While I cut out some paper hearts and offered some peeling assistance, he went to straight to work on the stickers. Then, he added some more crayon embellishments.
I think we were both proud of the finished product, and really hope these cards brighten someone's day! 
We're sending them to the Hearts for Kids project, which delivers homemade Valentines to sick children who are stuck in the hospital on February 14th. 
This family is inspiring to say the least. Their faith, their gift of song, and their courage to overcome such overwhelming circumstances time and again are truly remarkable. While there is so much to love about the movie, it really only breaks the surface of the real Trapp family story. For instance, I learned that Maria was pregnant when the family fled from Austria. Once they arrived in America, they were only allowed to stay a few months before their visa expired and they had to leave the country, and were held at Ellis Island upon trying to return. And, I was surprised to learn that the two boys went off to to fight in the US military once America joined the war. They continued to face hardship after hardship, but they found strength and purpose in their faith. A definite must read, and of course, one of my new favorite things!
Of course, it was a crazy busy 3-day weekend, so we spent a good deal of time waiting in line for the chairlift. Once it was finally our turn, I got over my fear of heights pretty quickly, and enjoyed the beautiful ride up the mountainside. 
It was funny to see how each of us figured everything out. Shannon basically flew down the mountain and just seemed to figure everything out that way. Jason and I were not so lucky, each taking our fair share of wipeouts. I was amazed by all of the different ways I discovered to fall... the getting off the lift slip, the sideways spin-out, the 180 facing uphill landing, the oh-my-gosh-legs-over-my-head as I plowed into an embankment, the embarrasing waiting in line slip, and oh yes, I even took out Jason. Poor guy! All I can say, is that it was either him or a four year old little girl. But, despite my number of wipeouts, I was usually laughing and miraculously remained injury free.
AND... by the end of the second day I actually got the hang of it! Aaron was able to leave us and conquer some more challenging runs, which of course he loved. We all had such a great time and can't wait to go back! Check out Shannon's version of events on her blog.
And for photo proof... look, see, I can ski!!!!! Wheeeeeee!!!!!!!
This makes me laugh. Note the hand in the bottom right of the picture offering a pretzel stick. Is it wrong to try and lure our child and dog with the same treats? 
Clearly, we had some difficulties arranging ourselves so as to all be facing in the same direction.
Oh boy, this is not going to be as easy as I'd hoped.
Okay, if only we can get Will into position, we're all set...
No wait, now Maddie's not looking.
Apparently, Will feels like this is his best side.
We arrived back in Goldsboro to celebrate New Year's Eve and to get everything ready for Will's birthday party on New Year's day. My family came with us and we invited our friends Shannon & Jason, and Sandee & Ryan to join us. So, basically we hosted two parties within less than 12 hours of each other... we're crazy, I know!
We had a fun-filled evening with lots of munchies, including Shannon's fabulous chocolate fondue, and some hilarious rounds of Catchphrase, which the ladies dominated. It was the perfect way to ring in the new year! 
Of course, everyone made sure to get their New Year's kiss! And since Will was sleeping, this year we celebrated the ball drop with our "noiseless" party blowers! 
Cheers! Here's to a healthy, happy 2011!
