each a slightly-belated gift.

I was almost ready to pay, when my cell phone rang.  It was my husband, and seeing his call scared me.  I hadn't left the girls very often (if ever, by that point???), having just been cleared to drive about a week before.

Hubby told me not to be alarmed, but that Baby A had hit her head on the crib.  He had called the pediatrician's office, and they said he could bring her in for a quick checkup.

Although Hubby assured me everything was OK, my heart was beating so fast.  I hurried home.

Ultimately, everything was perfectly fine.  My A had somehow wiggled close to the crib rail and bumped against it.  She couldn't have hit it very hard...she was a 6-week old preemie!  Still, Hubby was being incredibly safe (and nervous), and he wanted to have her seen.

Of course she was fine.  (And I later remember somehow seeing the note "reassured father" in A's medical file.  HA!)

Thankfully, everything was just fine that day.  I got our Splat book and probably read it to the girls that night, them snuggled safely in our arms.

It's just funny to me how "real" this still seems in my mind.  I remember what I wore, what purse I carried, what outfit I dressed A in to go to the pediatrician.  I remember I was pretty scared that afternoon, probably at Hubby's nervousness, as much as anything...and while that "scary" isn't something I necessarily want to remember, I am thankful my mind has allowed me to travel back so clearly to when the girls were such tiny babes.

And, as when we broke out our Christmas books for the season, I'm thankful the girls' delight in such simple pleasures, like seeing Splat's furry face and wide-eyed grin.  They just don't know that this particular delight brings Mommy a multitude of memories.

Fab 5 Friday (Only 1 Day Late!)

It’s been so long since I’ve done this…I don’t even want to look back to see my last “fab” post.  Grrr!!!  I suppose there’s no time like the present to try to kick-start myself again.  So here ‘goes!

1)      After what seems to be running full speed these last few weeks, we took the entire day off on Sunday for some centered family time.  Hubby and I got up and dressed before the girls, and we hurried their clothes on when they got up at 6:30.  A couple of minutes after 7am, we were in the car, headed to Nashville.  We drove to the Pancake Pantry, a storied establishment, and waited in line (not too long) for our much-anticipated pancakes.  After eating way too much, we went to the zoo.  It had been way too long since we saw all our animal friends, and it was blissful to walk around in the cool sunshine.  After the zoo, we had a yummy lunch, and we rounded out the day with some shopping.  The day was exactly what we needed…an escape from work and home…and a focus on family and fun.  Love-love-love!!!

2)      On Monday, Baby A was so excited to go shopping for her new bead to celebrate losing her second tooth.  She and B waited like such big kids in the jewelry store, and A loved gazing at her new bead the rest of the day.  After the jewelry store, we went to the grocery store.  It was RAINING…HARD!...when we came out.  Thank goodness we had our hooded jackets, and we made a run for it.  Although it was kinda icky, it was also kinda fun to be splashing towards the car.  To the girls, it was one big adventure!

3)      The girls got new sunglasses as their Valentine’s Day treat.  They L-O-V-E them, and they are so stinkin’ cute!  I can’t get enough of seeing them in their cool new shades.

Waiting in line at the Pancake Pantry on Sunday morning...cute-cute-cute!!!

 4)      On Thursday after I picked the girls up from school, I needed to run by the grocery store for a couple of items.  I knew they wouldn’t be overjoyed at that prospect, so I told them what I knew would pep them up…”We’re going to get some asparagus!”  They squealed with delight.  We haven’t had asparagus in ages now, because it’s been so high, but one grocery store had it on sale this week.  It cracks me up sometimes to see what excites my babies.

5)      I told the girls a couple of times how I ate peanut butter and banana sandwiches almost every day when I was pregnant with them.  They’ve been wanting to try one for themselves, so I made them one on Friday.  “Oh, my body recognizes this!” Baby A proclaimed.  Hahaha!  Needless to say, the sandwiches were a hit!  And this mama enjoyed them, too, this time alongside her baby girls.

I love the little things...because in the end, you recognize they are the big things.  :) :)

The Little Things

Hubby and I have never made a very big deal over Valentine’s Day.  We usually exchange cards, and maybe enjoy some chocolate.  And before kiddos we’d go out for a nice dinner on the weekend before or after (although truth be told we went out for a nice dinner almost every weekend once upon a time!).

The girls’ first Valentine’s Day, when they were about six weeks old, is a complete and total blur.  The next year, when they were 13 months old, I dressed them in the most precious red velour outfits, ones I’d bought before they were born (sniff, sniff!), and they sampled Mommy’s homemade strawberry cake.

When the girls were two, they wore pink shirts with hearts on them and enjoyed Mommy’s cinnamon pull-apart bread from heart-shaped bowls.

