going way, way back: my senior prom to 14 years later

Today, I'm going way, way back, to my high school banquet 14+ years ago. :) {I still can't believe it was that long ago!} We didn't dance at our Christian school {which makes SO much sense to me now that I'm old! ha!}, but we did have a banquet.

a big thank you to my friend Lonna for posting this oldie on Facebook! :D

How many people can say they went to their high school prom with the father of their children? :)

Back in 2000, he was 20, in college and drove a fancy silver new sports car, and I was a senior, 17, and excited about the prospect of college and life on my own. We had been friends for a few years at that point, and we both knew when we first started going out my senior year that we were looking for a future spouse. And of course, you know the story- a little over two years after this prom, I became his. ;)

Standing there at my prom that day, I wouldn't have guessed that in 14 years we'd have 5 kids, a very old house, 13 wildly reproducing molly fish, and a crazy fun life together.

This weekend we're celebrating our 12th {!} wedding anniversary, and I have to tell you: I'm continually amazed at the fact that I'm married to my high school sweetheart. :)

12 years later, it's still exciting. :) The Lord has been so kind to us!!

Happy {early} anniversary, baby! I love you like crazy.

it couldn't have been better than this

If there were a way to choose the weather, I would pick this weekend's perfect temperature, lovely slight breeze, and gorgeous blue days. It was the best weather Texas could ever offer. :)

May, I might be in love with you.

We had a very outdoor sort of weekend. We drove around after dinner on Friday evening, and found this gem of a lake just in time for sunset. 

Who knew a pond could be so lovely in the spring? :)

The fish were biting. We need to remember the kids' fishing poles the next time we go because the fish were EVERYWHERE.

 I threw a flower in the water and look what happened:

God's creation is too crazy. The fish know what to do. The birds know what to do. The plants know what to do when the sun comes out. I'm amazed by our Creator.

Even the bunnies came out on the trail to show us His handiwork- this little guy wasn't afraid of us at all: 

I needed this Vitamin D big time:

We went to the park after church and lunch yesterday. We're determined to take in as much of this weather as we can. :D

The kids worked out doing hills and trails. I love their little red faces {which they totally get from their mama. I turn bright red when I'm working hard too! :P}:

While the kids played, I pushed the Zaner:

And blessing upon blessing? Free blackberries on the trail! {my favorite berry, by a landslide}.

And we finished the day with an outdoor dinner at our very favorite place:

I looked at Rob after we ate dinner and we agreed: we didn't know how it could get better than this while we're on this earth. :)

Oh, such joy I felt these last few days! I think the Lord must have known what I needed. I'm always amazed how His word is proven at every turn.

I saw His proverb come true for me this weekend: a joyful heart was good medicine.


How was your weekend? Is your May going well?

If you could choose the perfect weather what would you choose?
Hawaii. :P And if in Texas, this weekend.

v-day weekend, the best coffee mug + other lovely things

It was a lovely weekend if I do say so myself. :D

It started with a date with this guy for Valentine's at his very favorite place, Chuy's:

Well, actually, he is so good, he started Valentine's on Thursday by bringing me these roses. :D 

And thankfully the weather changed to beautiful on Friday, so our date was even more amazing. We had our tiny third wheel with us, but he was on his best behavior. :) 

We ended the night with Starbucks, where Rob bought me the best insulated mug I've ever used. My coffee gets cold fast in our chilly house, and so I have been looking for a mug that 1. was insulated, 2. had a handle, and 3. didn't have a flip lid of some kind. And now I have a mug that fits all three! {wohoo!} It works so well. I can't believe how much he paid for it, but that man sure knows how to love his woman. :P {He also gave me an emerald green leather purse. Man, what a guy! :D}

I've so enjoyed how my warm coffee lasts longer every morning. And did I ever tell you about my new best friend I have to go with it? It was one of my Christmas presents from my parents:

The ESV Bible is so different than my MacArthur study Bible I've always used, but I love it too. It's much more vague and often takes less of a hard stance than the MacArthur version, but it also provides more contextual information and visuals, and I really like the small size of it too. It's been lovely to use. :)

And speaking of lovely, I found this fabric in the remnant section at the fabric store for $5/yard:

It's bold and the flowers are huge. I can't wait to cut it up and show you what I'm making with it. :) I'm hoping to add that little fun project to my to- do list for this week. 

