Sick on Valentines Day

I would like to say this was the best Valentine's Day ever, but I can't, so I will say it was the sickest Valentine's Day ever. It all started on Thursday when we found out Paige had strep. Then on Friday night Hollyn was up all night throwing up, so the next morning I took her to the doctor and we found out she had strep too. I was feeling sick on Saturday and decided to go to the doctor too. Fortunately I didn't have strep, but by the end of the day I was certain I did have the flu. The kind of flu when your whole body aches and your stomach is in knots. Mine and Hollyn's diet consisted of gingerale and saltines for the day. Well to top it all off Dan was up all night Saturday throwing up with the stomach flu So for Valentine's Day we stayed home from church sick and trying to recover. We drank lots of gingerale, ate lots of saltines and took many naps. Dan surprised us all on Saturday with Valentine's Day gifts. Usually we don't get each other gifts so it was a surprise and a good one at that. Hollyn got some smelly colored pencils and a Fancy Nancy sticker book. Paige got a book and a little dog she calls Pup Pup. (which she now takes naps with and sleeps with. It's the cutest thing ever to go in their and see her little hand wrapped around it) Lastly, Dan got me some slippers, which I badly needed, and one of my new favorite books These is my words. Dan nailed every single one of the gifts. He is really thoughtful when it comes to gifts.
On Tuesday we finally made our annual heart shaped sugar cookies when a few of her friends were over for playgroup. I should have taken a picture of my house afterwards and the cookies. They were both full of frosting and lots and lots of sprinkles. I guess you can never have enough sprinkles on your cookies or on your floor. The girls had a great time though and they always have so much time together.

Daddy Daughter Valentines Dance

On Friday Dan and Hollyn went to the Daddy Daughter Valentines Dance at the YMCA. It has become a tradition for them to go each year, and every year Hollyn comes home beaming from ear to ear. Hollyn loves to dress up in her favorite dress and Dan even lets her pick out his clothes too. This year Dan came out in jeans and a nice button down shirt and asked Hollyn if she like what he picked out. She looked at him and said, "Dan, I really want you to wear your Easter tie." So Dan went back in the closet and got out his Easter tie and nicer clothes. They had a great time dancing and eating cake, m&m's, candy hearts, and drinking punch. Hollyn couldn't stop talking about it for days. She sure loves her dad. When they got home from the dance Hollyn was able to stay up late because she had earned her 40 Broadbent Beans. Each day she has the opportunity to earn beans by making her bed, putting her toys away, being a good helper, clearing her dishes, practicing her letters and so forth. She can also loose beans for not making great choices. Every time she earns 40 beans she gets to stay up later and watch a movie of her choice. This time we watched Image That and had home made ice cream shakes. It was a cute movie that Dan and I even enjoyed.

I love to read!!

I have loved to read ever since my 5th grade and 6th grade teacher Mr.and Mrs. Barnette introduced me to great children's novels like Hatchet, Maniac Magee, Number the Stars and many more. A good book can really change you. A comedy can put you in a good mood and make you laugh out loud. A drama can make you cry and be thankful for what you have. A good action novel can keep you on the edge of your seat and keep you reading until you loose track of time. A good romance can have your heart pounding and put a smile on your face. Very rarely do you find a book that does all of these things and changes your life at the same time. I just finished one of those rare books, it was called These is my words.
It was an amazing story about a strong women who overcame everything you can image during the settling of the AZ territories. She was the kind of women I hope that I will be someday and the kind of women I hope I would have been if I was alive during this time. She was brave, doing anything she could do to protect her family, without a second thought. She was honest and true to herself. She was strong and never shirked her duties or let someone tell her she couldn't do something. She was smart, always trying to learn and extend her knowledge about the things around her. She was religious. She was kind, always taking care of other and seeing everyone as equal. She loved with all of her heart, not only to her children but more importantly towards her husband. I hope that I have or can gain a fraction of this women's character. If you haven't read this book it's a must read. Hopefully it will change you as it has me. I hope the sequel is as good.