Last year, when the girls were three, we hosted a Valentine’s Day play date.  We did a craft, ate heart-shaped sandwiches, and enjoyed dipping marshmallows in chocolate and pink sprinkles.  I made little heart-shapedfelt “baskets” for the girls, and they got a couple of snack-size chocolates.  This was the first “gift” they’d ever gotten for Valentine’s Day.

This year, the girls were all about the holiday.  They remembered our play date from last year, and they were all too excited to start reading Valentine’s books and doing heart-themed crafts, almost as soon as New Year’s was over.  We built up to The Big Day by making cards, valentines, and sampling some of Mommy’s homemade confections.  (This year I made Oreo Truffles and strawberry fudge.)

This year I did a little bit more in the way of gifts.  I found the cutest pink and red undies a few weeks ago, and paired them with some red socks bearing the word “LOVE”, fitting them in their little felt baskets.  I also bought the girls each a little board book with a “love” theme.

They’d requested that I make them a cake for Valentine’s Day (which kind of came out of nowhere as far as I’m concerned…I don’t make a habit of making a lot of cakes!).  I couldn’t resist buying a heart-shaped pan and surprising them after supper with a piece of strawberry-filled, buttercream-iced confection.

The girls were delighted over everything, of course…but what warms my heart more than anything was what they deemed to be the highlight of their day.

I got them up on Valentine’s morning and told them I had a surprise…”We’re going to have an early breakfast with Daddy before he goes to work!”  They SQUEALED!!!  And then they proceeded to CACKLE and GIGGLE…and they’ve never used the potty so quickly, racing downstairs to give their daddy huge hugs.

I’ve done a bit more with each passing holiday, but my heart swells to know it’s still the precious little things that stand out to my babies.  I hope their hearts are always so tender.

Our Valentine's Day CRAFTS

We began to think about Valentine's Day around the first of February.  We got out our Valentine's books, and we started to work on cards for our friends and family.

Most of the cards we made were along these lines...

I drew hearts and X's and O's and had the girls cut them out.  They then glued doilies, strips of paper, and their valentine's embellishments onto craft paper cards.  We did these in several steps.  And I'll note that the doilies "ate" a LOT of glue...as the glue sticks were easily gummed-up in the "lace".  No chance those were going to fall off, for sure!

The girls worked very diligently to address the cards, "To: Granddaddy and Emme...Love," and sign their names.  (Of course I fed them each letter...but it was still great practice in writing.)

In addition to the cards, we made several crafts.  These were my absolute favorites!

I found an extra large heart-shaped cookie cutter, and the girls traced around it with a crayon.  I realized this was their first "tracing" experience, and they really enjoyed it.  (I think I'll dig out more cookie cutters to see what else we can create.)

Then I inked their hands with washable ink (that stuff is awesome!!! it literally just wipes off!), and made their handprints inside the heart.  LOVE-LOVE-LOVE-LOVE-LOVE!!!

Finally, we got to work on making valentines for the girls to give to their classmates.  The girls had fun making them, and I thought they turned out really cute!

B gave the chocolate chip granola bars, bearing the sentiment, "Valentine, you're so CHIPPER!"  And A gave bunny-shaped fruit snacks with, "Valentine, you're some-BUNNY special!" on them.

The girls stuffed the goodies and the messages inside the bags.  For the headers, the girls used my paper punch (with very little help!) to punch hearts from white cardstock.  I helped them make thumbprints (again from the washable ink) to decorate the hearts.  I stapled the craft paper header onto the bags, and then the girls glued the ribbon of their choosing, followed by the heart.

They laboriously wrote each of their classmates' names on the back, and signed their own names.

These were a bit time-consuming, but we only had about 10 for each of the girls to do, so it was manageable over the course of the day.

We have certainly enjoyed our crafting over the past two weeks!  I love that the girls were able to be so involved in sharing the joy of the holiday!

And now...would you know that the girls have already started to ask about St. Patty's Day???  Seriously!!!  These babies are nothing if not celebratory!

This mama doesn't mind a bit, though.  I've decided there are few things more fun than celebrating holidays with kiddos.  :)  :)

Happy Heart's Day!!!

Happy Heart's Day...

...from our two precious sweethearts!!!

These are the pictures we had made a few weeks ago.  I was so thankful how well the girls cooperated!

And we were even able to surprise Daddy with Mommy having hopped in the middle of the fun...

Love these babies with all my heart!!!

Wishing you and yours a wonderful day of L-O-V-E!!!

Crowning Glory

As part of our Valentine's Day play date last week, all the kiddos made crowns...a la The Kings and Queens of Hearts.

I bought a pack of big foam sheets, 12" x 18". I cut the sheets into three strips, measuring 4" x 18". I used a circular template to cut out three "scoops" from each strip. I used a small hole punch to attach pieces of elastic to close the crowns.

And the kiddos went to town decorating their crowns with self-adhesive foam hearts.

Everybody had a fun time making the crowns (and it wasn't even very messy!). And if this isn't the most adorable picture! :) [Our friends M and A are missing from this photo.]


