When push comes to mud

I have a love-hate relationship with mud which is not the case with four of the five little Valentines. My orders when I lock them out in the backyard usually include "Do NOT make mud & do not hang on Arlo's swing & do not dig in that one spot that Daddy always gets onto you for destroying any chance at growing grass & do not rip the flowers out when you succumb to a wild lizard hunt." I hate when I'm full of rules & regulations but there have to be some.... especially when it comes to mud! I only "lock" them in the backyard to keep Arlo inside with me since he can open the door & it is currently driving me crazy!

 

A few things that must be present to convince me I'm up for the muddy mess are as follows: warm enough weather to strip down & hose off in the yard, an empty washing machine ready to take on a big load, at least a few minutes to scrub mud off the backdoor windows, and on this day the most important box to check was having a camera on hand.

 

I gave the go ahead & they went to town. It was a joy filled bit of time full of laughter not only between them but also with me.

 

 

by far my favorite picture

Arlo & Bella Blue were a little concerned....

Once Owen swiped his cheek with a glob of mud he realized it was quite fun.

It was that good thick mud (if you couldn't tell) that hardens in record time in 85 degree weather.  It was like peeling off a mask as I attempted to clean up Eloise, my aboriginal child. With all the clean up I figured it was worth everyone's skin being exfoliated...maybe I will join in next time. I say that jokingly but it could be really fun. I love when I jump into whatever they are doing & they are totally surprised although then I feel guilty that I don't do it more often.

 

It's easy to be busy & not allow time for messes. It's easy (and not looked down upon around here) to tell them they all have to sit down & watch a TV show so they will stop causing trouble. I feel so ridiculous when they are begging to play outside but I know things will go south very fast while I attempt to cook dinner so I force them to zone out. We say "use tv as a tool" & on some weeks it is an abused tool ; ) All that to say, when push comes to mud there are sure to be dirty but smiling faces!

A cross, a bunny & a celebration

Held between little fingers with peeled off nail polish is a cross, a symbol of the good news that Jesus came to rescue sinners, he died, he rose & he lives & will reign forever. There is nothing greater to celebrate than this. With each passing year a kid (or five) are slightly more mature than before, asking more in depth questions is causing us to ask ourselves how to best help them understand the beauty of the gospel.

This year with the help of The Village Church we had a new & extremely simple aid that Owen, Eloise & Anson really enjoyed. They each had a little canvas bag full of items to represent a part of the story of Jesus' death & resurrection. Along with all these (choking hazardous) items that Arlo LOVED was a book with pictures of the items, a verse from the bible & how it represents that part of the story. Within 24 hours they had the order memorized & for the following week they requested our reading to accompany the lined up items multiple times a day....that's where Charlotte & her reading skills came in handy ; ) There was a nail-like piece that after poked against each others hands & feet provoked a lot of conversation about the pain Jesus endured on our behalf.

Anson was found filling his empty egg (empty tomb) with as many other items as possible, it made us laugh. We so enjoyed revisiting this story in a new way with our brood. In years past we made our own set of Resurrection Eggs which were great when the girls were much younger. Owen & Anson would have enjoyed them but last time we gave it a try they spilled the beans everyday. It was time for a change for this year.

All three boys made these pictures at school. Mrs. Sue is a brave woman that most weeks helps these little boys & girls paint. I'm so glad because finger paint is on the low end of my list to increase our excitement during the day.

At the Nest, we read, read, read & then we read some more so I have started to put our favorite seasonal books at eye level on the built-in behind the kitchen table. Here's what we have for the spring time:

• A Nest is Noisy by Diana Aston- We LOVE all of her nature focused books with beautiful illustrations & fun facts
• The Tale of Peter Rabbit & other stories by Beatrix Potter- This copy was a gift to me in 1984 from my Grandma Shirley & my Paw Paw that Arlo Benton is named after.
• Baby Wren and the Great Gift by Sally Lloyd Jones- I cry EVERY time I read this aloud. You just need to get your hands on a copy.
• Bunny's First Spring by Sally Lloyd Jones - This woman is also the author of the tear-provoking book above & The Jesus Storybook Bible.
• The donkey who carried a King by R.C. Sproul- We've had this around for a long time.
• The Tale of Three Trees: A traditional Folktale by Angela Elwell Hunt - A great story that brings about conversation around parts of the Easter story.
• The Best Nest by PD Eastman- A long time favorite of not only our kids but from my growing up years as well AND it is what inspired the name "The Valentine Nest"
• Guess How much I love you by McBratney & Jeram- This is a fairly popular sweet story.
• Bunnies by Richard Scarry- This book has always been a cute one to have around but really took on a new meaning this Spring. I'll give you a clue....combine the name of the book "Bunnies" with the name of the author "SCARY!" maybe it's pronounced "scah-ree" but for the direction we're going, the first mentioned pronunciation is oh so accurate.

