Valentine's Day--A Family Affair!

We get excited about holidays around here...even Valentine's Day.  Who doesn't like to celebrate? We embrace reasons to celebrate around our house.

Friday, we opened some gifts from our Valentine (hubby and daddy).

My sweeties!

Ooooo, Ariel card--her daddy knows her so well.

Yay! for the Chipmunk movie.

Yay! for cups to stack.

I got things that represent the 5 senses: candle, body scrub, Reese's heart, Crazy Love (I've been wanting to read this for a while--I'm late to jump on the bandwagon), Joshua Radin CD.  How clever is my guy?

Saturday, we had a dinner at church.  I was glad to have a sitter to watch the girls and some much needed adult time.  I laughed a lot!  It was nice.

My Valentine

This morning, we got up early and went to The Diner for a Valentine breakfast.  It was SO good.

Graham got us each a rose.  Ava--yellow, Edy--white, and me--red.  Ava's self-proclaimed favorite color is yellow and her daddy didn't forget. 

Tonight, we headed out for a generic Valentine's dinner at Olive Garden.  We had a gift certificate which made it even more awesome!  Before heading out, we tried to get a family pic by setting the timer on the camera.  Uhhhh, you can see for yourself how impossible this photo shoot was...

I love Graham's face in the 3rd picture.  It makes me laugh every time I look at it.

 All of our Valentine cards.  We are so loved!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks to moms, dads, grandparents, aunts, and uncles for thinking of us!

What a fun Valentine's Day we had as a  family. I love making memories with my family.

I hope everyone enjoyed some time with their loved ones, no matter how cheesy this holiday can be.

A Good Day

This past week we have had some sick little munchkins--just the common cold, but no fun.  I was hoping that they would feel better today so we could go to church and get out of the house. And...thankfully, everyone was doing good this morning!

 All ready for church

 After church, lunch, and naps, we got out of the house and enjoyed some time in this great weather.

 How cool is this girl?

 Lovin' that grin!

 DETERMINATION

 Check out the height of that goal.

 A-dorable!

It was a good day.

Special Snapshots

As I said last Wednesday, I want to share some of my favorite pics and tell a little bit about them.  Unlike my Top Ten Tuesday attempt (ahem...3 posts), I'm going to try and keep this up each week.

All I gotta say is, I love my girl's curls and that's why I love this photo so much.  

Ahhh...just SO cute!  

I remember this day so well...I was SO mad because I had to go to work on Ava's very first snow day--she was five months old.  Graham was home and took AG outside to get some pics of her in the snow.  Later that day, he emailed this photo to me at work.  It made my day and made me jealous I wasn't home with my sweet baby!

My dad took this picture of Graham and me soon after we were engaged.  I love it because it's just us--happy and in love...and thin...and young...and tan...and clueless!

For last week's snapshots click HERE.

Another Snow Day

Snow, snow, beautiful snow!  

AG woke us up bright and early to ask if she could go outside and play in the snow.

Graham was a good daddy and took his eager little sweetie out into the elements, but not before breakfast and COFFEE.  

 Unfortunately, Ro didn't get to join in on the fun.  She had a fever last night and needed to stay indoors where it was nice and warm.

 She watched her sister and daddy play from the window.  Do you see her pointing?

 The snow was too powdery and wouldn't pack, but AG made a couple of snow angels.

 After a bath to warm up, Ava Grace and Graham played with Play Doh...

 and this is what Ro did.

Special Snapshots

Through the years, certain photos have become pretty special to me.  For whatever reason, these pictures make my heart smile.  It's not necessarily because of the quality, the lighting, or the perfect pose, but because of the subjects--my precious girls, family, good friends. When I look at one, I can't help but stare, laugh, and sometimes even cry.  It's a glimpse into my past--a happy day, a sweet moment, or even a trying time.  

These snapshots preserve my memories--moments I don't ever want to forget.

I recently compiled a folder full of my favorite pictures.  Periodically, I would like to share a few and tell a quick story or two--take a brief walk down memory lane.

Here goes. . .

I'll never forget how Ava Grace loved the sprinkler, but did not want to get wet.  She would run around the perimeter of the backyard without letting the water touch her.  I couldn't turn it off or she'd cry.  She wanted it  on wasting water while she played.  Finally, she got hit.  I love how she turned her head away from the water and pulled her arms in close to her body.  She just stood motionless--paralyzed by the cold water.  Too cute!

 Just look at that big grin on Edy's face!  She looks like she is proud to be standing on her own two feet.

I dare to say this is my favorite photo of all time.  It was taken the first time Ava Grace held her baby sister.  I'll never forget how happy she was. Just look at her face.  Absolutely priceless.