The girls gave up their hats for nap time, but it was the first thing they asked for when they woke up. Baby A, in particular, wore hers the entire rest of the day!


As the crowns weren't exactly constructed for long-term wear -- I had to re-tie the elastic a few times -- I decided to "retire" them after the girls went to bed Tuesday night. They asked for their crowns immediately on Wednesday morning. I told them that Valentine's Day was over, but I promised we would make crowns again next year.

(This craft could easily be adapted to a lot of different holidays. The girls may get to enjoy their "crowning glory" again sooner than later...I see bunny ears in our future!)

I'm linking up with Charlene at Adventures-in-Mommy-Land for Hey, Mom! Look What I Did! Hop on over for some great crafting inspiration! And check out her Weekend Show & Share link-up for grown-up crafts, too!

Super Stuff on a Saturday

Pardon the long list, but we really did have a super week...such that I didn't have time to type it up on Friday...much less could I narrow it down to only five things!

1) As part of our Valentine’s Day celebration, we went to our favorite sushi restaurant for lunch on Saturday. The girls devoured their chicken and shrimp teriyaki, and shared our edamame, miso soup, and salad. I love seeing our baby girls – sitting like big girls – in a restaurant that so feels like “home” to us.

2) And while we were having lunch, Daddy was chatting soccer with the sushi chef. I didn’t think the girls were listening, but when Noi mentioned “Thailand”, B piped up (loudly!), “I know where Thailand is!”

3) We had a great turn-out for our MoMs group Valentine’s Day party. It was so much fun to see our girls interacting with their friends…doing crafts…eating a snack. But it sure did make them seem like big kids!

4) Spur of the moment, we got an invitation to visit some friends on Sunday afternoon. I love having friends who will invite you over on a whim.

5) And while we were at our friends’ house, they brought their (big!) dogs in, just so the girls could say hello to them. The girls LOVE to look at Noah and Napster in their backyard, and they talk about those "puppies” all the time. I was so proud of A and B for talking so nicely to their furry friends (even though the girls kept their distance).

6) We had a Valentine’s Day-themed play date at our house on Tuesday. It was fantastic to be surrounded by my best mommy friends…and the girls’ best friends…everyone feeling so comfortable and having fun together. It really warmed my heart that the kiddos came running into our house and knew just where to go, and what they wanted to play with. I’m so thankful we have such a wonderful group of moms and kiddos to call our friends.

7) During the play date, I guess B may have been feeling a little insecure with all the activity in the house. She kept coming up to me, just to say, “I love you, Mommy,” and then she’d run off again to play. Melt.my.heart.

8) Daddy brought home a bouquet of tulips for all his ladies for Valentine’s Day. Multiple times a day, the girls will glance up and say, “Those are such beautiful flowers!”

9) The weather hasn’t allowed us to get outside much over the past week or so. Thursday afternoon it wasn’t raining, so we bundled up for a walk in the neighborhood, hand in hand. As I was putting B’s shoes on, she said, in dramatic fashion, “We haven’t been for a walk in…like…seven months!” Her fluent use of the word “like” and gross exaggeration scared me a bit…but I couldn’t help but laugh.

10) Playtime is not always harmonious, but sometimes it is. I’ve heard some of the sweetest things this week. While they were playing with something, B said, “I'm not sure how that works, Baby." And then A, "Here, let me try.” They're already figuring out that two heads are better than one.

11) And Baby A is always so nurturing with her baby doll. After being away from the house for a couple of hours, she makes a beeline for her baby. Snuggled with her baby on her little couch, she called out, “Abby is resting on my chest, Mommy! I’m holding her hand!”

12) And the quotes of the week? A couple of times, the girls have called out to each other from across the room, “Hey, soul sister!” And on Sunday, I told the girls we were having shrimp cocktail for supper, which they love. Baby A wandered into the kitchen as I was getting dinner ready and declared, “Mommy, I’m ready for cocktails!” Aren't we all, Soul Sister...aren't we all...

Here's to another super week!

L.O.V.E.

Family, together = LOVE.


(Yes, that's a big stack of scrapbooking supplies and the edge of a ziplock baggie you see in the background...family, together doesn't always = time for organized crafting, timely clean-up, and/or photo editing...but that's OK.)

Valentine's Day Fun in the Kitchen

The girls are developing a deep love for crafts. And a craft in the kitchen? Can you hear their unison squealing???

As part of our Valentine's Day fun, I let the girls help me make some goodies for a couple of our neighbors and friends.

They helped me hunt for pretzel rods at the grocery store, and they helped pick out the perfect combination of holiday-colored sprinkles.

The girls rolled the pretzels in the chocolate...


...and then again in the sprinkles.


So pretty!


The girls will attest to them tasting good, too. "Yummy in my tummy!" they agreed.

Accompanied by one of their handmade cards? Happy Valentine's Day from A and B, indeed!