Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Life Lately | Valentine's Weekend & 31 Weeks

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This past weekend was such a fun one. Busy... but really good. The kind of days that make you wish you could slow the hands of time and hold onto moments just a little longer.

On Friday we started the fun off by going to a little Valentine's party/play date at a neighbor's house. The plan was to frost heart-shaped sugar cookies and let the kids play, and it was such an incredibly warm and beautiful day that we were able to let them do everything outside. Klair globbed the frosting and m&ms on (no surprise there) and dumped about an entire containers worth of sprinkles onto her creation. I was worried that the sugar overload would interfere with her ability to nap, but she ran off her surplus of energy chasing the other kids. And, luckily by the time nap time rolled around, she crashed from her sugar high and had a nice long rest. I used this time to get the house cleaned and myself ready for a lovely little date night out on the town with my handsome husband.

We decided to celebrate our romantic version of Valentine's on Friday because, let's face it, it's kind of impossible to get a babysitter on the actual holiday. Sam's little brother and his wife kindly offered to come and watch Klair, and we headed out for some much-needed alone time. We visited our favorite Japanese restaurant, grabbed some delicious dessert, and contemplated a movie. Nothing looked all that appealing to us, so we opted to spend the evening driving around and just talking (going for a stroll in the park did not seem feasible to my pregnant self so late in the evening--night time is not my most energetic hour).  It was extremely pleasant and romantic. When we came home Klair was happily in bed and asleep, and my in-laws had even helped her make a cute little Valentine for us. We really are spoiled in the family babysitter department!

Klair is always a little sad when we leave, but so excited to spend time with the people she loves. I promised before I left that I would come in her room and give her a kiss once I got home, so I did (mostly so I wouldn't be lying when I told her the next morning that I had done so because he would most definitely grill me on the subject). When I went into her room she didn't fully wake up. She simply gave me a couple sleepy little "yeahs" as I informed her we were home and loved her. The next morning when she did wake up she came in our room exclaiming "mama and dada, you came back!" and then proceeded to sing the Daniel Tiger tune "Grooownups come back!" (we love that show).

Saturday morning I woke up ridiculously early to try out a new brioche bread recipe in my bread machine. My thought was to use this to make homemade french toast for a festive little Valentine's breakfast. Unfortunately my efforts were in vain and it didn't turn out. Come to think of it, I should have taken a picture and entered it into the "Pinterest fails" hall of fame. When my family woke up we settled for our usual oatmeal. Then, we headed out for an entire day of spreading Valentine's cheer.

Knowing that we would be spending the love holiday together, we decided to focus our love outward on deserving recipients that we don't see as often as we should--our grandparents (Klair's great grandparents). Two of our grandmas are currently living in assisted living facilities, so we visited with them first--spending the morning with my grandma and the afternoon with Sam's. We took them the cupcakes we made (see previous post) and some homemade Valentine cards that Klair colored and covered with Frozen stickers (a very meaningful gesture for her to show love as these stickers are her prized possessions). Without a car, Sam's grandma is pretty confined to her space so we took her to lunch. She chose Denny's, and Klair was a happy little camper with her pancakes and a doting, loving grandma.

That evening we went to Sam's other grandparents house, and Klair and her great grandma bonded tremendously over silly noises and fun little games. It was a pleasant evening so we spent it sitting in their garden. It made me realize that we need to make more time for these wonderful people in our lives. Life gets sooo busy at times, but that's no excuse. We genuinely enjoy being around them, and it's obvious that little Klair lights up their lives with her sweet and vibrant little personality. Some kids are a little more withdrawn when it comes to anyone who isn't mom or dad. Klair isn't this way. She shows her love and affection so willingly, and it's obvious how effortlessly she fills the hearts of her recipients. I wish we could share her with the world, that girl could brighten anyone's life.

On Sunday we attended church and a family dinner with my side where we saw my other grandpa and give him his Valentine's surprise. Sam was able to take Monday off for President's Day, and we enjoyed the unusually warm weather by shopping downtown, taking Klair to the park, and visiting with his parents. Sam also found the time to paint Klair's nails. He's always completely willing--even happy--to do so. He really is the best dad a girl could ask for!

All-in-all it was such a great weekend! Klair was an absolute angel, and we had such a good time surrounding ourselves with family. I'm getting to that stage in pregnancy now where I'm pretty uncomfortable, and I often wish I could speed things up a bit and just get this thing over with; however, days like these remind me to slow down and enjoy the journey. Even in the midst of discomfort my life is incredible and I realize that I shouldn't take one passing moment for granted. I need to simply enjoy this time. I need to soak up every moment with Klair,  relish the simple joy of feeling my baby kick, and spend as much quality time as possible with my husband before baby comes.

...and with that Klair is now waking up and I can hear her calling for me. I better go get that sleepy little bug and snuggle her close!

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