It's not a party till a sock monkey shows up

I've never really gotten into the whole Valentine's Day thing.

Maybe it's because I was completely mortified one Valentine's Day when my high school boyfriend stood outside my Algebra 2 class (hundreds of kids milling around watching with interest) with a bouquet of pink roses.



Attention and I are not great friends. It makes me blush and stammer and shake.

Those roses, while a nice gesture, were definitely not the way to my heart.

Do you have a Valentine's Day tale like that?

So, I married the perfect man. He doesn't do pink roses. Thank goodness!

I'd much rather have him dig a hole for a hydrangea bush or something, which he's done many times. And I love him for it. I get so excited about new plants being planted in our yard---he might as well have lassoed the moon.

My husband was forced to cares enough to know what my love language is, and I his---we try to be intentional every day.

So, now the girls are two. I find myself excited about Valentine's Day. It's fun to make crafts with them---to celebrate loving them, and to watch them get excited about heart shaped french toast.

Valentine's Day, to me, is just one more day to count my gifts. Gifts = love
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Making suncatchers with the girls. (1107)

Brynne reacting over and over with: Whoa, whoa, whooooooooa! When she sees the suncatchers in the window. (1108).

Teaching the girls to crab walk. (1109)

Catching Brynne practicing her crab walk. (1110)

Working on somersaults with the girls--so fun! (1111)

I can still do a somersault after all these years! (1112) Can you do a somersault? You should go try it today; it will make you giggle!

Progression with sock monkeys (1113).

one week old

one year old

two years old

Yes, I'm still celebrating two years with our girls! (1114)

Hadley pretending to blow up the balloon. (1115)

Watching Brynne pretend to blow up a balloon--look at those cheeks! (1116)



Emails from a dear friend and the anticipation of seeing her. (1117)

Brynne pointing to a very-much-alive fish in a book we were reading, and saying, Sushi! (1118)

Having sushi for dinner with Brad on Saturday night. (1119)