Valentines...love in the air....or on the table...

This year we spent most of Valentines day at Cami's soccer tournament. The weather was awesome and the games were really great too. There was plenty of dirt for Creed to play in. There were lots of distractions/friends for Jocelyn to play with. Taryn enjoyed playing with Jocelyn and reading a really good book. And to top if off Cami played really well and enjoyed it. In the end they lost in the gold medal game in a random horrific wind storm...like they would kick the ball and it would arch all the way around....It was heartbreaking.....but sometimes heart break games teach more than kicking every one's bum.....

BUT we came home to our valentines day love meal tradition where everyone gives me three things they love most. I chose one thing from each persons list and try to make a cohesive meal with it. We bust out a table cloth and china (which doesn't ever happen except for valentines day)....

Papa Weight was staying with us and that made it even better....although next year I might try making him something more meal like and less treat like....

I made stake for Papa, peanut butter whip for Brent, chocolate fondue with pretzels for Cami, fruit dip and orange chicken for Taryn, chicken nuggets with ketchup for Jocelyn, and blackberries for Creed....It is always really interesting and telling to see who picks which food....

Everyone got their traditional socks so they could remember with every step they took that Brent and I loved them...even papa got some...And overall it was a great love day....We are all so lucky to have each other!

Sweet Sweet Camilla

Oh this sweet sweet girl turned 11 and I can honestly say that it has been 11 completely wonderful years. Cami is often quiet and content to sit back and watch life. But she excels and shines when she has to man up and be center stage. She is organized to a T. She knows what needs to be done when and what she needs to pack and makes a thousand mental lists a day. She doesn't have too many "oops I forgot" moments. She is a serious planner.
Cami is unselfish and helpful and wants to be kind to everyone. More than once a day she asks "Mom what can I do to help?" She is smart and a critical thinker which is fabulous but most importantly she is becoming a really good person. She makes good choices....as in choices that make her happy and make her who she is. She always watches out for the feelings of others...
And while she is definitely an oldest child who likes to be in charge she is usually very aware of how her siblings feel. And she is her siblings biggest champion...If Taryn has a rough day at school Cami literally takes names of perpetrators and you can bet Taryn isn't picked on again....Creed trusts her and is more comfortable hanging out with her than any other babysitter. Jocelyn loves being included by Cami and Cami always makes sure that Jocelyn's opinions are not over looked, even when they include my little pony and strawberry short cake....Cami has a funny sense of humor and loves star wars. She loves horses. She does not love combing her hair or taking showers or anything that she considers "girlie."
She got to celebrate her birthday starting with cousins a little early. A week later she went out to the traditional breakfast with Brent and then had her friend party. The next day we had a little family party with cake and in town family. I think she was celebrated very thoroughly....as she deserves to be because she makes our lives so good....

We celebrated the weekend before the big day with our Lutze and Miller cousins when they came down for a soccer tournament. Natalie and Cami have birthdays close together so it is always fun when we can do cake and party action with both of them...

Cami had a big party with her school friends the day before her birthday. She planned the whole thing herself from the activities to the decorations to the food. She and I had a "date"/shopping trip and it was so much fun to just focus on her and what she liked and wanted....She chose cupcake decorating, murder games where you die dramatically, obstacle courses, pizza, and blue/green balloons and streamers....Simple things make her happy...

Since her real birthday was Sunday we had a little family party action with a chocolate cake, chocolate frosting, covered in oreos and like 5 kinds of ice cream....She is definitely a chocolate girl....

I hope she wished for awesome things in this next year because awesomeness seems to follow where ever she is....

Creed...a love story...

Creedy boy is such a loved loved boy. Each day of his life he has been loved on and smooched and cuddled and mothered (by me and three sisters) and teased and laughed with....Seriously his life is a love story. 

He LOVES the garbage man, ambulances, fire trucks, cranes, and any large moving vehicle. He loves peanut butter and chocolate...sometimes by the spoonful. He loves emptying trash cans and carrying them all over the house. He gets really upset if he can't put the new trash bags in the cans after we empty them. The other night while doing family calendar I was saying "Monday we have (blah blah blah...Tuesday we have blah blah. Wednesday we have and he busts in with screaming "the garbage truck!" 

He loves busy town books, rumble in the jungle, and going to nursery class at church. He is still my little boyfriend and tackle hugs me every time I come home from even a short errand. He smiles pretty much all day. 

He pottied trained like a champ, except the pooping part...Every time Grandma came over for like two weeks he would have special underwear poops just for her...In all fairness that was the same time that Taryn partially chopped off her finger so I was gone a lot at Dr appointments and he had a lot of opportunities to treat Grandma to his treasures...But after a couple weeks he was a champ at that too....His favorite word is poop and he REALLY likes to yell it out during prayers or church or at stores. He thinks toots are the funniest thing on the planet and burps are a close second...

He likes getting his hair combed like the girls (either in a faux hawk or flat-he chooses) and he loves vitamins....

He is an outside boy and will play outside as long as I will let him, especially on the swings (although he doesn't particularly like being dirty). He is tough and when he gets wounded the drama only lasts a couple of seconds. He is a masterful climber and routinely challenges my catching, chasing, and saving skills.

I love when he wants to tell me something he grabs my face with his hands and forces eye contact....like every time. He speaks really well and has always been a great communicator. He has strong opinions about what to wear every day and every night...which pjs to wear is a hard choice for him so sometimes he has to wear multiple pairs at a time. 

He loves his cuddles but is still rough and tumble when he is playing around the house. He does a mean flip into the love sac. 

He is just so stinking lovable that it is no wonder we are all whooped.