happy valentines day

I haven't had much to write about, but things are good. Rachel's doing pretty well at school (if you overlook a few random mishaps that shall remain unnamed, for the sake of her privacy--I feel like I need to start protecting that a little bit on this blog as she gets older and can now read this blog on her own if she wants to), Rebecca is her usual talk-all-day self, losing pieces of toys and making us laugh, and I'm busy trying new recipes and keeping my house clean (two of my goals for the new year....still going strong).

Last weekend we went to visit my family, since my brother was home from NYC for the first time since summer, and it was a chance for all of us to get together to celebrate my mom's birthday a few days late. It was like Christmas without the presents....lots of people, cousins for my girls to play with, a full house, and lots of fun. And I don't have a single picture. :(

My husband and I are planning our first (sans kids) vacation in several years. He wanted me to choose where I wanted to go, since he usually does the planning. I've been pondering it for months (I really hate making decisions) and I finally decided to go to Mackinac Island. I've wanted to go ever since I was a teenager and saw "Somewhere In Time." (And it needed to be somewhere we could drive in a day, because I didn't want to spend money on airfare or waste my husband's few vacation days driving, and this fit the bill.). Now that I finally have the decision made, I'm looking forward to planning it. Until now, I haven't been because it was too stressful to try and decide where, but now that I've decided, I'm excited about the planning.

So my husband surprised me last night with these....

So, Happy Valentines Day to me!  And to you....  Rachel's been talking about it for a long time, because if you know her, you know how she loves a holiday! This morning she gave me my first valentine that she made completely by herself, on her own accord, and hid days ago in her room. She made one for each of us. I love it!