I'm not sure it will make it on the list this week though- here's what it's like to even try to write a to-do list in my notebook these days:

Zane gets jealous and makes sure I can't do anything but hold him. ;) He eats all competition.

One night when Rob's home and my hands are free again, I'd really like to make a round of freezer meals. Frozen meals like the lasagna we had last night make life so much easier {at least when you remember to put them in the oven, anyway}.

How was your weekend? Was it lovely? {ahem :D}

Do you have a favorite freezer meal to make in bulk? I'd love to hear! I'm thinking white chicken chili, and taco soup again.

Do you ever use foil pans? 
I buy them at Sam's and love them to pieces. I mostly use them for freezer cooking and taking meals to other families. If I remember right, they run about .33 each at Sam's instead of 50 cents- $1+ at Walmart or the dollar store.

Women Living Well book study: Chapters 7-9 discussion + new study guide

This post is the part of the WLW book study series- you can find all the details and the previous posts in the study here!

So how was your week doing the marriage challenge? Did you have fun? Was it harder or easier than you expected? I can't wait to hear!!

I have to tell you- it's so much fun doing this study with you all!! I've enjoyed hearing how things are changing in your homes! What a testimony of God at work! Yay!! :D

Let's go straight into it, shall we? Then we can discuss it in the comments below! :D

Chapter 7: Marriage in the Age of Media

Technology has changed the environment of a home in so many ways! It's so strange to realize that 25 years ago, our lives were much different than they are now! The internet and instant connection brings us so many good things, yet it can affect our lives so negatively too.

How much time do we spend staring at a screen rather than engaging with each other? I know this was big for me, as my husband and I both spend lots of time on the computer. We hardly ever watch TV shows or movies, and much of our "free time" after the kids go to bed is spent together with each of us in front of our computers.

I thought it was interesting that Courtney deleted her male friends from her Facebook page {p. 72}.  I'd never considered doing that before, but turning the situation around made all the difference in my mind: I wouldn't really appreciate my husband having female friends I don't know on his Facebook page. Isn't it weird how putting yourself in their shoes changes it so much? Do unto others as you would have them do unto you... the Bible really does answer so many questions! :)

I think it's probably different for every couple, but setting your own limits for these kinds of online interactions sounds like such a wise thing to do. Your marriage is always worth protecting, and avoiding possible temptations is so important for both sides!

And the same is true for movies and TV, isn't it? What we are watching really does change the way we view our husbands. For example, do we start to mock our own husbands because of the funny fictional characters we see on TV mocking their husbands? {ouch, right?! It's not really very funny in real life.}

As for taking care of our marriages- I love how she gives practical steps to "water" your marriage on page 75. My favorite one was smiling at your husband! It's free, fun for you, and brings your husband joy. It is sad that I have to remind myself to do this, but I get so focused on doing whatever I'm doing that I forget to smile at all, even when I am really happy. I need to smile more! :D

I think in our marriage, spending most of our time together has been huge for us. We really and truly love to be together all the time. Rob is my best friend, and the person I want to spend my free time with every single day. I know I'm probably kind of strange here, but it's hard for me to go places without him. I miss my husband when we're apart.

I thought it was so helpful to have today's situations addressed through a godly woman's view! It seems that guarding our marriages from negative influences while pouring in the good things like quality time and giving our spouse priority can strengthen our marriages. What do you think?


Chapter 8-Banishing Bitterness to Find Happily Ever After

Oh, the cranky, critical wife. I've been her so many times I can't even count.

