It has been one heck of a week in the Barton house. Jack woke up with the stomach flu last Wednesday night and it’s been nothing but casualties ever since. First Jack, then it hit Bryan Sunday, Layla was down by Monday early AM. So far I haven’t gotten it…I’m really hoping since it’s been sevearl days I’m in the clear, especially because Layla has a 5 day weekend and we want to do something fun!

So all that sounds bad right? Well when you consider the fact that I’ve had the stomach flu every year on Valentine’s day for 6 years in a row, it sounds normal. Ha! I woke up Tuesday knowing, just KNOWING, I’d be sick at any minute. But I wasn’t. And because Bryan and Layla were sick, everyone was home. We got to spend Valentine’s day as a family (even if a few of us were in the bathroom the majority of the day).

Good thing I took their annual Valentine’s Day pictures a few weeks before. I was working on some head shots for a client at Longwood Gardens and decided that the kids could come with and get their pictures done too. It’s the first time we’ve done outdoor pictures for Vday and I love how they turned out. I think the green wall at Longwood might be a new tradition.

Haha. And this kid- he makes me laugh just looking at him. He is SO silly, I can not imagine life without him. His ears may not work (he has the best selective hearing I have ever…EVER witnessed) and he may be wilder than a Tasmanian devil but he gives the best snuggles in the world. And he is just so. darn. cute. He’s been learning a lot at preschool this year- he even wrote his name on ALL his Valentine’s. He is the the exact opposite of his sister- doesn’t care to take his time, doesn’t care to sit still, doesn’t care about being too loud (actually prefers to be too loud). I love his carefree attitude but I’m also exhausted. He eats non stop, talks non stop, moves NON STOP. He has the best imagination. In fact, he has us half convinced he’s been abducted by aliens and they’ve been performing tests on him because he’s such a “big boy”. Where does he get this stuff?! LOL. He has grown even more in the last couple of months- his big kid size 5 pants are getting a little small. How is my 4 year old going into size 6/7 clothes?!

I mean, are you serious with that last picture Jack?! I want to just gobble him up.

So if you have a minute today- send prayers/positive vibes that I don’t get sick, Layla’s anxiety eases and Jack…isn’t really being abducted by aliens in the middle of the night?

PS- It’s a new year and I’m doing a new photo challenge! You can check out my weekly photos on my photography page- Tiny Dreams Photography. I’d love for you to follow along!