blessings...

My first word was 'book'. Yes, I was maybe a bit of an odd child... ;) Dad says that he remembers me requesting that he 'read me a tory' when I was very little, and one of the first things my husband and I did together when we were first dating and engaged was to read Treasure Island together. When we lived in England, I found an old hardcover copy of the complete Sherlock Holmes stories, which we read voraciously together before going to visit the famous flat in Baker Street! I still have to laugh whenever I hear the old song by Moxy Fruvous about the bibliophile girlfriend...! So Kirby's Valentine gift for me made perfect sense. Here is what he did. He asked Mom for a few titles of favourite storybooks I had when I was small. Then he secretly obtained these books from libraries and surprised me with a little story time! It was perfect, and perfectly adorable. What a guy...

This morning I heard a little bird outside before I even got out of my bed. That doesn't seem so special until I saw all the snow! Beautiful sparkly snow in the bright sunshine under a cold blue sky... Brilliantly pretty, but maybe a bit chilly for a little chirping bird...? Apparently not! That was a sweet little Valentine's gift from Heaven for me. And the very best part of this day so far is that my hunky husband has some secret plan up his sleeve, and that is just delicious!...

Last weekend we drove up about 6 hours to get together for Charley's 8th birthday and baptism. It was so great to be there all together with friends and family, eating ice cream cake and taking pictures. There's nothing like getting my sisters and I together for a  few snapshots! Yikes. We all enjoyed the sweet spirit at the baptism service, and especially when the little man himself stood up at the end and told us all his own beliefs about the gospel of Jesus Christ- amazing! He's a pretty rough-&-tumble kid, always has been; but he's sure got a heart, and a bright mind to go with it. After that we headed over to the gymnastics place where his dad is a pro. The best spot ever for a birthday party! Everyone had such a good time... little tiny children, big kids, aunts and uncles, cousins, and their grandparents took to the trampolines, ropes, springboards, and nearby comfy couches. ( I myself found the latter to be a perfect spot!)... then built a huge 'fort...