I've noticed that my cranky criticalness is almost always triggered by three things:

1. I'm tired. Though it's occasionally related to external sources {newborns and deadlines}, most of the time I'm tired because I haven't made sleep a priority, and I stayed up too late because I wanted to. It's really completely unfair to be a cranky wife {and mom} because I chose to surf the internet instead of sleep.

2. I'm hungry. {also known as Hangry...} Again, this is almost always in my control- there's no reason I should let myself get so hungry that I turn into a beast to my family. But if I don't eat enough, that's what happens.

3. I'm not feeling well. {pregnancy, PMS, colds, etc.} Sometimes I really don't feel very physically well, but that's not a good reason to criticize the person who vowed to stay with you in sickness and in health.

Those three aren't what cause me to be ugly to my husband- I do that all on my own. ;) It's definitely a heart issue {p. 82}. But they are situations that make it harder for me to control my tongue, and I do much better when I am aware of them. Does that makes sense? I mess up here all the time, and I'm kind of amazed my husband still loves me anyway. {thank you, Jesus!}

Mostly, though, I find my critical crankiness comes from not getting my way. Also known as ugly pride. Eww. It sounds awful because it is awful. Unleashing critical words to my husband when he doesn't agree with me is just sinful.

Courtney is spot on here- many of our disagreements are because of selfish expectations, and not getting what we want! {p. 84} I loved this quote on page 84:

Disagreements are inevitable in marriage. The key to overcoming the inevitable and maintaining emotional, spiritual, and physical intimacy is to be mature enough to recognize the areas where we were at fault and apologize. 

I think being able to apologize is one of the hardest, yet one of the most healing, wonderful things we can do in our marriage. I really feel like the Holy Spirit has been working on me in this department. I remember when we first started out together, I could not bring myself to apologize at all. It was never more my fault than his. Slowly God has worked on me in this area, though, and He has shown me my faults in our disagreements too. I still have such a long way to go but I'm so thankful that he is showing when I'm wrong.

In the same way, any forgiveness has to be inspired by the Holy Spirit- only through Him can we forgive our husbands like we've been forgiven by God. If you are struggling with forgiving, like Courtney says, "go to the foot of the cross and lay down all that pain and all that sorrow and exchange it for the grace and mercy that God gives. Give your husband forgiveness, the same forgiveness you experienced at the cross." {p. 89}

I thought the section on husband's leading was fantastic. Remember: even if you don't think your husband is leading your home, "the reality is that your husband is always leading." {p. 86} Realizing that our own husband's walk might look different from ours is so helpful in respecting how he leads us! {p. 87}. Even more comforting is the realization that God gave us these men to lead us in the way He designed them to! We are not their spiritual leader- God is! :) And your leader was sovereignly chosen by the Lord God Almighty, and you've committed before Him to love and submit to your husband. {No matter if he isn't leading the way you want him to. :)}

I so need to write this quote from Chapter 8 on my hand with a sharpie as a reminder for when I am feeling irritable:

And I thought this quote from Ruth Bell Graham summed up the chapter perfectly:

"A good marriage is the union of two forgivers." {p. 89}

We aren't perfect, and neither are our husbands, right? We are ALL sinners. We will argue, we will seek after our own desires, but through Jesus we can actually die to ourselves and put others {namely, our husbands!} first. :)

Chapter 9- "The Completing Him" Marriage Challenge, Week 1

Oh, this was fun! I ended up combining a couple of the days, but I think the biggest thing that this challenge did for me was that it made me think of my husband more.

Not just about him, but it made me think of how I could help him more- of how I could pray for him, or put his likes first- like getting a drink refill, or wearing his favorite jeans, or smiling at him more. And the list of 10 things I loved about him turned into 20. And you know what he said after he read it? "That was the sweetest email you've ever sent me." And then he saved it in Evernote to read again later. :)

Why haven't I done that before? I need to do this more often! It was so simple, but I realized I don't do it enough! You really can't go wrong loving on your husband more! :)

And the priorities list was interesting- I had so many things, and he categorized my list by groups. At the bottom of my list? Any type of venture that made money. It was my least important priority of all, he said. That surprised me the most. Taking care of the little people, homeschooling, and caring for the house were way more important to him than taking on extra jobs I could think of.

