Every week I like to take a moment to showcase the moments that brought me the most joy. Sometimes they are awesome activities and other times it’s a sweet moment between the kids. There are always moments that can fill us with joy if we choose to see them with a thankful heart.
How can a birthday week be anything but wonderful? It was fun and busy in the best ways and I’m so thankful we were able to do everything we did!
1. Valentine’s Surprise
We had been planning this surprise for quite a few weeks but we were finally able to spill the beans to the kids! After picking the boys up from school on Tuesday we went right out to dinner (yeah, dinner at 330pm is weird but it needed to happen!) and got a great deal with kids eat free and a free appetizer. After dinner we took the kids to The LEGO Batman movie. It was a lot of fun and all five did great. I only had to bring the little guys to the bathroom once so I only missed about five minutes in the middle 😉
2. Happy Birthday Mercedes
Mercedes turned 4 on Wednesday! She chose a loaded cookie pie for her birthday and it was amazing. We topped it with vanilla ice cream for a little extra decadence. She also chose Thai Chicken Pizza for dinner and I think she ate three slices. She is such a joy and we love her greatly.
3. First walk of the year
Four years ago when Mercedes was just about to be born and even the week she was born we were battling blizzards and piles of snow. This year, just a couple days after her birthday, we walked to get the big boys from school and it was gorgeous out. And now after a few more days of beautiful temps we only have a small patch of snow left. IN FEBRUARY! The boys even broke out their bikes this weekend.
4. Handmade birthday gifts
You see the look on her face? That’s the look of sheer awe over the gift her uncle made for her. My brother created a special jewelry box with her name and other small details on the outside. He even lined the whole box in velvet inside. He also loaded it with pretty bracelets and hair clips. What a special present that she can keep forever! Unfortunately he couldn’t be here this weekend to celebrate with us so we Skyped with him so he could watch her open his gift. So thankful for technology.
5. Helping daddy in the kitchen
Um, is this simply the cutest thing ever? I mean, look at the way Anders is looking at his daddy! Micah needed to shred cheese for the potato cheese soup on Sunday and Anders insisted on helping him. He helped hold the cheese brick and when he got a shred would stuff it in his mouth and say, “nom nom nom.” He’s such a doll.
6. Mommy-son date
This month I’m working on taking all three big kids on one-on-one dates. We really enjoy these because it gives us a chance to focus on one kid and learning more about them. We start at age three and try and do a few each year with each parent. This weekend it was Jamison’s turn and he chose a Mexican restaurant because he wanted chips and salsa. Cool! It was also kids eat free day plus I had a coupon for a free dessert. Awesome! We split a fried ice cream after eating our lunch and it was awesome. He was quite excited about the cherry!
Where did you find joy this week? Are you experiencing spring weather where you are? Do you date your kids? What are your favorite ways to celebrate birthdays?
