5 Hours

What do you do when your husband commands you to leave the house with your mother without the children and have a good time? OBEY of course! That's right, mom and I had a 5 hour date on Saturday. We started things off right with lunch at the Red House Cafe, a delightful place to eat that was mentioned in the Bon Appetit' Magazine in the Fall. After lunch we strolled up and down the streets of Pacific Grove. We found a beautiful Orchid for a bargain, my gift from mom. We also hit a couple of thrift shops and found new treasures! We ended our time with a stop at a teeny, yet delectable chocolate store for a few snacks.. we still haven't finished them. What sweet times and I would say well needed too.

Guess who's visiting.

Mom and Silas

Excited children

Samuel a little unsure...

All photos courtesy of my mom.

Rocks and Socks!

Hmm, how many Reynolds does it take to light a cake?

The cake was heavy and very hot. Thankfully we have our very own left-handed warrior to manage it.

There was no shortage of candles to lick the frosting from.

Colby saved some cash and ordered his dad a classic surf movie, "Endless Summer." Check out our doggie/polar cub yawn..

Sweet Jack made lemon bars from scratch and wrapped them in sets of two. She stuffed a little brown bag with them and labeled it, "Treats for the best dad in the world!"

Louisa collected some local rocks and drew a lovely picture for her daddy. So dear.

And Libby, oh Libby.. she spent all week stealing various items from Jake, like socks and bibles. She packaged them in a purple party bag and carried them around with her every single day, you know to give the bag that I've been recycled and reused look. She even wacked Silas upside the head with it a couple of times. She designed a very personal, "email" for Jake as well. That's what she refers to the letters that come in the mail and the cards we give each other, emails...

Louisa designed a game called, "Pin the paper on your name." Libby was tripped out to be blind-folded. So, she didn't play with us.

There's nothing quite like a party at the Reynolds! Next month we have 2 more.. Woo Hoo!!

Happy Birthday Jacob!

You are 36 years old today, I remember you as a 21 year old!!

Thank you mom and dad for realizing that life is not a choice, it's a gift from God. Your son is amazing and I love him absolutely!

In a word Jake, you are my Hero.

Not only that but, you are: The amazing father to our dear children. A defender of our nation. A righteous man of God. A friend to many, close friend to few, and best friend to me.

I praise the Lord for you every. single. day.

May you have many, many more years to blow out candles, to father children, to fight for justice, to serve your God, to befriend some, and to be my best friend.

Let's Go Out for Dinner!

There is nothing quite like a cool, brisk night to roast wieners over a hot fire. Pair this with the joys of popping gooey on the inside, crisp on the outside marshmallows into your mouth and belting out your favorite hymns as a family!

The Sweetness of Girlhood

Jake and the girls with corsages

Jackie looking way too grown up!

Special skirts

Yes, Libby picked out her own tights and shirt.

Jacob and his girls are out tonight for a very special celebration. It's Valentine's Day tomorrow and is there any better way for a little girl to enjoy such a holiday than with her daddy? Of course not! Our sweet church organized a Father & Daughter evening of celebration. Jake surprised the girls with corsages and I fixed their hair. I finished the last of 3 skirts just in time for the evening. All three of them were thrilled to go. Libby was so excited about the party that she insisted we put her down for her nap early so that when she woke up her daddy could take her to the party and she could wear her new skirt. After she tried on her outfit she ran to Silas and said, "Do I look pretty Silas? Say yes!" Silas seemed shocked and didn't respond.

Jake took the girls away a little bit early for a special dinner at a local bakery called The Buttery. Watching the girls loading up in the van with their little corsages and skirts was enjoyable. It was just a sweet moment of innocence and tenderness coupled with pure delight over the adventures of the evening.

Jackie just called and told me that as soon they arrived there were signs hanging on the walls at the party saying things like, "Daddy, daughter fingernail painting this way.. and Make your daughter a necklace this way..." How I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall watching Jake paint there little fingernails. I can picture him trying to thread beads on that ridiculously thin string used for making necklaces. I am looking forward to hearing more stories about the night. It sounds to me like they had lots of fun.

Yesterday and Today

Libby gave herself a haircut. To be more specific she gave herself bangs on half of her head. In order to rectify the very bad hairday she was experiencing I completed the task and gave her more bangs. She began to look a bit like a misplaced Raggedy Ann doll only with the blonde hair. So, I decided to chop the rest of her hair off at the nape of the neck. She's pretty cute and looks like a school girl now. Though I miss the long hair she had yesterday morning.

Samuel is just plain sweet! Check out those man ears in the making.