"Happy Valentimes Day"

Wow! It is amazing how quickly my memories pass if I don't write things down! It has only been two weeks, and my mind is nearly blank. Last weekend we traveled to Salt Lake City to visit Jeff's family. Even short visits are refreshing and I think our children actually remember their grandparents and cousins from visit to visit now! We took in an R.V. show, a trip to Cafe Rio, a little shopping, a quick visit with Brett and Marissa, Jeff's mom's Spanish food, sledding, and a visit with old friends JoAnn Stevenson and Kelly Small, and did it all in two days! My favorite event of the trip, however, was when Gardner, our seven year old nephew pulled his tooth out in sacrament meeting. Jeff's mom just happened to be speaking and mentioned it in her talk and Gardner was so embarrassed, he kept his head ducked under the pew for the rest of the meeting. Britton, on the other hand, must have been a bit envious of the public mention and spent the rest of church wiggling his loose tooth in hopes of gaining the same recognition. Alas, his attempt failed, and he is still a nearly seven year old with only two lost teeth.
This week has passed in a flurry, however, Valentines Day was great. If ever a child was made to enjoy holidays, it was Emily. She spent the days prior to Valentines day cutting out hearts, making cookies, planning a list of whom she would like to send valentines to and learning about the valentines colors, who cupid was, and why we celebrate love, then informing the rest of the family about her findings. The whole day, whomever she passed she would offer a cheerful "happy valentimes day" to. She was so excited about wearing pink ( her favorite color AND a valentines color), delivering valentines to her friends, and answering the door just in case someone was dropping off a little something for her. Jeff and I give the kids books for Valentines Day. Emily received a "Princess Primer" as her book and has loved reading about the various aspects of being a princess. Jeff gave me a very romantic gift of flowers in a blender. This may sound a little odd, but it is what he gave me on our first Valentines Day when we were dating. The flowers came in a blender because he didn't have a vase, this year, I actually needed a new blender, so it worked out well. I was impressed that he remembered. You know how husbands are about remembering that kind of stuff... I gave Jeff a tackle box to organize his fly tying supplies ( Jeff's new hobby). Jeff had to work that evening, so we were able to go on a date the next night. We went to St. George and hit the parade of homes ( I highly recommend it if you ever get the chance) and ate dinner at a Thai food restaurant called Benja. It was a fun day! I feel so grateful to be married to a man that I love AND like.