In our side garden along the garage lived a little lizard named Rosebud. At that point we had spent multiple hours a day for two weeks playing with her which means we had done extensive searches for Rosebud & her friends (or enemies). She deserves to be featured in her own post since she was the best lizard to ever scamper the earth. One Saturday Eloise & was outside with just Rob & me. She squealed to get our attention & we being a little sick of chasing these lightning fast little reptiles told her we weren't going to look that time. She convincingly beckoned us with her wide eyes & grin & we followed her fingertips as she held back some flowers to reveal a tiny black eye. I jumped & squealed much like her. It was not only one baby bunny but TWO! They had their little burrow all snug & stuffed with rabbit fur & our children could not be happier to have found our new guests. They looked to be about a month old & were sooooo precious. We happily read The Tale of Peter Rabbit & the Bunnies book which had a perfect matching picture of a cotton-tail bunny. I laughed at the page that said "Rabbits have big families" that had about 100 little bunnies popping their heads up between blades of grass. I was picturing that number in in our garden! This is kind of a long story but I think it's worth sharing, at least for our crew to remember someday.

On Monday morning as we were getting ready for school I had told the kids to not go back outside again but they opened the door & were wandering around in the wet grass WITH BELLA. Within seconds Eloise was screaming some combination of the words Bella, bunny & help which got my legs moving & my heart beating faster than they had all year long. I ran to the far side of the yard to see a little bunny hopping as fast as her legs could carry her which was actually really fast. I was shocked to see our twelve year old lazy dog right on her puffy tail. All the kids were screaming like maniacs (at 7:00 in the morning next door to our retired neighbors) & come to think of it, I was screaming too like it would make any difference at all. I tackled Bella a moment too late but got her to drop the bunny after a little love nibble as I decided to call it. Thankfully Robby was halfway across the yard telling me to lay on Bella till he could grab her. Anson was next to me, watching this horrified little bunny trying to hop away, squeaking & failing miserably. The rest of the kids were panic stricken on the porch while Rob tried to get them all inside. In the process as he held Arlo in one arm & dragged the 75 pound huntin' dog into the house he hooked his leg around Anson the shoo him inside. He was so mad that Daddy "kicked" him. He talked about it ALL day! He also told everyone else about how cute it was that the bunny was squeaking. If he only knew!

Back to the bunny. I scooped her up & carried her over to the garden. Robby came back out & we sat her down to see if she was moving her back legs & she was not. I was completely distraught. We decided to tuck her back in & re-evaluate in a bit. We didn't share the full story with the kids but I know they were concerned when I couldn't fully calm down. I may have over-reacted. We headed off to school & were over-joyed at lunchtime when Robby texted a to say he could see the "love-nibble" marks but the bunny was moving around just fine. We check in again later & decided to relocate them to the neighborhood forest the following morning. The kids of course wanted to keep them as pets saying that there are predators in the woods. We tried to convince all that Bella was quite the predator. Anson reiterated his concern that the predators were zebras, tigers & monkeys. I was actually thinking about owls rather than jungle animals & singing to myself "The Circle of Life" still feeling a little sad but over it. So, the next morning the girls donned rain boots, they captured the wild cotton tails & took them to their new home. Robby said they hopped away SO fast...I might have too remembering the previous 24 hours! Here is the animal rescue team. Charlotte was heartbroken & only smiled for the picture.

It was a great sigh of relief for this mother when it was all over! We moved along through the week & were excited to participate in a worship service that weekend.  It was our first time to go since moving back due to illness. One year Charlotte threw up as we were about to walk out the door, so sad & so defeating that we were only making it to worship seemingly once a month due to someone being sick. So we put on our Easter best which is way on the casual side & were on our way! It was a little ironic that all the kids started with a stomach bug the following day. We are skipping out on that service from now on ; ) We were able to go on Saturday evening then had a spontaneous (because that's what you do when your kids aren't sick) dinner at Chick-fil-A with another family. Sunday morning we enjoyed breakfast together then headed over to the Valentines to share a meal & an Easter Egg hunt...or five. Here are the bunnies...

Our oldest & our youngest "babies" because at 7, you're still a baby right? ; )

Mr. Cutie got a kick out of this egg collection  business & the twins cracked us up struggling to play the colder, colder, warmer, warmer, so hot, on fire game.

