Love is in the Air.....

Monday was the official day to celebrate love, but lately everyday has felt like a day to celebrate the love that is surrounding our family. Between all the meals that the wombats have been delivering to our house every few days, the visitors, the gifts that arrive for Hazen, the phone calls, and the simple pleasure of our family growing together and feeling strong, we are feeling a whole lot of love.

(note the hat and afgan, both handmade for the little man)

FAMILY LOVE:

Over the weekend, Hazen got to meet his Nana and Grandpa. They are never in short supply of adoration for their grandchildren. Nana knit Hazen a little afgan blanket and another sweater for Cally (embarassingly, I've lost count of the number of sweaters she has knit for Cal....... I think we are at number 7!). They both read countless books to Cal, changed their fair share of diapers and did some quality snuggling with the little man.


SKI LOVE:

Most importantly, for our nuclear family, we've been getting out of the house to continue to do what we love most-- ski and be outside. After a few botched attempts (forgotten skins or one pair of skis), we've finally figured out how to make it happen. And it seems to make each of us happy--even the little guy, who seems to love being all snuggled into the baby bjorn.


BIG GIRL LOVE:

Ever since the little man came home from the hospital, a certain someone seems like a much bigger kid. She literally feels heavier, looks taller, and sounds more articulate. She's becoming such a great helper around the house-- grabbing a blanket for Hazen, finding a pacifier for him, reminding me to put ointment on my sore boobies, or insisting that she can make her little brother smile on the changing table.



A week ago, Cally went down for a nap. An hour later, I heard a big thump from her room and then a cry. Cally had fallen out of her crib and bitten her tongue. We'd been thinking about the transition to a "big girl bed", but didn't want to push it because of the other big transition in our household. When I asked Cally if she wanted to move into the bed, she eagerly agreed to give it a try. Our wise friend, Medora, recommended keeping the crib in the room, so that if the bed thing didn't work out, we could easily put her back in there. The first night that she settled into the bed, I cried. I'm in trouble if this is how emotional I get after each milestone is met and our little girl grows up so quickly.


CREATIVE LOVE:

Cally, Hazen and I met up with Isaac, his parents, and his 5 day old brother, Oliver for Tadpole Art in Burlington. The kids got to play with clay, paint, and make a collage. Cal loved every minute of it!




Husband Love:

And finally, here's to the love that got us into this mess in the first place!


This was our 5th Valentine's Day together and John surprised me with a date at the same place we've celebrated this special day for the past five years. The tradition started during the epic Valentine's Day storm of 2007..... I think it snowed over 34 inches that day and we'd had an amazing day of skiing at Mad River. The drive home was crazy treacherous and there were almost no cars on the road. Just about every business had shut down that day and we assumed our reservation at Sonoma Station had been cancelled. Alas, they were open and we dined with only one other couple (whom had skied to the restaurant).

So every year, John has made a reservation for us at this same special place to remind us of that very special day. This year, the thought of getting out on a date for Valentine's Day didn't even cross my mind. But, John arranged for Uncle Scotty to watch Cally while we took the little man to Sonoma Station. It was a flawless evening. Hazen slept the entire time, we had a delicious and romantic meal, and Cally was thrilled to have her buddy Scott put her to bed.

Love is clearly all around!