Violated

So, today started as a wonderful day. In the morning I took the kids to the fire station for a preschool field trip. The weather was perfect. After several rainy days it was sunny. Then we played at the park and went home for lunch. The kids played in the back yard and I got some bills paid, then we watched an episode of scooby doo while I took out a sliver from Jonah's finger. We went to the grocery store and Lea and Jonah were very good. Amazingly they didn't whine or beg for anything. We paid for our groceries and bagged everything up and took our stuff to the car when I realized that I didn't have my wallet. I went back inside the store to the cashier at the cash register and asked if he had seen a wallet. I looked all over, went back to my car to check the grocery bags - no wallet. After the manager reviewed the video tape from that regisster, it turns out a woman 2 people behind me stole my wallet. It was very obvious that she was being sneaky about it and stole it. This was no accident. So of course I feel violated and vulnerable. All of my credit cards, debit cards, $50 cash, drivers liscence, a bank card with my checking account number, Lea and Jonah's birth certificates, my insurance cards, everything was in my wallet! I feel terrible! What a horrible ending to a great day. The police have the lady's name and liscence plate number and she is caught on tape. I am just so sad that she made that bad decision. It really hurt my peace of mind! I don't know if I'll get my wallet back, but it really stinks!

Valentines Day

Valentines Day started with a yummy heart-pancake breakfast!

Lea and Jonah really liked these!

We exchanged Valentines and Lea and Jonah got cute little Teddy Bears that they haven't let out of their sight!

This TV for the kitchen was the Valentine's gift for Dan and I from each other. This will come in handy because I love to cook and bake and now I can watch TV while I'm doing it. Before this we only had one TV in our bedroom so now this one is downstairs for us to enjoy.

My mom took Lea and Jonah to visit my Grandma in the afternoon and early evening, so Dan took me to The Olive Garden (our favorite restaurant) and a movie (He's Just Not That Into You). We enjoyed our time together and Daniel gave me these beautiful roses. We spent the night at my mom's house to play games with her after the kids went to sleep and all in all it was a fabulous Valentines Day.

I Remember

I remember sitting in a pew and watching you with longing eyes as you took a seat in front of me. You moved with confidence and pose that was so very attractive. Your hair was summer blond from summer activity, adorning your slight frame asking to be played with. I remember thinking I ought to approach you. I mustered up a reserve of attitude and forced myself forward. You looked at me as I stammered a confusing, “can you scoot over?” From there, it was a smilefest. I could not stop smiling as we flirted, taunted and jousted our way through ridiculous conversation. It’s about intent, not content, right? Well, with every easy laugh you delivered a measure of confidence I have never felt before. I let myself go; it was easy to be me with you. Comfortable. You were to my self confidence like a renewal of self when self wasn’t questioned, just assumed as wonderful. This time of self assuredness is had for most functional children from birth to about five or six. I was five again and prancing about, showing off my charm, willing to believe that I could not go wrong. You smiled, you laughed. You teased and prodded. I felt the slow, slinking feeling of a willing heart being hijacked. It really did feel like a hijacking. Well, actually, I have no idea if that's true, but it definitely feels like control of emotion was transferred; that wonderfully scary initial stage of love when nothing is known and all is hoped for. The next couple of weeks, we nary missed a night of kidding, cuddling, inquiry and discovery. I remember thinking I was playing it cool, keeping kissing out of our daily content. I was wrong, and loved you for showing me so when you sent a machine gun spattering of questions at me.
“So Dan, what’s the deal? Am I like a sister to you? Are you gay? Why haven’t you kissed me yet?”
The honesty in this approach was so refreshing. This girl wants me to kiss, well, okay, I want to kiss her. There was never much of a guessing game with you.

Through our courtship and almost seven years of marriage, this transparency has enabled our relationship and understanding of our love to master change, change and more change, through communication of thought, feeling and desire. To love is to show, in the act is to know. I know you love me, because you give up the “me” in you as you give of yourself to me, you know what I mean? To say why I love you is actually to define how you show me your love.
You care for my thoughts. You show this with your piercing eyed inquiries, seeking me to relay and expound the detail of my day, my passions and dreams, ideas and esteems.
You care for my comfort, shown as you magnify your expertise in the monotony that is domestic engineering. It has joys I know, but paramount in your day is service to me and soon to be, our little ones, three.
You care for my ego; ergo you carefully construct your loving compliments that can tend to deny what reality replies.
You care for my joy, shown by sending me free on dangerous days of rivers raging, or staging serendipitous delights of activities in spite of personal desire.
You care for my Soul, through careful reminders to remember our Savior in saving our souls from the tolls of our trials and sins.

I love you Aleena, I hope I can show you so.

To My Dearest Love...

Today is Valentine's Day and I wanted to write a special ode to my amazing husband Daniel! Not only is he a great, captivating, and eloquent writer, he is also a patient partner, a good listener, a dynamic and generous lover, a confidant, a creative and spontaneous activity planner, a man with good ideas, a cozy cuddle-buddy, a sympathetic shoulder to cry on, a confidence booster, a fun and loving father, a competitive athlete, an awesome kisser, a strong protector, an excellent provider, a dedicated family-man, an empowering leader, a sincere person, a persistent idea promoter, an adventure seeker, a respecter of people, a natural with animals, a nature man and river runner, a spiritual strength, and a forgiving and understanding friend. There are many more wonderful qualities that he possesses that make me love him SO MUCH! Thank you Daniel for making me the happiest woman in the world. I wouldn't change a thing about you and I truly and eternally LOVE YOU! Happy Valentines Day!

Week of Valentine Fun

My smiling cupids!

An annonymous cupid heart-attacked my mom's house Tuesday night. We suspect it might have been the Young Women Group from church, but we don't really know. It could have been a number of amazingly kind people in our ward.

Here are some fun valentine heart cookies we made for Family Home Evening this week!

Today Lea and Jonah had a Valentine party for preschool. They played lots of games and did activities, and of course had lots of FUN.

Each child got conversation hearts that they sorted into colors, then counted and recorded the amounts on their own score card.

We are all having a great Valentine's Week!

ONE MONTH LEFT!!!

So this picture above was when I was cute and 5 months pregnant. If only women never got bigger than this.

Now I am 8 months pregnant and so excited for this baby to come!

We are starting to put together the baby's room/guest room. We have a queen size bed in there for guests so it's a good thing babies don't take up a lot of space. Here is the crib and changing table we got for the baby - no bedding yet. I look forward to the day we have our little baby boy in there!!!

Why did I think I could play basketball 8 months pregnant?

Ow, ow, ow. My belly hurts, my back hurts, it hurts to walk, and I'm in pain even lying down. Last night Lea and Jonah and I went to scouts with Daniel. The 11 year olds were working on a physical fitness merit badge. For the most part I sat in a chair and recorded their number of push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups and timed their quarter mile run. But in the end when they played basketball, I just had to join the fun. Lea and Jonah had been playing the whole time, and I wanted to shoot some hoops too. Big mistake! All the running and jumping was not good for my HUGE belly and I threw out my back and strained all my muscles and ligaments supporting my monstrous baby bump. Ouch!