We hid & re-hid, Owen ate all his candy while no one paid him any attention & we all enjoyed a little old fashioned, traditional fun.

Aunt Anne & Caroline joined us for lunch. We always enjoy our time with them & thankfully, she was up for coloring....my hand needed a break. Anne's oldest son is a Marine & is stationed in Okinawa, Japan right now. The kids LOVE him & wish he would be there for every holiday. The week following Easter we were playing the "What if" game & I asked the kids if they could fly anywhere on a plane that day, where would they go. The answers are as follows: Anson- Candy Land, Owen- Ice Cream Land, Eloise- South Africa & Charlotte- "I would fly straight to Japan so I could spend time with Jack." Sweet girl. I messaged Jack later to tell him thank you for serving our country, that he was dearly missed & apologize that Candy Land & Ice Cream Land won over him! He replied that he & his friends might choose Candy Land & Ice Cream Land too, hahaha!

While singing with others & having the truth of the bible spoken to us over the weekend coupled with the fact that Steve, Jenny, our nieces & nephew are in Poland, Jack is in Japan, others we love are in Australia & the Philippines, we are reminded of people all over the world celebrating the God that reigns over the heavens & the earth. He has always been & forever will be. He is worthy of honor & praise. He gave his son that we might know him & it is to that end we share his story with others. Resurrection Sunday is a day to celebrate that life changing event but really, it is to be celebrated everyday.

Celebrating Owen & Anson

 Bam! They are FOUR! They are a double bundle of energy & relished in every bit of the celebrating on the 8th of the month. As worn out as we feel at the end of any given day it is NOTHING compared to those newborn days long ago!

 

Charlotte stayed up late with the me the night before the special morning & we decorated & got the table set. It was fun to have a buddy & remember what it was like to be my mom's buddy. The morning came quickly as it always seems to do around here. The big four year olds hopped in our bed at seven & we gave them a birthday snuggle before going downstairs. I was all ramped up for excited squeals & thankfulness for all of the time spent making their morning special. Instead Owen got a little grumpy & they both got into a 20 minute argument with us about how they were still three. They were serious, haha! That "it's hard to be three" statement had carried on into being four ; )

 

Here they are finally smiling after they succumbed to the fact that it was their birthday..... 

 

a little Anson headlock to remind Owen that he ruled in utero.

The reward for smiling was the Valentine birthday breakfast of cinnamon rolls & sausage balls. This was the third year of Anson continuing to talk about his birthday candles while Owen blew his own out. Following whatever he was sharing, we had to remind him (again) of the task at hand. Makes us laugh every time.

The sun was bright & shining much like the morning they were born. Arlo joined the party partway into breakfast.

Owen & Anson have been really into trains lately & got a few new additions. Our goal was to build a track that included every piece & we (and by we, I mean I) did a fantastic job ; )

You can imagine how helpful this cutie was. It was like having a real life Godzilla tearing through our track knocking over trees & bridges but instead of roaring he was giggling.

Owen & Anson have had a Paw Patrol shirts for the past two years that were worn with their "cozies" as they called them. The shirts were stained with everything possible & had holes under the arms. The "cozies" were cotton camo pants, size 2T with holes in the knees & on their four year old leggies looked like they were perfect for flood season.  So we hooked them up with a new shirt & "cozies." It was painful to put the other ones in the trash but they have transitioned well to the new clothes.

 

We had a FaceTime birthday call with Grammy & Papa after we played with the trains. They shared that they were headed to the Arboretum & we decided to crash the party. It is not often that we decide to go somewhere of that nature off the cuff but I packed our lunch & we were out the door. That's when things got interesting.

 

When we were arriving & I was getting a stroller set up & keeping five kids safe on our trek to the entrance I received three phone calls in a row. Two from 1-800 number & one with a Dallas area code. As usual I let them go to voicemail. About 20 minutes later I got another call & then decided I should listen to the message. It started like this "Hello Mrs. Valentine, this is Officer so & so from the police department. I am at your house having responded to an alarm." I hung up immediately & called him back. The backdoor had been blown open by the wind since I apparently did not verify it was locked.

 

He went onto share that he walked through the entire house & it did not appear that anything of value was missing. He also commented that the living areas looked a little awry (go figure) & that the only thing that seemed  really out of place was a table on it's side partly blocking the doorway to the stairwell. I confirmed that it was a makeshift baby gate to confine Godzilla. I was mortified that someone walked through my house on the morning that we made a split decision & ran out the door thirty minutes later! It was a WRECK! A wreck of a house was better than having a real break-in though. The other completely out of place room was the "library" where our entire kitchen cabinet contents were unloaded due to recent painting. Again, what a mess! Thankfully he set the alarm, locked up & wished me well.

