A Very Happy Valentine's Day

We had a perfectly lovely Valentine's Day at our house. It was a Thursday, so it was our usual crazy. Issa had dance, the boys had the dojo, but I gave my students alternative assignments because no one wants to be sitting in a class on Valentine's Day at dinner time.

We had our usual festive favorite: meats, cheeses, and fruits. We ended with chocolate mousse in chocolate cups topped with berries--thank you Weaver Street. Alexa had a shockingly good love song playlist, and we told the kiddos about our first day, which was on Valentine's Day 21 years ago.

It was such a simple evening, but it was so perfect. After the kids were in bed, Brad and I spent a lot of time talking about the Valentine's over the years. We've grown up together, and the holiday has certainly taking many different shapes over those years. I think this might have been one of my very favorites, though.

Mood

Neela is my spirit animal right now:

As soon as I make the bed in the morning, she snuggles into the pillows. It's been cold and gloomy. I'm still fighting this virus, and it's the busiest week of my academic year. I would also like to snuggle back into my pillows.

A Very Big Weekend

Issa might be running away to join the circus:

 One of the dance enrichment opportunities was to go and take a class at Circus School. Issa was the only one from her studio who chose to go, but she fell in love with the trapeze:

 I can't believe how strong she is, and the teacher was surprised how quickly she caught on:

 She even got pretty good with the silks:

 It was so fun to watch:

 And she's pretty sure she wants to go back.

Evan also decided to cut his hair:

 The mop top is gone, and I think he aged five years. I think I've finally stopped doing a double-take every time I see him.

Sunday, we girls headed to the ballet:

It was another beautiful afternoon, and it was made even more special because we bumped into Lauren A. there!

It's another full week, but we are going into it very happy...

Yin Yang

After I posted the picture of our frozen fountain last week, we have been in the upper 70s all this week. Mother Nature, go home. You need some sleep.

It has made for great running weather, though! This morning, I was doing my longest run yet and truly feeling great! I was enjoying the weather, and just thinking that maybe, just maybe, I could be good at this.

And then I fell.

It seems I was so busy enjoying the stars I didn't notice the gumball on the road until my ankle turned. Lesson learned. Look at the stars standing still; look at the ground while running. My left ankle is sore and my right knee is a scraped up mess.

But...I'm going into two rest days, and I have high hopes for another great run on Monday.

To West Coast and Back Again

Issa and I spent the weekend in Reston, VA for her first convention and competition of the year! While some things were very much the same, there were also the some major differences. To start, usually we got to West Coast in SC, but this year we traveled North--same teachers different hotel. We also traveled with Breah and Ellie, which was truly lovely. These girls were thrilled for the extra time:

 And I love hanging out with Breah. She doesn't mind driving in traffic; I don't mind navigating. It was a match made in heaven.

Saturday morning, we were up bright and early to start dancing. I was the only parent with this lovely crew:

 Not gonna lie: that was a bit much. They danced so well, though, and I absolutely love watching my girl do her thing!

Saturday night, Issa competed musical theatre. Her teacher had her skirt for a new hem, so we headed down to the competition in most of her costume and sweatpants:

 It amused me greatly. And this crew did a great job:

 They earned four stars and took first in their category!

Sunday morning we were back to dancing:

 I truly cannot believe how much Issa has grown. I still remember her first convention when she spent most of the time looking over her shoulder at me, completely lost. This year, she rocked it. Her highlight was getting positive feedback from the ballet teacher on her strong arms and shoulders. My highlight was just watching her truly enjoy learning and dancing.

The studio rocked it:

 And these two both made the stage for scholarships!

 Issa was a finalist, and Ellie won a scholarship for next year!

We got home at 9:45 last night, so this morning was a tight turn. It was absolutely worth it, though!