Packing the Blessing Bags

Katie helped me get the Blessing Bags started! Now I’m just waiting for a last shipment to arrive so we can finish the last 15 bags!

Edited to add: I just realized I never posted about this. I’ve been wanting to do an event like this for years but I just never could get it going. So this year I just decided to do it! And it was a great success!

My brows are outside my box for Valentine’s Day!

When you’re volunteering in your daughter’s classroom for a Valentine’s Day party, why not have pink eyebrows?!

Even though I knew I was putting pink in my eyebrows, it was really very disconcerting to see totally pink eyebrows so I decided to add some fake magnetic lashes to perk up my eyes a little bit more. I never would have done this a few years ago…so SeneGence has really helped me step outside my comfort zone.

I also went outside my box and used three (not two!) colors on my eyes today. Here’s to stepping outside your comfort zone!! #nofilter #tanfoundation #fawnfoundation #makesense #pinkhibiscusshimmer #shellglitter #champagneshimmer #shadowsense #plumerialipsense #pearlgloss #cherryblushsense #livinglippy

Kidisms 45

I leaned over to kiss Tom.
Owen: KISS ALERT! KISS ALERT! KISS ALERT!

Grannie and Papa sent a package with stuff to store for them and included a few small packages for me, Katie, and Owen. Katie handed them out and saw that there wasn’t one for Tom.
Katie: Why isn’t there one for daddy?
Me: They must not have found anything for him.
Katie: They should have done one with beer.

Tom told Owen he loved him.
Owen: Yeah, I know. From the beginning.

I was watching Ellen and Justin Timberlake was on and though Katie knows who he is, she sometimes gets him confused with another blonde singer:
Oh wow! Is that Justin BEAVERTON?! [Going for Justin Bieber]

Katie was showing Tom her valentines and was putting them back in the white bag she decorated:
Here’s my owl bag. As you will recognize.

Katie’s little love notes take a strange turn.

So Katie is still getting little love notes from Thomas on the bus. This one came yesterday with her saying he wanted a playdate. Fine, right? Look at the text. Do you see what I see?

❤️ Hey baby how do you make Katie get back together with me

😂 but also 😳, right?

Even though it’s coming from a Kindergartener it seems somewhat concerning. I emailed both teachers (he’s not in her class) just to sort of give them an FYI/heads up and to see if they’ve noticed anything weird. Katie’s teacher responded that they’d talk to them (I haven’t heard back yet if it’s happened).

Oh the teen years are going to be a joy…

Black Tie Tribute to Wounded Warriors

Tom got invited to attend the annual AFCEA NOVA Black Tie Tribute to Wounded Warriors Valentine’s Ball so we made a date night of it!

It was a nice night—free dinner! drinks! dancing! prizes!—but I was freezing almost the whole time! The welcome reception was held right off the lobby so with the front doors constantly opening it was literally freezing in there—especially since I was wearing a summer dress and sandals with bare feet (my black tie formalwear is very limited). (It was supposed to be the coldest night of the year and it felt like it!) The ballroom was a bit warmer but heaven forbid you had to go back out to use the restroom!

They also had a station for free photos, but ours didn’t turn out that great—the photo printer wasn’t the best quality—but it’s a photo!

The dinner was actually quite tasty for hotel food, and the dessert was gorgeous…and delicious!

Our table only had one other couple, and we had a very enjoyable time visiting with them. This was their fourth time attending so they let us “win” the centerpiece (flowers and balloons) and then they actually even gave us one of their gift certificate door prizes they won! They had dancing after dinner so we got to dance to a few songs (which was good since we didn’t get any dances at the recent ball).

There was a photographer there taking TONS of pictures—including at least 3-4 of us specifically—so I can’t wait to see (and post) those.

Balloons on the way home!

Valentines Party

All three of us made it to Owen’s Valentines party! (You can see Tom sitting behind Owen.)

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This is the valentine he made for us:

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Katie made herself at home in the Comfort Corner with a doll and a tea cup:

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A few random pictures from his classroom:

This has been up for awhile (when the letter of the week was obviously P). From the word Owen provided, I can tell you it was the week he earned a new Lego that was a Paintball player. đŸ™‚

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The class helping chart:

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I later asked Owen what his job meant:

Well, we clean up and help people who clean up. If someone needs me, I help them.

Crystal clear, right? đŸ™‚ I asked what some of the other jobs were and got equally as vague answers. I’m sure they’re positively clear in his mind…

And our last valentine treat:

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Working on Valentines

These are the valentines we’re doing for Owen’s class:

http://www.iheartnaptime.net/

Except I’m not being quite as cute with the cellophane bags and tie—we’re doing ziplock sandwich bags. đŸ™‚

Here’s Owen writing his name on them. He only has the patience for about 4-5 at a time so we’re working on it all week.

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He’s pretty good writing his name, though the W could use some separation and the N is often backwards. And we’re working on keeping the size consistent.

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