Love, Love, Love

Happy Valentines Day!
We had a great day. Nothing too exciting. I stayed up till the wee hours of the morning the night before trying to make pink cinnamon rolls (I never make cinnamon rolls and thought it would delight the kids and make a great new tradition for us). It turns out that neither of them touched the cinnamon rolls. Maybe it was that I had cups full of candy out for them on the table too. You live and learn. At least Jeff and I enjoyed them.

We had a few little friends over for a fancy Valentines tea. Hazel was "Fera, the Queen of all" and her friend Jordan was Jasmine, the wicked princess. Don't know who orchestrated that one. Charlie was a "wicked prince." He walked around the house with this look on his face:

This is his favorite way to wear his face lately. A "tough guy" snarl and varying types of patterns drawn with markers on his forehead during the wee hours of the morning when I'm too zombie-like (due to middle of the night feedings) to monitor his activities appropriately.

I can always get that snarly tough guy to turn back into my sweet little guy. He has the most tender little heart under all his "toughness."

Here is Hazel as the vampire valentines day bride princess. Hazel is super into these fake teeth that she got at a birthday party a few weeks ago. I have to say, she has pulled off some pretty awesome pranks with them. When my brother Eli was here last week for family home evening she discreetly had them hidden in her mouth during the song and prayer and then when we turned the time over to her for her "lesson" she gave a big rotting teeth grin and said, "Welcome everyone!" We all burst out laughing. She's decided to wear them next time we go to the dentist. He always asks her, "so, did you bring your teeth today?" She's planning on grinning real big and telling him that in fact, she did bring her teeth. I've go to video tape that one.

Look at this beautiful boy! Seriously.

We also brought a "jumping" valentine over to our friends. This is a tradition that we had growing up where you attach fishing line (or dental floss in our case, cause who has fishing line hanging around the house?) to a valentine, ring the doorbell and then run and hide in the bushes. When the person stoops down to grab their valentine you give it a little tug and it jumps....they follow it, you tug again....until they find you crouching in their bushes. Great fun. And, it actually worked. However, it somehow it didn't meet Hazel's expectations and we left our friends house in tears. That girl has really high, pretty convoluted and hard to understand expectations.....they're kind of hard to meet. I'm sure Jeff feels exactly the same way about me.

However, Jeff did meet my v-day expectations. He spent most of the day totally detailing the minivan....which (although I'd hate to admit it to my former hopeless romantic self) is the greatest, most romantic valentines gift ever. Good job hon.

We also got to drop the kids off at the church for a Young Women babysitting fundraiser and go and eat a nice meal with just little sleeping Emmeline. It was fantastic.

Oh man, I love my kids. And my dear Jeff. And all the good people in my life.
Happy Love Day.

My bounty is as boundless as the sea,
My love as deep; the more I give to thee,
The more I have, for both are infinite.
- Shakespeare