Holly, Greta and I did some easy and effective Valentines' Day crafts that I thought I'd share. You likely have all the supplies in your home already.

First, we made some love bug lady bugs. This is done with construction paper, scissors and glue.

Second, we made heart garlands. I traced hearts onto card stock, the girls and I painted them, and then I cut them out. Using embroidery floss and a sewing needle, I strung the hearts into two garlands. You can do this craft with any age that can paint. They don't need to stay within the lines - you'll just be cutting the hearts out!

Easy Peasy!

Yesterday, we went on a family walk/hike slightly north of Santa Cruz at Wilder Historic Ranch. The area is a wildlife preserve which in turn means we saw a lot of wildlife, mostly birds. The path was a loop and most of it was along the coast with beautiful cliffs. We saw a whole group of seals catching the last of the day's sunshine and some slipping into the ocean. We always talk about being outside more frequently and going on more walks/hikes, but our follow through isn't amazing. However, every time we have a success, I want more! We live in such a beautiful part of this earth.

Just as much as Greta loves her bunny, Holly loves her duck. Ducky has been with her all her life, a faithful companion. He is the trigger of her finger sucking. I wanted to capture Holly as is, as a child with messy hair. She's growing up too fast. Kindergarten research has me wanting to preserve her forever for myself.

On Christmas Eve day, some of my family members went tobogganing. Holly was continually going down the hill with whomever was on the way down, and then freeloading rides on the way up. Greta spent most of the time watching and laughing from the top of the hill. Alanna coaxed her down with a ride on her back, such a sweet thing for her to do. I wanted her to have a full ride or two, so I took her down without permission and she laughed the whole way! It was a gorgeous sledding day! And an absolute dream to spend it with my three siblings.

While in Calgary, we spent an impressive amount of time in the snow for a family that lives in temperate California. Holly especially loved the snow! And Greta enjoyed it after a week of becoming used to all the gear the snow requires. This sledding trip was short, since we were still recovering from travel.