VALENTINE'S DAY WEEK.....

This past week was filled with excitement.  We started the week at Coop's preschool where they held a fundraiser for Cooper's Cause Foundation.  For the past month they sat out jars and collected spare change.  On Monday they presented us with a check for $231!!!  We are always so touched by support like this and for these little kids to raise this much money was really something.  Cooper is really starting to understand what the foundation is all about which makes things like this even more special.

Tuesday was Valentine's Day which means a whole day of love.  The kids started their morning with pancakes with heart made on them with pink frosting, Dad did a great job on these.  We also started them off with a few gifts.

Valentine's Day also means school parties which I was able to be at, yea!

After the parties it was "Grand" Day at the book fair.  This is a day they get to invite someone special to go to the book fair with them.  This year Raelynn invited Aunt Karli.  They had a lot of fun with the camera I think :) Not to mention Aunt Karli completely spoiled Raelynn with books!

By the way, the theme was Luau in case you were wondering about the outfits!

Valentine's Day also brought quite a lesson for both Raelynn and I.  Raelynn decided she wanted to buy a couple of her friends a Valentine's Day gift with her own money.  I took her to Walgreens to pick out a little something.  When we got there she fell in love with these stuffed dogs that were much bigger of a gift then I thought necessary.  She and I went back and forth about it for some time.  She wasn't changing her mind.  I finally "put my foot down" and just told her no that she was not spending that much money on these gifts.  Then in a completely mature manner my 6 year old daughter says to me, "Mom you always say it is more important to give to others than to keep for ourselves and Valentine's Day is a day to show others how much you care about them.  I want to use the money that I have saved, that you say we can use to buy anything we want, to by these dogs for my friends to show them I care about them."  I stood there in the middle of the store face to face with my daughter and had nothing more to say.  She was right and with calm reasoning like that, I could no longer stand my ground.  I complimented her on her calm tone, persistency and use of my lessons against me and with a smile helped her carry the dogs to the cash register.  I knew I had made the right decision when she gave the girls their gifts.  I don't even know what the reaction of the girls were but the face of my daughter as she gave them was all I needed to know that she got more joy out of giving those gifts than she had received all day from the gifts Terry and I had given her.

This weekend was pretty good.  I got caught up on a few things and found even more that needed done.  I sometimes really think all weekends should be at least 3 days long.  There just is simply not enough time in two days to get everything done that needs done and do all the things I want to with the kids.  Coop has found a new love, the Wii.  He just started playing it and loves to golf, bowl, play baseball and even tennis.  After today, I think Terry and I have decided there may need to be some time restriction placed on the Wii. It is just so funny how different Raelynn and Coop are.  We never would have to limit the Wii with Raelynn as a little Mario Cart once in awhile and she has her fix.  Anyway, all in all, the weekend was great and we are ready to face the week ahead!