Loving One Another

 

February is normally a busy month for us and the week that holds the 12th and 14th kicks it off. This month we celebrated an 8th wedding anniversary and Valentines day.  Since Brad and I have our anniversary two days before Valentines day we normally only do one celebration and do not make a big fuss over the ‘love day.’ I normally just make it special for the boys from me and hopefully as they get older they can be a little extra thoughtful towards me on this day.  I remember getting flowers and chocolates sent to me at school or work from my dad growing up so I do find it sentimental. I want to teach the boys to be romantic men that are guys guys all at the same time.  Yes, I believe the two can exist together.

I have this verse on my fridge I have been really trying to focus on lately.  As Valentines Day approached and normally we can get annoyed with this holiday as a cheesy Hallmark ploy, I thought this verse made it a good reason to emphasize this love day.  There definitely is a Godly and spiritual way to love so why not embrace the holiday and throw some Jesus reasoning into it.

1 Peter 4:8-11 says, “Most of all, LOVE ONE ANOTHER as if your life depended on it.  Love makes up for practically anything.  Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless- cheerfully.  Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it; if words, let it be Gods words; If helps, let it be God’s hearty help.  That way, God’s bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he’ll get all the credit as the one mighty in everything – encores to the end of time. Oh, yes!”

This verse has really opened me up a bit when at times it may seem easier to be all the other things that are definitely NOT  love.  Whether it be something big or small that anyone did or did not do to me or for me. Really all I want or anyone else wants is simple.  To be LOVED. To be CARED about.  When you don’t feel these things than you don’t feel good so I try to put myself in others shoes and make sure I am doing my part to make them feel these two things and that starts with my family.  This is why this verse adorns my fridge :) Love makes up for practically anything!  It is so true because when I choose to love people in spite of things I forget what those ‘in spites’ even are most of the time.  If we give love it can make up for things that other people are going through and if we receive love we can feel its power making up for our hurts we hold.  God is good and healing so I definitely loved this new reason to celebrate Valentines Day.  When we focus on agape love (God given love through us) rather than Hallmark love it is, well, lovely!

Onto our Anniversary….

15 years we have loved one another

2 months engaged

8 years married

And three blessings made!

I love you Brad Woodward!

Liz and her mom watched the boys for us so we could go out to dinner to celebrate.  We really are going to have to think of something big for 10 years.  I say that but we shall see!

They had lots of fun too…..

 

Two short days later was Valentines day and the boys celebrated with parties at school.

The boys valentines to girls as school.

Gavin’s for the boys.  I don't know why but it always bugs me when boys give boys lovey dovey saying cards to boys.  So, I distinguish between the two and this year both the boys have little crushes so I wanted to let them have “Be my Valentine” cards for the girls. 

Valentines treat from me. I wrote them each a love note on the heart and they got worms and a sticky spider.

Bradley looking at all the cards from his classmates.

Heartbreaker over here! This was a perfect Valentines shirt.  Thanks Aunt Wiz.

Testing his spider that crawls down the wall. Since then these are all practically not sticky or in the trash.  Boys are so destructive and rough.  All the more reason to teach them to be loving and romantic.

My wee Valentines.  I heart these three so much.

 

My funny Valentine.

 

The house was quiet for a second and Brad and I snuggled together.

Later that night since Brad and I had already been out and Mike was away, Liz and I had a girls date.  We saw Les Miserable's and it was breathtaking and beautiful.  We went to a neat little local theatre.  We had some wine and popcorn and just sat and watched.  Always a welcomed combination and throw your bestie in there with no kids and its even better.

That is about it.  Another great, fun and tiring week we had filled with LOVE!

Bradley lost his 1st tooth!!

