A Love for Life

There was a lot to love this month!  Soccer, Valentine's Day, time with cousins and friends, Fiesta de los Vaqueros, face painting THREE TIMES, the Rodeo Parade, and so much more!  By the time you have finished reading this post you will be tired from all of our fun.

Josh came home from back to back trips to the dunes and hunting and took us for a ride in Tata's RZR.  Lillian and Sophie thought they were on a roller coaster.  I thought Freya was going to fall asleep.  She is a difficult one to thrill.

I had a great time helping to put together a baby shower for a great gal who had her 4th baby this month, little Emersyn Joyce.  Everything looked great, there were lots of smiles, some super cute gifts, and we sneaked it in before she popped!

Once Lillian found out Valentine's Day involved presents, she could hardly wait for the day to arrive.  Every day we had to do something to prepare for Valentine's Day.  I think both girls enjoyed decorating cookies the most.  Lillian took her cookie decorating very seriously.  Each cookie needed to be covered with as much candy as possible.  Freya started to decorate her cookies and then decided it would be better to just eat them all.  

Eating is probably Freya's favorite thing to do.  "Nack nacks" make everything better.  That is why my attempt at improving her motor skills failed.  On Pinterest I saw dozens of babies happily putting Cheerios and Fruit Loops on sticks.  Freya put a few on, saw Josh eat one, and it was over.  Stick 3 vs Freya's belly 10,000.

When Valentine's Day finally arrived Lillian was happy to receive her Valentine's Day gifts from her mama and wear her new dress from Papa.

 After church we headed to Garbini Bistro where all of us ladies were served a delicious meal by our Valentines.  Lillian thought our "fancy" dinner was the coolest.  She kept saying, "Where are our servants?  I need blah blah blah"

In between Valentine's Day and Rodeo Days we filled our time with other fun activities like soccer.  This month I really felt like Lillian was starting to figure out how to play soccer. There was a lot less spinning around on the field and a lot more going after the ball.  Though there are about eight kids on her team, the three that really get in there and try to get stuff done are Lillian, Sophie, and Kenny.  They hustle the ball, sometimes in the wrong direction, but they move it down the field all the same.

 Freya does her part as little sister, eating snacks and screaming, "GO!" when Lillian runs by.

 We also spent plenty of time at Papa's house with the horses.  Ever since Papa put up a swing, his house has become the cool place to be.  Not only is there a swing that swings her so high she can touch the tree branches, Papa lets her watch cartoons, gives her all the candy and junk she wants, and makes her popsicles. All things mom does not do.

 Freya isn't as big in to swinging as Lillian. She prefers to help me groom the horses and collect beans from the Texas Ebony tree to wash and put to bed in their pods.

 Both girls enjoy helping me with barn chores, at least for a little while.

One Friday night some friends joined us for a walk to our neighborhood Twilight Farmer's Market.  There wasn't much to see but Lillian got her face painted and rolled around in the grass for a while with Sophie.

Our yard has been a disaster for a year (probably longer). One morning, Josh came home from work motivated to clear out the junk that has been accumulating back there.  The girls helped us destroy the old BBQ, move out the rubble, and move dirt.  Keep your fingers crossed the yard gets done before 2017 (or 2020 for that matter)!

Finally the week I had been waiting for arrived, RODEO WEEK!  We went to the slack rodeo with cousins one day and Lillian bought the hat of her dreams and got her face painted for the second time in February.  Josh worked as the paramedic for the cowboys and cowgirls competing so we were able to sit with him for a little while.

Another day during rodeo week we went with friends to see the Tucson Rodeo Parade.  It is the longest non-mechanized parade in the United States.  We watched 400+ parade entries ride by!

 Freya may not have found the ride in the RZR thrilling but she sure thought the parade was awesome enough to cheer about!

 The parade was long and it was hot but we ate the best churros on the planet and they gave us the strength we needed to stay until the very end.

Because there is no school on Thursday and Friday during Rodeo week, we were able to see the cousins again!  We spent the morning at the International Wildlife Museum (I call it the Dead Animal Museum) where we saw an Irish Elk.  While Renee and I were in Ireland last summer we saw antlers from these guys hanging in most of the castles we visited.  It was neat to see one here at home.

 After our walk through the museum, we took the girls for a picnic and hike at Gate's Pass.  They were thrilled when they made it to the top!

Our last adventure involved cute animals and more face paint!  Our neighborhood had a rodeo round up, complete with pony rides, a mechanical bull, a petting zoo, and jumping castles.  Freya wanted desperately to bring this pig home with us. I was tempted to let her!

February was one of those months that made me feel extra grateful that I am able to stay home with my girls and have adventures.  We can do big things like go to the rodeo but we can also do little things like swing at Papa's house and stop at Taco Bell for cinnamon twists just because we feel like it.