Love Is In the Air

Valentine's Day has always been a special day to me because it was my Papa's birthday.  Anyone who knows me knows how much I treasured my Papa.  We had a special relationship that grew largely in part to me being his driver when I was in high school.  I don't really recall how I inherited that job, but I am so thankful that I did.  It was my standing assignment to drive him whenever we had a family function or get together.  It was during those rides that we had some of our best conversations.  There were also many times that I would go to Papa and Granny's house just to be with Papa, walk around the farm, or explore their house.  I would often find little things hidden in the back of a closet or tucked in a piece of furniture that I thought were absolutely wonderful.  I would always show Papa what I found and get him to tell me about it.  If it was something that I was pretty certain no one else would want (which is pretty much the case for all of my "treasures") I would ask Papa if I could have it.  His response was always the same, "What do you want that for".  One of my favorite treasures that I found this way was an old picture of a Jersey cow that I found tucked way back in his office.  Of course, he had no clue why I would want such a thing, but it has hung proudly in our home ever since I had it matted and framed.  For me it captures the roots of our family and holds extra significance because of the way I came to possess it.  I have a plaque hanging above it that says, Home is where your story begins.  What a true statement that is.  (One reason why I loved being a social worker, because I was able to help make peoples homes better, ultimately impacting their story.)  I may not have had Papa here this year, but I did have my precious baby boy who is named after Papa and unknowingly imitates his Papa Joe! Valentine's day to me is first and foremost Papa's birthday, so what a fitting day to show others that I love them.

We began this Valentine's Day by spending time with Elizabeth and baby Owen.  I made both boys matching shirts to wear for their first Valentine's!  The shirts were cute, but they sweet little angels wearing them were far cuter!  The weather was beautiful that day so we took them outside for a little photo shoot.  Poor little guys haven't really been able to experience sunshine or warm weather since they were little bitty guys, so this was very exciting for them.  As if it isn't difficult enough to photograph two babies at the same time, the task was made even more difficult because they were so distracted by their surroundings.  We had to resort to inside pictures to get one good one....and that took about 40 attempts!

Sam received his first ever Valentine delivery that afternoon.  Our sweet Mrs. Cynthia sent him a card with a one dollar bill inside. He thought he was extra special for receiving such a special treat in the mail!  Thank you Mrs. Cynthia for always thinking of us!

Sweet baby Sam made Valentine's goodies to share with others.  This included 2 pounds of pretzels dipped in chocolate, about 12 dozen cookies, rice krispie treats, and 3 dozen cupcakes.  He flew around town like a chubby little Cupid handing them out to those he loves.  He also gave some to his Sunday School teachers and to the elders at church the day before.

While Ty was at work, Sam and I made a Valentine for Ty and one for Bobbye and Buster.  It is very interesting to say the least to do arts and crafts with an almost 8 month old!  The glue was especially fun!  When Ty got home we loaded our little Cupid up to deliver his Valentine to B&B.  Buster ended up making bacon and egg sandwiches for dinner and we had a great visit!

Big Flo should be proud....I feel quite certain that Sam will one day be a Dentist.  He loves to examine teeth!

When we got back home we snacked on the yummy edible arrangement Ty made for me that had cantaloupe, pineapple, and blueberries, with some dipped in chocolate!  What a thoughtful husband I have!

It was a special day all the way around.  We are so thankful for the memories we have of those who are no longer with us and for the times we are able to spend with who are here.  We are blessed beyond measure and cherish our time together with those we love!

P.S.--Maybe one day Cupid will be gainfully employed so he can deliver Valentine's goodies to his loves who live outside of his zip code!  =)