Thoughtfulness really goes a long way...and it makes for a happy family

It worked so well last year that we thought we'd bring back the "lovingkindness hearts" again this year. E wanted to change it up a bit, so we cut out a big heart and then cut them into "puzzle pieces" to fit back together. For the entire month of February, each time a family member shows love to someone else in the family we write it on one of the pieces and then tape it up on the door. It's amazing how catching your children doing good things encourages them to do more...it's very uplifting.



A few highlights from this year:

• "Silas always says thank you" -- This was the first one that made it up on the door. It hit me at the end of January that Silas is just a really thankful kid and says it ALL the time...even for the little stuff. His words can make my entire day!
• "E encouraged Silas with his bike riding" -- Silas managed to tip over on his little bike (even with the training wheels). When E saw him do that, he ran to Silas and said, "Sy, you know how I learned to be really good at riding my bike? When I would fall I just kept getting up and trying again and again . You can do it too! Get up and try again!" Then after a few minutes E ran back to him and said, "Even if you think it might be hard, you can say in your head 'I think I can, I think I can.'" The really funny part was when Elam then heard Silas saying "I think I can...", he ran back and said, "No bubba...you're just supposed to say it in your head."
• "Mom helped E put his Batman Legos together" -- Elam was starting to get concerned that I didn't have anything on the heart. I asked him if the everyday things I did like cooking dinners, packing his lunch, doing laundry and dishes would count as doing something loving for the family. He totally wasn't buying that one...so he was happy to put this piece up for me when I helped him with his legos.