The day after we got back from our weekend trip, Monday night, Bradley lost his first tooth.  I knew this tooth had been hanging on by a thread and he wanted us to pull it out that night anyways.  It was dinner time and he had apple slices on his plate with anticipation of this thing coming out.  He had been eating some apples and I noticed he was eating off to the side of his tooth.  I told him to bite right into the apple with his loose tooth.  As soon as I said that and saw him chewing I noticed the tooth was GONE!! I said “Bradley, OH NO, I don’t see it anymore, I think you swallowed it!!” I did completely what a mom should not do and freaked and it made him start crying.  Then I started crying because it was my idea for him to eat the apple and he accidentally swallowed it.  I was thinking to myself that I ruined his entire first tooth experience.  Luckily, cool and calm collected Daddy in his polite way scolded me for getting Bradley all upset and then he fixed it.  He said “ It’s OK buddy, the tooth fairy will still come tonight and leave you money.  You will also have many more teeth to fall out and put on your pillow again. About five minutes later after things were calmer and we were eating dinner I said “I am so sorry buddy, I wish I would have warned you to try and not swallow it and look out for it.  If only I would have said something sooner.  Are you SURE you didn’t feel it come out?” Then he says, “Well, I did spit some apples out in the trash because I felt something hard!” I jumped up and ran to the trash and it was right there in his chewed up apple.  Phew!! I never even saw him get up and spit apples out.  I imagine I was distracted or busy in the kitchen. I didn’t know what to happened and he didn't know what happened but when we talked it out, we figured it out! I was so thankful for our discovery we stumbled upon.  His tooth was discovers, the tears were gone and after bed the tooth fairy came! Now, if only we could find that missing tooth fairy pillow just like we found the tooth.  I don’t know how some things just grow legs and walk off?!

 

We are so excited for him.  The tooth fairy brought him $2 dollars for this being his first tooth.  One bill and 4 quarters.  He requested both forms of money at different times before, saying how it would be neat to get coins and cash! That night he had a million questions about the tooth fairy.  How would she get in?  Will she still come if Gavin is in my room? All extremely adorable because he was so excited.  He finally went to sleep and the next morning at 6 am he ran into our room and said “ Mom, the tooth fairy left me so much money! One dollar and four quarters!” Later that day after school he was still giddy over the whole thing.  He got to write his name on the board in class for the kids who have lost their teeth.  He said to me randomly after school “Can you believe it that the tooth fairy came and left me money for my tooth?!!!” grinning from ear to ear.  I said “I know buddy, it is so cool isn’t it.  I believe it!”

Snow tubing Adventure Trip

The second weekend in February we went Snow tubing.  We planned this trip mostly for Bradley as something fun to do for his Birthday instead of blowing money on a party. We also needed an excuse to see the cousins.  We don’t get to spend too much quality time with them even when we are visiting Maryland. 

We all met at Granddad's house on Friday. His mountain house as the kids refer to it.

Saturday morning we set out for our tubing adventure.

 

Easton was not liking being all puffed up in his warm clothes so he must have been mad at me and refused pictures.

This place was a little backwoods and countrified.  Its name “Moonshine Mountain” didn’t give it away or anything either.  Turns out this place is making a killing with the whole ‘enter at your own risk’ and ‘assume your own liability’ clauses.  They make the tubing hills pretty fierce.  Just by looking at it we opted to not take the three youngest kids in the family (originally I thought they could ride with us and it would be a complete family fun day ) I was completely bummed but we saved money by half of us not going.  Devon and I took the kids while the dads stayed back and watched the little kids and took them on a bounce house and dinosaur trail.

One Bradley Bear, going up!

And YES! It was super cool.  We even came off the ground and got ‘air.’ Every time I did it again and thought I knew what to expect and I would still scream my head off.

 

There was a bridge that overlooked the end of the ‘slopes,’ I guess you would call them that. Thankfully, Kyndra took some pictures for me.  I don’t have too many pictures because it was hard to tell who the tiny specks were at the top of the mountain and then she said we flew down too quick by the time she realized it was us.

We looked so silly but you flew even off the snow.  They had to build a hill up on the other side to stop you because you went so fast.

