oh, valentimes

yes, yes. i know. i misspelled valentines. but, on purpose. artistic liberties and everything.

anyway, february has added further proof that 2011 might really be our year. i submit the evidence for your review.

our valentine photo shoot: lucas, jacob

and isaac.

exhibit a: we completed our annual valentine cards with relative timeliness. it was not our most creative year, but the punctuality may have compensated. isaac was very excited by the arrival of valentine's day this year. he addressed one of his classroom valentines to "maddy-cakes" and although i pointed out that he might want to use her given name of madelyn, he assured me that "it's ok. i call her that. she'll like it." we haven't heard from maddy-cakes' parents, so i'm going to assume no harm, no foul. he also made several homemade valentines for jacob's former teacher, in addition to writing me a love letter for an assignment. i love a romantic soul, don't you?

exhibit b: our laptop was "fixed" for 2 hours. then, "broke" again. then, was FIXED, again. total cost... zero. if you see becky at the roseville apple store, feel free to give her a kiss from the blackard family. if you see ragain, who negotiated the gratis repair from becky, give him a solid pat on the back. we're gonna have words if you try to kiss him.

exhibit c: february has been a sweet feast. lemon-raspberry cheesecake, moose munch, key lime gelato & graham cracker sandwiches, coconut cookies, red velvet cupcakes and girl scout cookies. xoxoxoxo

exhibit d: lucas shocked me one day by singing this song out loud. it felt like a gift to my heart and i wish i could have folded that moment like a note in my pocket.

the next day, he got frustrated when i made a phone call in a parking lot after promising him a happy meal, and shouted, "hey, mom! let's play drive the car!" i really appreciated his mary poppins spin on getting me to hang up and drive.

exhibit e: jacob discovered the marvels of mc hammer. he has fully embraced "too legit to quit" and likes to shout "break it down!" during "can't touch this". this makes me laugh and cry at the same time (aka putting one foot into crazytown).

exhibit f: i may have convinced the boys that showering in our room is more fun than taking a bath in (and flooding) their bathroom. how did i do it? as isaac says, "i have absolutely no idea". budding genius or exploitation of a novel environment? you decide.

exhibit g: i still believe this is our year. i also believe in the power of positive thinking.

there. i rest my case.