 

Even with that unexpected hiccup in our day we had a lovely time with Grammy, Papa & their friends visiting from Michigan. We walked across the entire Arboretum to bid them farewell & then I almost died. The boys were already really tired so I loaded them into the double stroller with the smallest wheels ever, strapped Arlo on my back in the Ergo & began the trip back to our entrance. Within minutes I was wishing I could steal one of the million double Bob strollers that were passing by pushed by mothers with ease. I honestly was not sure if I would make it but I did! We decided to forgo the children's area much their dismay but I let them play in the fountain before we left. It was super fun especially for Arlo who had never enjoyed spraying water. Our Florida babies enjoyed the Downtown Celebration fountain year round. He was brave, got blasted in the face multiple times & laughed going back for more.

 

Here are two of whom I tag-teamed the crew with.

 

By the time we were out of the parking lot...

 

After an afternoon movie, a surprise pizza dinner & some good baths everyone was ready to be tucked in tight for the night. I had the lights off & was singing to the birthday boys when I told them about how much I loved meeting them four years ago. I talked about how tiny they were but they were healthy & strong just the way many had prayed for them to be. They couldn't quite understand how small 3 & 5 pound babies are so I pulled out one of our favorite outfits they wore in the NICU. They were shocked & we all could not stop laughing.

Since birthdays should drag on as long as possible we celebrated the weekend before while we were in Kingwood & then the weekend after with Grammy & Papa.

 

It was a fun week & we were glad those two finally believed they were actually four! We love them.

A smattering of Christmas

Now that the Christmas décor has been packed away for next year, Valentine's Day has come & gone with no card sent out.... it's time to record the rest of the celebrating from THREE months ago!  Due to all seven of us cycling through colds & coughing we were homebound which ended up being quite relaxing. Robby was off for nearly two weeks which was also relaxing. Christmas morning was quiet or as quiet as it can be with our bunch. We enjoyed sausage balls & cinnamon rolls then let the kiddos open their gifts.

A few highlights... a rotary phone for Arlo just so the kids can know how far we've come when they enjoy their allotted game time on my iPhone. Eloise received a cozy blanket which conveniently doubles as a winter hat. If you look closely in the picture above you will notice a snake on Eloise's head. That was a replacement for a stretchy dinosaur her brothers broke the week before Christmas. There were many tears & she was delighted to find a new one all wrapped up with a bow on top. When I asked them to sit down for a picture she said "Hold on! I want to be Pharaoh!"

Oh Arlo, just a little guy looking out the window dreaming of a white Christmas.

Owen & Anson use just about everything possible as a fishing pole or crane. Shoe laces, a measuring tape, a jump rope, mini blind strings & the one that got me the most worked up....the power cable for my mini electric shoulder heater (for lack of a better title). I walked around the corner & it was dangling from the top banister of the stair case! We decided to tunnel their creativity to trains & came across a crane addition to the track coupled with cars that carry magnetic cargo. It has been used & fought over which means it was a great gift! Charlotte's favorite gift other than a new Lego Elves set was her own set of earbuds. They figured out how to share the beats on the way to Grammy & Papa's house that afternoon.

The kids exchanged names & gave one gift to another. They were so kind & grateful for what they received. It actually made me teary eyed. We strive to teach them how to have a thankful heart & there was a glimmer of hope that morning bringing to mind that the Lord is working in us & through us. Anson received a tow truck from Owen & it was a big hit. So far it has pulled around monster trucks, all those "fishing poles" & a 6 ft long magformer/Brio train combo. Arlo really liked chasing that thing down the hallway. It's so fun to have a destructive little toddler in the house!

Destructive toddler captured for a moment...

Charlotte spent day after day making books for each person in our family plus grandparents & great Grandmothers. They showcased pictures of each thing she likes about the holiday or something she likes to do with the person the book was for. They were sweet & meticulously wrapped. 

It's always funny to us that the least expensive gift often gets most of the attention. We bought the boys $5 "clampers" as they named them. They picked up everything possible in the house & pulled chairs to be underneath the tree branches pretending to pick fruit. When asked to clean up toys they would move as slow as molasses picking up each individual toy. I guess it was good practice for hand-eye coordination even if it drove us crazy! Sadly they used these nifty toys to turn lights off & on leaving them a wee bit wiggly. It took us a awhile to pinpoint the cause but I do find it funny.

