About a million pics

We've had lots of fun lately. I took Livy and Samantha (our precious weekend friend) roller skating for Valentine's Day. My parents always made it a point to do something sweet and special for us on Valentine's Day when we were growing up, and I want to pass on the tradition. Taking Olivia to the skating rink I used to skate at when I was a preschooler seemed like a fun way to do that.

It was SO fun teaching her something new, and she tried to skate like the girl on Ice Princess and would dramatically fall down and hold her ankle when she did. So funny, that girl.

Samantha the Love Bug loved holding my hand and skating with me. Did Olivia? Of course not! "'Scuse me, Momma," she would say as she gently pushed my hand away. She didn't even want me close to her once she got the hang of it. It was such a blast!

We followed that up with meeting up with Daddy to go to a Valentine's Party at the library. Our friend Cutter (one of the boys I nannyed for last year) met up with us just befor we left the rink and partied with us as well. It was fun, but too chaotic to get many pics there. Here are some photos and a video clip of the Chicken Dance (ignore the wobbliness on the video and the "I'm GAY" on the carpeted wall behind Livy in one pic):

God is so Good

I didn't catch it all - she's less interested in singing when the camera is out - but this warms my heart!



And, like the doof I can be, I don't know how to edit the video, and rather than figure it out, I am posting it as is. It give a glimpse of the whole boundary-testing thing.

What you mean to me - from your husband.

Jenny,

Often, your family and friends don't get to see what you mean to me because I'm a bit of a different person when I'm in public than when I'm in private. So I thought I would tell them all what you mean to me on your BlogSpot.

We have come a long way in twelve years together. In our youth, we were much more open with our affection towards each other. Now, I'm a lot more private with all my feelings and even I sometimes don't open up in private to you either. For whatever reason, I've tightened up my personal feelings and haven't really allowed them to come out.

Looking back when we were young, I thought of you all day long, literally. I'd write love notes in class to you. For every major holiday, I'd go all out for you, especially on Valentine's Day. We would even surprise each other with things on non-holidays. We never lacked passion when we were young.

Over time, our passion turned into what I feel was true love for each other. We respected each other more and at the same time we reserved the lovy dovy stuff for when we were alone together (I imagine this made it much easier for people to be around us). Because we have been together since high school, we have grown into adults together. We have seen every imaginable phase of love with each other only, which I see as something very special. Not many people get to experience that.

We are different any many ways. You yearn and reminisce about the days when we were more openly in love, whereas I am now a love hermit. I only show my love for you at home in private and I am a little embarrassed when I think about how we made out in public. Why this is, I don't know, maybe it's just the natural progression of things for men and women. Despite this, I feel that I love you more now, and in many more ways, than I did eleven or twelve years ago. Now that Olivia is in the picture, life with you is so different. I see things daily that make me love you more. When Olivia learns something new because you were doing an activity with her, it's just an example of how my love for you grows daily. You do things to help the family; make sacrifices that show your care and devotion to us. These things mean the world to me.

Our lives, the way that our day flows, is all based on you. You dictate the mood and the experience of our daily lives. When you're having a bad day so am I. When your spirits are through the roof, so are mine. That is such a wonderful thing to me, that the order of our lives depends on you. It shows just what a special person you are. If you were taken from my life, then it would crumble.

Everything in this post, you already knew. So why did I write it? Because I want friends and family to know what you mean to me. Perhaps next time one of your friends or family sees us together, instead of seeing a bickering couple, seemingly on the edge with each other, maybe they will see a raging inferno of love that forms new experiences every day. That's the way I see things.



Above is one of my favorite pictures. It shows us exhausted after the birth of Olivia. It seems like we go through this very same emotion every day together. Exhausted, but in love.