Blog Catch Up

There is no way I could really completely get the blog caught up but I did want to quickly post some pictures and some happenings from February.

February, this year, was a busy month for our family. We already have several birthdays during this month and then Valentine's Day so every year we tend to do a lot of "celebrating" in February. It seemed we had even more going on this year.

I co-chaired a church event for the first time on February 3rd. My friend Beth and I planned Winter Family Fun Night, a night for the whole family to have some fun together at the church. Sorry, I didn't think to take pictures or to even take my camera. I was just so busy and nervous with helping to plan the evening I couldn't think of anything else. We had about 6-8 games for the families to play followed with popcorn and hot chocolate bar to snack on while watching a Veggie Tales movie. Everyone wore their pajamas and brought their pillows and blankets for movie time. We try to support some sort of mission with all of our events at our church and for this particular one Beth and I decided Backpack Buddies. There are Backpack Buddies programs all over and if you have never heard of it before a quick Google search will provide all the details. Basically it is a program that provides children living in poverty with a backpack full of easy to prepare food, snacks and drinks on Friday to get them through the weekend until they return to school on Monday. For these kids, without this program they probably would get very little food over the weekend. Can you imagine? We truly are so blessed. The night was a hit. Everyone had fun and we had a table full of food for Backpack Buddies.

The very next weekend was super exciting for me. I had the opportunity to go see Lysa TerKeurst speak at a church in Greenville along with three friends from church and Bible study. Not only was it a fantastic experience to hear Lysa speak but it was a very nice treat for me to go on an overnight trip without my family. While I was gone Ed and the girls had a great time just the three of them.

Then of course Valentine's Day. We don't typically do anything real big for this occasion. We have gone out to dinner in the past but always as a family, not a romantic kind of date with just me and Ed. But the majority of the time I try to cook a special dinner at home. We typically exchange cards and give cards and a little candy to the girls, maybe a small stuffed animal or toy, but nothing crazy. Per tradition I made a special dinner of lobster and shrimp ravioli for me and Ed, just plain cheese ravioli for the girls. We set the table a little fancier than usual. (On a side note, one of the moms in Samantha's ballet class told me they also have a special family dinner at home for Valentine's Day but they all, including mom and dad, get dressed up for dinner. I think I may have to steal this idea for next year. The girls would love a super fancy, dress up kind of dinner!)

This year was a little different as far as gifts thanks to Ed. He had called me a couple of weeks prior to Valentine's while I was on my way to my sister's house for a visit. He simply asked if I had gotten the girls anything yet and I told him just cards and a little box of chocolates. He then told me not to get anything else,  he had taken care of it, but refused to even give me a hint. So when he brought a big red box in the house a day or two before Valentine's Day I was dying to know what he could have gotten! 

I'll be honest, the next morning I had to examine the present a little further. I knew it was professionally wrapped, there was definitely no way Ed had wrapped that present! And then there was this interesting little label with a letter and number hand written on the bottom corner of the back of the present. Long story short, I had no idea what it was and I was dying to know. It did not take much convincing myself or Ed, we let the girls open this gift the night before Valentine's. Ha! I was so shocked. I don't think I would have ever guessed that my sweet hubby would have thought to get the girls America Girl Bitty Baby Twins!

Gabrielle has been asking for an American Girl doll for a while now but these dolls are a bit of an investment and we had decided - or at least I thought we had decided - to wait until she was a little bit older. Gabrielle named her doll Lindsay and has been taking very good care of her. Samantha has not quite hit the doll phase. She loves her little Belle baby she got for Christmas when she was one but that is the only doll she really pays any attention. For now the American girl doll is sitting on her dresser and I'm sure she will love her once she is a little older.

This is the Valentine Gabrielle made me and Ed at school.

Target had a special story time on Saturday morning to celebrate the upcoming release of 

"The Lorax" movie and also Dr. Seuss's birthday in March. Both girls enjoyed story time 

and their goody bags but Samantha was the only one willing to get near the Cat in the Hat.

I came home with two little Loraxes thanks to the mustaches in the goody bags.

And finally I took the girls to get their hair trimmed on Saturday. Gabrielle has been asking for bangs for a while now, especially since I had mine cut a month ago. Ed was hesitant but agreed if it was okay with me. I think bangs make her look a little older but I still think they are super cute on her!

Samantha wanted to show off her hair cut in pictures too. We just barely trimmed hers for now. I think the next hair cut might have to be a bit more dramatic and get it just above her shoulders. She still has a lot of fine baby hair and a lot of new hair growing in. With fine, thin hair, the longer it gets the stringier I think it looks as well it is constantly tangled and difficult to really do anything with. I think a little bob just touching her shoulders would do a world of good. I did the same with Gabrielle when she was about this age. It must be that Samantha is the "baby" and our last child because Ed for some reason is hesitant to get her hair cut that short yet. Or maybe I just didn't ask for his opinion with Gabrielle!

She is definitely the silly one. She enjoys getting a laugh out of us.

Well, not quite the quick short blog post I had planned but at least I feel like I've caught you up a little bit with the Lingg family happenings!