My Valentines

Today is Valentine's Day. The boys and I had a lazy morning. We stayed in our pajamas until after lunch and took our time getting ready before B came home to pick us up for dinner. I love it when I relax about checking the items off my list. The children are very sensitive to any stress or impatience I experience when I fail to execute my detailed plan for the day. I still make lists and a schedule every night, but I've decided to not go into self-destruct mode if I don't cross off every item.

Since we don't get out a lot lately, 

I decided to get us all fancied up for our date with dad.

(Admit it. Your heart is melting right now.)

After dinner, we picked up some Cherry Garcia and added it to the Paradise Bakery chocolate chip cookies B surprised me with today 

and let the boys enjoy some heavenly sweetness. 

Then we ran up and down the hall to calm the sugar rush before bedtime.

You know those days where you sit back in your chair and look at your life right at that moment and acknowledge things are good, right, and, for the most part, make sense? You cherish that minute. You cherish it so much because you realize the very next minute could be the exact opposite. Ah, the gift of an ordinary day. The gift of healthy, squirmy children with chocolate stained faces. The gift of a house filled with noisy toddler mumbles and laughter. The gift of a nourished marriage that begins and ends each day with a kiss. The gift of knowing, despite the insecurities that are part of living in this world, we are loved. 

Happy Valentine's Day everybody.