Happy Valentine’s Day

This Valentine’s Day was not filled with wine and roses by a long shot. It was our first day home with two babies and we were overwhelmed to say the least. But amidst the madness there was also a  quiet calm in our home. It brought me so much joy to see Scott in full husband/father mode. He served our family with joy and patience. So although it wasn’t the most romantic day of my life, I have never felt more loved. Thank you hubby. My cup overflows!

Cotton Bowl

We got tickets to the Cotton Bowl for Christmas so we could watch our beloved Aggies play the LSU tigers.  It was supposed to be a good game but kind of got away from us after our senior linebacker got hurt early on.  LSU played a great game, and they were definitely the better team.  We ended up running out of time when the score was 41-24.  We had a great time in spite of losing.  Below are some pictures.

Headed up to the stadium.

We arrived just in time to watch the band march in.

Here is the view from our seats.  Not bad!!

Here was the “other” view from our seats.  Not as good

Thanks again Nana and Pappy for the tickets.  We had a great time!

Date Night #2

Ok....so we broke some rules a couple of weeks ago on our date night. First, we brought Hannah with us and second, we went out. But we had so much fun! My friend had sent me a coupon from DQ and we couldn't pass it up. It was buy one blizzard and get the second for .25 cents! You just can't beat that. So we went to DQ and then took Hannah to see the ducks at the duck pond. Lets just call this a family date night!

Date Night #1

For our first date night, as you can see, we played Scrabble and drank wine! Don't laugh...it was really lots of fun. (If you missed it, Scott and I are doing something called Project 52: Date Nights from this blog). I'm in charge of planning our dates this month and I wanted to play a game. However, in the Hubley house most of our games are what Scott likes to call "strategy" games (imagine that). All I had to choose from was Scrabble, Cranium, Canasta, 42, and let's not forget Seinfeld: Scene it (not so much strategy, but if you know Scott you know it's a favorite).

So, I went with Scrabble. I talked a little trash in the beginning because I really thought I might win but Scott beat me in the end. Oh well...I gave him a good run.

Sidenote: I took this picture while we were playing and I showed it to Scott on the camera. He said, "Jennifer, you just showed me your letters!".....ooooops! That's why I don't play "strategy" games.

Date Night

When Scott and I went through our marriage mentoring class about 5 years ago, our teachers, the Bacaks, explained how important it was for a married couple to set aside time each week to continue to "date" one another. You know, quality, one-on-one time with the one you love most. "Of course," we thought..."no problem"...."we will always do that"...."right?" Ok, veterans of marriage, you can laugh at us now. Something that seemed so essential to our marriage in the beginning has been replaced by...well...life, I guess. We still go out occasionally but not as often as we use to. We are either too tired, can't find a babysitter, the house is a mess, etc. There is always a reason NOT to go out.

Well, I (and subsequently Scott) have been motivated once again to fire up our date nights. I was inspired when reading my friend, Kirby's blog. She was inspired by this idea....Project 52: Date Nights. Basically, this couple decided to start having a date night once a week...at home. Their budget didn't allow for them to go out every week, so they came up with creative things to do in their own home. She would be in charge of planning them for a month and then he would do it the next month. Genius right? Why haven't we thought of that? It's not about going out, it's about spending time with your spouse...no matter where you are. It's about staying connected and having fun. Here are a few ideas from their blog:

A list of 16 creative at-home dates…. That’s enough to last 4 months

• Discuss a book you both recently read. Create a cafe or coffee shop atmosphere at home.
• Play the First Words game where you read a word card and the other person say the first thing that comes to mind. Here’s a free download of the First Words game.
• Look through old photographs, wedding albums, other photo albums or scrapbooks.
• Flip through both of your high school yearbooks.
• Go through your digital music library to make a CD or playlist of each other’s favorite songs or songs that reminds you of each other.
• Sketch out a blueprint of your dream house.
• Borrow or purchase travel books and plan your dream vacation.
• Write down and discuss each of your bucket lists.
• Have a cookie or dessert baking contest. Each person try a different recipe and see which one you like best.
• Browse through magazines and catalogs to a collage of clothing and fashion styles you would like to see the other person wear or try.
• Watch family home videos.
• Ice cream or soda or cheese tasting. Try flavors you have never tried before.
• Set up a photo booth in your home, put the camera on timer and take pictures of the two of you.
• Go through each room in the house and talk about what you would like to see done to the room.
• Learn a new skill together – photography, painting, carpentry, massages.
• Turn your story of how you met into a children’s book. Your kids will love reading it.

She has more ideas listed here. Sounds fun right? Well, I thought it was a great idea and I just wanted to share it in case any of my wonderful readers (I have a few readers right?) wanted to give it a try. Let me know if you decide to try it....we can swap ideas!!