Even Bella got a gift this year. We picked out a new box of treats from a company called "Blue Dog Bakery" which was just right for Bella Bella Blue Dog. Charlotte loves to let her eat them on the carpet which keeps me busy with the vacuum. That doggie looked a little tense being photographed in her old age ; )

We spent Christmas afternoon & evening at the Valentine's & how on earth I didn't take a single picture is beyond me but we had a wonderful time! Aunt Anne three of her four joined us. The kids missed cousin Jack who is serving overseas as a U.S. Marine. He pays a lot of attention to them which makes me happy. Bob cooked us a whole smorgasbord of meats & side dishes. We were stuffed & took dessert home!

We accidently left Candycane, Elo's new snake. We didn't realize until we got home & the new snake mother was completely distraught. We called Grammy & Papa & they did a thorough search inside & outside the house which included but not limited to the garden & around the shed in the backyard, under the furniture & between the cushions on the couch & against my orders they cut all the trash bags open!  It's like they were looking for a real snake! Rewind to late elementary school they did do a similar search for a Ball Python named Reggie who belonged to my husband. They eventually found him curled up under the desk where Bob had been sitting.....gives me the chills just thinking about it! After all the ridiculous searching Anson (out of nowhere) said with a surprised look on his face "Candycane? I know where she is!" We should not doubt him since this was not the first time he claimed to know where a missing item was & was right....but we did. We decided to get Grammy & Papa on FaceTime & reveal it's suspected location which happened to be in the microwave of the play kitchen. She opened it up & bam, there was that little Candycane all curled up! It should have been the first place extensively searched due to the fact that snakes like to be warm. Anyway, we left the sneaky snake in care of the Valentines while we headed to Kingwood for a few days.

Our drive was uneventful & we arrived with a happy bunch to greet the happy bunch waiting on the driveway! We got the BEST picture we have ever had with all five kids. Robby & I don't even have one where every single pair of eyes is looking at the camera & each has a natural smile across their little face. The picture is even better because two of the Ellis family of kids stuffed animals snuck were included. Eloise had Serabi from Lion King & Anson had an orangutan that he called an "orangu-tainer" the whole time. It was one of those hilariously adorable words that we refused to correct. We just asked him more often what kind of animal he was so we could hear it again. This is probably why our children still say ""yogret" instead of yogurt. So there they are, happy & smiling!

Scott & Kyle took charge of putting together a basket full of tropical island themed gifts for the newly retired couple who were to leave for a lovely vacation just a week later. It included some necessities like a whale sounds cd, Jaws DVD & of course something to block out all those bright rays! Charlotte thinks it's hilarious to cross her eyes. I'm pretty sure she will think the same looking back when she is 14 ; )

There were many other gifts exchanged but one really stood out. Who knew you could buy a Cousin It doll? We had to show the kids a clip of Cousin It when Eloise styled her new dolls hair as pictured & placed the glasses in the appropriate spot. The doll's given name is Phoebe. I refer to her as Phoebe Buffay as I reminisce about the late 90's. She has received plenty of attention & not just from Eloise. I have found two boys either attempting to brush her hair or taking turns putting the glasses on & laughing at each other. Sometimes when I walk in the girls room & ask Eloise how Phoebe is doing she moves something off the floor, points at her & says "She's alright, just feeling lazy today."

We always spends loads of time outside & this trip was no different since it was about 80 degrees on Christmas Day! Sometimes I think we still live in Florida! Out of all the parks we frequent in our area of town I have yet to find a true see-saw which is a shame. It is so very fun to try to distribute weight  evenly with five wiggly kids! Gaga kept the littlest safe.

While Gaga took care of Arlo at the playground, Uncle Scott transported him home.

Our time there always seems to go so quickly. We ended it by celebrating my mom's 60th birthday with a delicious adult only dinner....hard to come by these days! We bid them farewell then made it home to ring in the new year in the new casa.

Over the break we were able to spend some time with Auntie Deb, Uncle Joe & cousin Keaton who gifted the boys with their own golf clubs which were a big hit, no pun intended. No one has been injured yet woohoo!



It was quite special to spend time with both Great Grandmas! Gigi was down from Michigan for nearly a month & was able to spend a couple nights here. She and Grammy kept all five while Rob & I spent a whole day away, it was fantastic. Gigi had the kids running laps in the backyard....also fantastic.



A visit from GGran brings smiles to each and every Valentine! Owen is holding up his very own handmade paper-crafted wallet with five dollars in it! That is lots of money for a little guy. The boys combined their cash to purchase a set of Dinotrux characters.

Phew, I am sure glad I wrote the bulk of this post at least 6 weeks ago! I barely remember any of those details...it was like hearing it for the first time ; )