Dear Friends,

Contrary to popular belief, we are in fact, alive.  

Sort of.

We are at the present time: 

-Surviving on cheese puffs and Tylenol

-Almost out of clean underwear

-Living in about 4 inches of muck

-Sleeping for 19 hours a day

-Tired of being sick (going on 9 days now.)

-Grateful for sweet friends who have taken perfect care of a near-invalid crazy person (and her kids). 

Thanks.

Love Day.

Today (despite the fact that I'm sick as a dog and if I blow my nose one more time I'm convinced it will just entirely shoot off of my face), I am feelin' the love.  

I'm surrounded by it.  

I LOVE the way Aubrey makes me laugh.  

I LOVE her simple and sweet questions and her genuine curiosity about everything.  

I LOVE that she still needs me.  

I LOVE how smart she is and how quickly she learns things.

I LOVE how affectionate and cuddly she is and how she fits so perfectly in my arms.

 

 I LOVE that Brooklyn is so tender-hearted and so thoughtful of others feelings.

I LOVE that her laugh is always funnier than the joke. 

I LOVE that she is so sensitive to spiritual things and understands the complexity of the gospel with perfect simplicity.

I LOVE that she always has something to say.  And that she always tells the truth.  

I LOVE her incredible imagination.

I LOVE Luke's goodness.

I LOVE that he can make me laugh harder and longer than no one else ever could. 

I LOVE that he does not expect me to have a clean house all the time.

I LOVE that he got me the best Valentine's day present the world has ever known.  And I got him a griddle.

I LOVE that he doesn't even mind.

And most of all, 

I LOVE THAT THEY ARE MINE.

Happy Valentine's Day.

Project 365: Week 6

I Have A Secret Admirer.

For the last few weeks, I have been receiving secret little anonymous love notes nearly everywhere I look.  

-They are not written by Luke.

-They are scrawled on receipts, scrap papers, carefully drawn masterpieces, and occasionally - furniture. 

-They are written with the utmost care, and with maximum effort.

-And they contain only 3 letters... 

 M.O.M.

They are the sweetest notes I've ever received (and that is saying something because Luke can write a decent one when he feels the need.), and 

I love them.  

(and I love my Secret Admirer, too.)

Polar Opposites

Since the weather this weekend decided to catapult itself up the thermometer and reach record-breaking highs of nearly 30 degrees (I know!), we took full advantage of the once-in-a-winter opportunity, grabbed our Dora sled, shimmied into our two-sizes-too-small snow pants, and slipped (literally - there was still ice) out the door.

We spent a good hour flying down hills on our tiny disc and it was there that I made a startling observation.  

My children, though without a doubt sisters, are POLAR OPPOSITES.  

Pun intended. 

Brooklyn is an ice princess. 

She hopped on that sled before we had even put our gloves on and flew down that hill at a neck-breaking speed all the while laughing hysterically. 

 I am pretty sure no child in the world has ever been more thrilled than this one was on that day.

Aubrey, on the other hand, was so not about to be convinced to follow suite, and successfully argued that she should just scoot herself down the hill on her bum.

And that is what she did.

Over and over again.

Meanwhile, Brooklyn flew down the slopes so rapidly she was mostly just a big pink blur.

At one point she got completely out of control and had a severe-looking roll-over collision in which I was sure she had broken several bones in her neck. 

Before she even came to a stop she let out an ear-splitting sound. 

Terrified screaming...? 

Nope. 

She was belly laughing like no human has ever laughed before.  

It echoed around the city and (I'm pretty sure) is still reverberating in the farthest reaches of space.  

A sound like that could never die.

Her guardian daddy wisely booked it out to her just to make sure she wasn't injured (it looked really nasty), and indeed - she was completely unharmed. 

And completely ecstatic.

Aubrey was, at last, convinced to climb aboard the sled and...

well...

she didn't HATE it. 

See?!

And even though they're polar opposites when it comes to a day of sledding,

they are identical twins when it comes to one thing... 

They are unconditionally adored and loved by each other.

Grandma Webb

 This Friday, after a long and challenging battle with multiple health problems, our beloved Grandma Webb passed peacefully away.  

She was one of the most sincere and genuinely loving people I've ever met.  She always had the most kind and thoughtful things to say and when you were with her, there was no doubt in your mind that she loved you with all her heart.  

She had a talent for making people feel special. 

She had a gift for showing compassion to those who needed it.  

She was a perfect example of goodness and virtue.  

She was loved by all those who had the privilege of knowing her.

 The girls will remember her as the "Grandma with the grabber, and the rollie chair," and we'll remember her as the Grandma that was perfect in every way.  

We'll miss you, Grandma Webb.  

We love you.

Project 365: Week 5

Pearls of Wisdom

Pearls of Wisdom For My Little Girls...

 1.) Pray.  On your knees.

 

2.) Sing.  Loudly.

3.) Talk.  About anything.  Except other people. 

 

4.) Laugh.  Uncontrollably.

5.) Learn.  And never stop.

 6.) Wipe. Yourself.

 7.) Smile.  At everyone.

 8.) Be good.  No matter what everyone else is doing. 

9.) Give.  All you've got.

10). Eat your vegetables.  Before your ice-cream.

 11). Play. Fair.

12.) Dance.  Even if there's no music.

13). Enjoy.  All of it.

Project 365: Week 4

Words Speak Louder Than Actions.

Luke's birthday was on Tuesday.

For a truly devoted wife that would mean that he would have gotten a cake, balloons, a specialized blog post listing all 28 amazing characteristics about him that I cannot live without, and a small handful of carefully chosen (and at least one hand-made) presents to brighten his special day.  

 

He got none of those things. 

 

(Although- in my defense he did receive a HUGE sort-of-birthday present. 42" huge, to be exact.)  

 

And so I am hoping that for just a moment, we can bend the rules of the universe and declare truthfully that words speak louder than actions.  

Because (despite all appearances) I love him.  

A lot.    

Happy Birthday, Luke.