There were so crazy statue animals at this place too.  Did I mention backwoods?! ha-ha!

Later that night we sung Happy Birthday to Bradley.  Aunt Devon brought him a brownie cake.  We had no candles in the house so we used Q-tips.  I don't know how I did not get a picture of that one.  The more and more I write this post the more redneck I feel.  I should just hurry up and finish.

 

He was very tired and confused at this gift but was not rude.  He had a blank stare, was puzzled and said nothing until I explained “Aunt Devon asked me what to get you and I was trying to think of something practical not just a toy.  I said flashlights since you are always using our emergency ones and it drives Daddy crazy.  I said they are just for you and you can share if you’d like to play flashlight tag.  His face immediate lit up and all the kids ran off and turned the lights off to play with them.

 

The kids also got to ride on the gator around the farm.  This is always a fun exploration for them.

        

  

Here are all the kids tackling Uncle Billy.

We left Sunday morning to drive back home. It was back to school and work on Monday. I am glad the kids got to have a day off of school and have this adventure.  Now they can say they have been snow tubing and loved it!

Record it?

 

I am not doing to great at the latter part of this statement.  Let me see if I can catch up since the beginning of February.

The first Friday of the month Bradley had a Pep Rally at school.  They made it into a bid deal and as a stay at home mom I try to make these things.  Turns out a handful of parents were there and Bradley barely even noticed me and his brothers.  He was too busy sitting next to Aaaavvvvaaaa! One out of the two ‘girlfriends’ he has in his class.  Anyways, Gavin loved the Pep Rally and didn't want to go.  When we were leaving he said ‘but we didn't go to Bradley's pepper rally’ and I said ‘yes, we just did, that was it!’ and he said ‘nuh-uh, they didn't have pizza!’ I was laughing realizing he thought I called it pepper rally not just that he was pronouncing it there and he thought it stood for pepperoni rally and it was a pizza party!! You gotta love that kid.  Bradley gota kick out of it too when I told him what he said.

We found this really cool tree at Bradley’s school and now I intend to go back and take more pictures there.  It is so neat and carefree feeling.

Easton showing his teeth for one of the last cute chicklet pictures I have of him.  Now he looks like this….

I don't know how it happened but we took a trip to Granddads this month and as we were leaving on Sunday morning I turned around and saw this. It was not like that on Saturday at bed. It wasn't an emergency since thankfully he is OK so I could only get the earliest dentist appointment for March.  We will see what his dentist says and I hope she can do something like file it a little.  Otherwise, he wont be losing this tooth for another 4 years or more. I was in tears for a day but already I think I have come to terms with it if this is his smile for that long. 

Super Bowl Sunday we had Brad’s new boss visit.  Doc Johnson.  He and his wife are the sweetest.  He brought me flowers and the boys cupcakes for each football team. Uncle JJ as the boys call him loved reading to the boys and wrestling with them.  His two sons are all grown up so he welcomed this opportunity.

Easton wearing the icing from the cupcakes.

 

Mommy and Daddy got to do story time the next night.  No, really, we had no choice.  Did I mention Easton was bossy ever?! He demands you read to him.

One last shot of Bradley’s loose tooth and Easton showing interest in the potty. He is wanting to so I need to break down and stay cooped up for two days and teach him.

 

Somewhere in there we had some really amazing weather and I saw Gavin and Easton playing quietly behind a tree with sticks and pinecones.

 

They love their big brother and think its cool he gets to go to school.  They get very upset with me if he leaves and they didn't get a kiss.

Bradley is also in a wrestling club as they are here in NC.  He started last fall and we try to go once or twice a week.  He is still learning all the drills and moves before we enter him into any tournaments.

I really hope one of the boys like this sport as their own.  I really enjoyed growing up around wrestling.  Although, I will say it makes me cringe to see your children get all twisted up!

Lastly, some silly moments.