HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY everyone! I have to admit when it comes to holidays I love to do craft projects, get books about the holiday, cook certain foods or meals and find new and fun ways to celebrate the day. This year Hunter decided that he wanted to make one eyed valentine heart people and so we got busy. Aren't they so cute? Sorry if you are seeing this and still waiting for yours they were sent out a little late. I am really good on the craftiness a little bad about procrastination :)
This year as part of Deke's valentine treats I filled a goblet with some new snacks. Some of these things included marshmellow hearts (made by the company that makes PEEPS) and my favorite new find: Hershey kisses filled with CHEESECAKE FILLING!!!! Okay sorry if these are not new to anyone else and just new to me but I really like them. Let's just say they are almost gone and Deke hasn't even had a chance to try one yet. What is not to like, chocolate good... cheesecake good... bite sized so you can eat more and feel like you are eating less good.
Hunter made me my first very beautiful bouquet of pipe cleaner tissue paper flowers which I loved.
This year we decided to surprise Deke with a different sort of valentine, first we made it...
Then we put it on Hunter and went to Deke's office. I sent him in wearing it and carrying a balloon and Deke was so surprised and Hunter was adorable and so excited to surprise daddy he could hardly stand it. It was a good thing that we did this now since he is rapidly getting older and pretty soon would never let me subject him to this kind of thing even if I thought it was adorable. However since he is only four he loved it and was thriving on the attention he was getting from the patients. 
It was such a nice valentine's day and we had a lot of fun, on to birthdays for Deke and I later this month and a quickly approaching anniversary for us as well. I am trying to slow life down a little and just take it all in. 
We went up last weekend to see grandma and grandpa Hatch and to celebrate Ethan and Dylan's third birthday. We had a nice weekend, of course we enjoyed a delicious breakfast of grandpa's famous biscuits and gravy and got to bring home some rabbit to eat. Hunter was able to pet and take some pictures with papa's latest bobcat from his trap lines. He thought that was pretty cool and so did daddy.
We all went to the lake in ShowLow and had a chance to feed the friendliest ducks and geese I had ever seen. Hunter loved it and so did Avery unless they came to close and then she would start screaming in fear.
On the way home the trip that usually takes us three hours took us six and a half including two hours of that completely stopped due to the weather. Though we had nothing as far as snow gear we hurried out in it to play which was sooooo much fun!!
We had such a fun weekend, lots of special time together for our little family and lots of neat memories made for the kids with their great grandparents.
I gave him a tablecloth and he got busy setting up a little table and coloring menus and signs for his restaurant. Then we made homemade pizza together just him and I and we sat down together at his little table and ate and talked just him and I. After we ate he came over and gave me a hug and said, "There you go sweet mom" (sometimes he calls me sweet mom and Avery sweet girl) and just sat on my lap so I could hold him. I am so grateful to have such a beautiful four year old who in sweet moments like this makes the whole world feel better.
I remember how nervous I was when I found out we were having a boy since I had grown up with a housefull of girls.
I never could have imagined how special the relationship is between a mom and her little boy.
I am grateful to have a husband who has called me during the day just to tell me he loves me a little more this week and spent extra time giving me back rubs and snuggling with me until I can finally fall asleep. It's not so much what he says as much as it is that he always knows what I need. There is just something about Deke that is so amazing, it is like he just always knows how to make it better, he provides so much comfort and understands like no one else can. There has never been a doubt in my mind as to why he is my eternal companion.
I am grateful for Ethan and Dylan they are such valiant little spirits that all they had to do was come and get a body, they have to be some very special little guys. I can not wait to get to hold them and really get to know them. I am grateful that they have helped me to realize more than ever that I believe in the plan of salvation. I am grateful for a million things in my life but this week I am so very grateful for my boys. Each one of them all take such good care of me and are so tender to their sensitive mommy. They hug me and hold me and make me feel so much love. This week is one of those where I just can never have too much love and support. Each year I feel like we are making positive progress but some things will never change. I am still their mommy and they are still my babies and that will always touch a very tender part of my heart. 
Next on the list would be 
Avery is an official nursery member which we are all excited about. Wrestling with her during sacrament is becoming quite the chore so we were very excited for her to take this next step. When Hunter went to nursery, he of course was the social butterfly and comedic relief. The problem we had with him if any was that during snack and lesson time he insisted on being the "seat assigner" for all the other kids telling them where each of their seats were. 
Avery is much more hesitant and not as concerned about the other kids. She loves singing time but is not so interested in story time. Her favorite time is snack time and she has been dubbed the "snack stealer" of the group. Yes once she has devoured her own snack she then attempts to eat all the snacks of any and all people sitting near her.
Halfway through snack they bring out the toys and all the kids run over and get busy playing, not Avery. Avery stands by the snack table the whole time circling around it and trying to swipe something when we turn our heads. She never leaves her post to go play with toys or interact with the other kids, no she just stands by the table waiting for us to get busy talking so that she can take some food. I thought that surely this was just a "first week" kind of quirk but no she has done the same thing all three weeks in nursery so far. 
I should have known since she is so serious about her food. She doesn't share food with anyone and throws a fit 
It amazes me how much he has grown since his pictures last year of becoming a new Sunbeam, it goes so fast. He just gets taller and gains more freckles, the more freckles he gets the cuter he gets. 
Avery has ventured into nursery which brings emotions of gratitude rather than sadness from both 
I am always grateful when they go to nursery so that I can actually listen to the lessons during church. I will post about her nursery adventures later this week. 
These guys feel more like family than friends to us and we have missed them so much since we moved, we couldn't wait to get up there and see them. We enjoyed a delicious dinner, visited, the kids played, we talked and played games till the wee hours of the morning. 
Then we all got up and had pancakes and talked until we had to pull ourselves away and back down the hill. Hunter just loves 
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We are so thankful for you Grant family, you have been such a wonderful blessing in our lives. We had such a great time and all I can say is I have a very good feeling that 2008 is going to be a great year for our family for sure!! 
