. starting early .

i've never been much of a valentine's person, but with small children and the days passing so quickly, i'm on a mission this year to make the most of each holiday that we observe.  so why not start on valentine's day in january?!?  we don't have much of a winter, but i do throw some winter activities in, but valentine's is so much more fun.

so, a little pre-printed picture.  a little pink and red fingerpaint.  and we had a blast!  (there's no pictures of the process b/c i was helping L paint.  L is 14 months old.  and J was trying to eat the paint.  my hands were busy)

. our new toy .

ok, don't get too excited.  i didn't go out and spend ANY money on our new toy.  but it has now become the FAVORITE thing to do around here.

yep.  cans.  these kids love to play with cans.  i collected them from several friends, made sure the edges were all smooth, and threw them in a bucket.  i intend on painting them different colors, but we needed a new something to do.  so, we like to stack them, play kitchen with them,

B likes to shop apparently.  he keeps putting them in bags.

M and L bang them together.

more stacking

and J figured out that he could put on on each hand and bang them.  he tried it with is feet too.

i love new, cheap toys. 

. boys being boys .

there are workers across the street pouring concrete for a new house being built.  this is what the boys have been doing all morning ...

. everyone's back .

i loved today.  all of the kiddos were back from the break and we had a blast.  it was a great day.  the worst part was the 6 dirty diapers between the 4 babies that wear them.  we had a relaxing day.  i didn't plan anything because i wasn't sure how the little ones would be adjusting back to our schedule.  you know how it is when they've been with their grandparents.  :)   amazingly, they all did so well. 

here are a few highlights of the day ...

B wore S's boots for the majority of the afternoon. 

this morning we played legos for a good 45 minutes. 

and J was content to sit and read. 

one thing we are working harder at is picking up our toys as soon as we're done playing with them.  i think this is a hard task for any little one to accomplish, but we're working on it.  i wasn't a stickler with this all last year and now it's time.  the big girls have it down pat.  and they get rewarded for it. 

i'm so excited to see how the Lord is going to bless us this year and what He's going to teach us.