First . . . snow. Yes, lots of snow. About 3-ish inches over the course of an afternoon in our unprepared city of Marietta at the end of last week, and it was enough to really count it as our 'snow' for 2010. 
It was enough snow to make an entire snowman family . . . Daddy, Mommy, Meg, and Kate, all represented in balls of ice on our front lawn. Meg was very proud of our snowman family, and we had fun watching them get skinnier and skinner (and eventually topple over) as the weather warmed the day following the snow. It may have only lasted about 24 hours, but it was great fun while it was here.
Second . . . love. Lots of love for Valentine's Day.
I will be the first to admit: I used to really dislike Valentine's Day. In high school, if you didn't have a boyfriend/girlfriend, the February holiday in which everyone you knew was getting flowers and candy sent to school totally stunk. I was on both ends in high school -- getting AND not getting flowers, depending on the year -- so I grew to really not look forward to the pressure of Valentine's. As a married woman, I didn't see the point in Valentine's Day . . . I mean, Jim and I know we love one another, we exchange little treats of affection all year long . . . so why did I (again) have to deal with the pressure of Valentine's Day? It also does not help that the holiday comes about 2 weeks after Jim's birthday . . . and I never know what to get him for any occasion. Two gift-giving holidays back-to-back was too much for me to take. Jim and I decided long ago that Valentine's Day was 'low profile' at our house . . . a card in acknowledgement of the occasion, and that was about it.
Then we had kids. That totally changed the holiday for me. It became less about romantic love and more about love in general. And let's not forget the fact that kids seem to make a lot of holidays more fun . . . there are parties, treats, and (of course!) cute clothing to go along with the celebration.
Now, Valentine's Day has a whole new meaning. I get it now. For me, it now means one day in the year when you can shower those you love with your affection. One day set aside for just that . . . and nothing else. There is no pressure any more for me. . . I've found my true loves, and I get to spend the 14th of February telling them just how much I adore them all. I've also discovered that Valentine's Day is a great time to reach out to some other 'loves' in my life and remind them of how much I care about them. In my busy-busy SAHM scheduled lifestyle, I totally enjoy taking advantage of Valentine's Day as a time to stop, love, and be loved.
Speaking of the 'be loved' part . . . Jim went out of his way this year to do something extra sweet for his Valentine (me, I mean). He planned a secret date. He got a babysitter (on his own!!) and took me to Dialog in the Dark (http://www.dialogue-in-the-dark.com/about/idea-concept/) , which was something I'd been wanting to do for a long time. We also had a nice, quiet dinner in which I did not have to cut up anybody's food or get my baby wipes out of my purse for any reason, and for that I was very grateful. Valentine's usually is low profile at our house, but Jim did a fantastic job of dressing it up for me this year. :)
And third . . . the circus. Totally unrelated to the snow or the festival of love around here, our most recent big event was our trip just yesterday to The Greatest Show on Earth: Ringling Bros & Barnum & Bailey Circus.
Since Meg was born, my dad has been wanting to take his granddaughter(s) to the circus. Each February it comes to the big arena here in Atlanta, and each year since 2007 my dad has told me how much he is looking forward to a day when he can watch the girls ooh and ahhh over the elephants, clowns, and acrobats that the circus exhibits. Finally -- in 2010 -- his day came.
The tickets were purchased about 3 weeks ago (a late birthday present for me -- thanks dad!), and we started a countdown on our fridge when we got within 10 days of the show. Meg has been beyond excited . . . she knows enough about what a circus is to know that it's something super cool and worth looking forward to. Kate -- well, of course she had no idea what she was in for -- but she totally learned how to say "Circus!" and "Elephants!" in the days leading up to the adventure. More snow and icy weather threatened to interrupt our carefully made circus plans . . . but on the morning of the show there was no snow or ice to be found, so we were able to trek down to Atlanta with big grins and wide eyes, ready to take it all in.
The girls had a blast. I wasn't sure how they would handle it -- Meg can be a little withdrawn when she is overwhelmed, and I just don't know Kate well enough quite yet to anticipate her reactions in new situations -- but they both jumped right into their seats and loved every minute of the show. Kate was screaming -- literally -- "Elephants!" when she saw the line of pachyderms enter the arena. It is an impressive site. Eleven elephants in a row, all hopping up on each other's back to makes for quite a spectacle . . . and it was, by far, my favorite part of the show. Meg turned to me at one point and said, "Mommy! Those ladies are flying through the air!" -- so I know she was eating it up. Not to mention that the show had an intermission . . . which, for some reason, Meg has remembered from our "Annie" experience and thinks is something pretty stinkin' awesome. If you go to a show that is long enough for an intermission . . . well, to Meg, that is the cat's meow.
It's been a busy month here at Casa de Dahlby. And it's not letting up . . . we are headed south this Friday to see some Floridian friends, and we are hosting Nana and Papa for a weekend visit at the end of the month. Then, all of the sudden, I'm turning my calendar to March . . . as they say, time flies when you are having fun.
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1 comment:
What a Fab February so far! Miss you guys!
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