An Ewy Gooey Squishy Wishy Very Long LOVE Post.

These tiny blank cards came with those CUTE brown paper bag envelopes.  They glued Vintage Valentines that were actually cupcake pics fr/ Hobby Lobby as were the hearts..we broke the pics off of some and left them on others to look like a sign.  There was a boy design and a girl design. 

Pics taken with my iPhone and printed on plain white printer paper then cut with scallop scissors leaving a white border.   We stapled the three layers (blank card on the back to sign, card stock, and the pic) together on most but Jules enjoyed gluing hers instead.  Mia likes a get-r-done approach best.

They stamped "with LOVE" on the back and signed. 

This is the pic I took exaclty when Levi said..."Don't take a picture of me crafting."

This picture was taken immediately following the previous one that I took for good measure.   Jules is in the exact same pose...Levi was still cutting away...and BAM.  Right in the head.  We are working on impulse control.  She said she was trying to get him to look up and smile.  This did not result in Levi smiling. 

I get funny stares when the girls show up to school with things like hand-made Valentines.  I get snarky remarks like..."Well, look at you Martha Stewart."  It's not usually a compliment.   I love to craft.  I always...always...(ask my mother and sister who had to put up with my MESSES for years) have loved to craft.  While most kids were watching saved by the bell after school I was watching Martha Stewart, Lynette Jennings and The Chistopher Lowell Show.   I don't care how crazy our lives are, we will stop and craft together.   The laundry will still be rotting on the floor in three hours in just the same way it has been for like 2 weeks.

These little toots are the reason I stayed up until 3am cutting paper, punching holes, sorting stickers, and stuffing Valentines.  Jules is a heartthrob.  There is no doubt.

Mia's class enjoyed these semi-homemade Valentine treats.  These are store bought Rice Krispie treats sprayed with pink icing paint (in a can) and squirted with a zig-zag of icing that came in a squeeze tube.  They were then topped with Valentine Sprinkles.  These were supposed to be all homemade...can you tell I ran out of time?  For the time I saved I spent a ridiculous amount of money in pre-made crap.  So it goes.  Can't be Martha all the time. Sometimes you gotta be Sandra Lee.

After we ate our delivery Pizza for dinner...ok, I've gone from Martha Stewart to Sandra Lee to Roseanne Barr in one post...Levi and I gave the girls their Valentine bags full of goodies.  

By FAR the most beloved gift in a while.  Have I mentioned we've never had Silly Bandz?  We are like the last ones on earth to get them.  Their friends have had mercy on them and given them one or two but they were the reject ones...like a mustard bottle and one we still have no clue what it is exactly.  But these ones are the bomb.  High heels, animals, lipsticks, dresses, lips, hearts, fruit, purses, knee boots...they are in love.  Too bad all their friends are so over them already.  

The number one HANDS DOWN best thing the Swinney family did last year was begin volunteering at the Life Shelter.  This one simple thing has taught our girls more than we could have ever taught them through mere conversation or lecture.  They are forever changed and all Levi and I did was fill out some paper work and cleared a one hour block from our schedule one evening a week. 

Since this is about love...I LOVE seeing our girls serve at the Life Shelter.  It's not easy.  Sometimes (recently) I want to run away and never come back.  I've seen Mia go from not wanting to be touched by those "slimy kids" to wiping this little guys nose whenever necessary.  Their confidence in dealing with these kids has grown tremendously.  To be honest, I can't do it without them.  Levi has been working late hours and if the girls can't go with me...I can't go.  I need them. 

Jules very much enjoys reading to the kids.  It's been a pleasure seeing her pretend to read by just talking about the pictures to actually reading them.  She is a natural with the kids.  She calls them honey and sweetie.  She has to set aside her 5 year old desires to play and instead, go around reminding them to share, be kind, say please and thank you. 

One thing that came as a surprise was how this work at the Life Shelter translated in another setting.  Our Sunday School hosted a carnival at our church for the Shelter.  It was for our own children and the shelter children to participate and play games and just have FUN.   I was so surprised when Mia and Jules helped work the games the entire time.  They also passed out snacks and helped tend to the guests as they ate.   There were other children who helped as well I guess I just expected mine to go play which would have been totally FINE...we wanted the kids to get to mix and mingle with each other.  It was a nice surprise to see them serve voluntarily.  It just goes to show that actions do speak louder than words.  I could have told the girls every night to be kind and serve others but it would have never impacted them or grown them the way the Life Shelter has.  It made our job of parenting much MUCH easier.

I hesitate at times to brag on my kids.  I don't want others to think I think their kids are less special or great orr that we think our kids are better than everyone.   But, the girls deserve this recognition from me and their dad.  We are so proud of them.  Levi and I do a lot of things WRONG but in the midst of the wrong God can work wonders in one small act of right.  And I really think that most kids, if given the opportunity, would rise to the occasion and are capable of so much more than we think. 

I hope we can get involved in Girl Scouts b/c I've heard some very neat community service type projects they've done and I'm kind of in love with thin mints so I think it would be a perfect match.