So, now it's your turn! {yay!} How did your marriage challenge go this week? 

And I'd love to hear some of your answers from this week's homework! What were three ways you found to "water" your marriage on a regular basis?

Did anything really resonate with you as you read your chapters this week? What was your favorite section?

Feel free to share your thoughts, and respond to other comments as well! This is a wonderful community of sisters and there is so much knowledge to be shared! I know I'm so thankful for your thoughts! :)

________________________________________________

{download next week's study guide}

{alternate link to Google Docs}

This post is the part of the WLW book study series- you can find all the details and the previous posts in the study here!

how to slow down time + being content with now

I think I have a new way to slow down time: be 38 weeks pregnant. Every day and night will last longer than you can possibly imagine. :)

This morning my news-watching brother texted me and asked if Princess Kate and I had planned to have our babies on the same day. :P I told him I wish... at least for the part of this baby coming today, anyway. :) Even more hilarious than that, when I told Rob what my brother texted me he responded with, "who's Kate again?" :)

I don't know if Princess Kate enjoyed her last weekend, but I did. :) It started with Panera and garage sales with the family on Saturday {we bought a bag of 1/2 dozen bagels there- the most brilliant idea for eating breakfast out I stole from Ruth who has 6 little boys!}.

Then we went for a long walk on the trail on Saturday night, which started out grand and ended up with us running back in a thunderstorm...and that was the moment I learned this very pregnant girl can only run about 100 yards at a time at this point. So we all got soaked. The boys loved it; mama not so much. ;)

Noah holding a 10 inch worm on the trail.

Even with all that walking and running I did, there still were no signs of labor. It's still early, but that doesn't mean a girl can't try a little...hahaha! 

Oh you guys, I'm trying to wait patiently on the Lord for the birth of this baby. I know it's getting closer and will be here so, so very soon, but I'm not very good at waiting. :) I know beyond a doubt that God's timing is better than mine- He's shown it to me over and over- even in my previous births! I know His will is what is important, and trusting Him is the very best thing I can do right now. He knows when it is time for this little one to come.

Today I want to focus on the great blessings I have right now instead of waiting to be content later. You know what I mean? I get so caught up in the future I forget to remember I only have now.

Today, I'm so thankful for this MAN. He shows us all such great love on a daily basis:

I'm thankful for sunny weather, and the chance to see gorgeous creations of God like this giant gerbera we spotted on our date last night.

I'm thankful for parents who watch our kiddos and give us time alone as a couple. It's been so very good for our marriage! Yesterday while my dad took the kids, we had the chance to drive around for an hour, walk a few stores, and eat at Chuy's on a long date. {bumpy car ride, walking, Mexican food...check ;)}

I'm thankful for a fully stocked freezer and yummy real food snacks. These are so good:

I'm thankful for the distraction of all your baby guesses over here... they are so much fun to read- so far, the biggest weight guess is 10 lbs. 4 ounces! Oh my! If this baby is that big when he comes out, I should get a medal of some kind! :) Phew!

After our busy week, I took off from making goals last Monday, so this week I figure I'll make a few just to keep me distracted in the midst of long days. :) This morning I had a great desire to repaint the bathroom and clean out the fridge, but I haven't made a list quite yet, so I'll keep you posted! :)

Do dates freak you out or do you love them too? 
I admit they look a lot like a gross insect we all despise here... ;)

How big was your biggest baby? :) Any double digits out there?

Any verses of encouragement that helped you through uncomfortable days?

in sickness and in health {and lime popsicles}

Our weekend went much differently than I expected it to, thanks to a great stomach thing that {luckily} only happened to me. If I can remember, I've never had anything like that happen this far along in my pregnancy. And I think I would remember if I did, because stomach problems + massive 34 wk. baby doing karate inside you constantly = extreme pain.

I was down and out for most of the weekend, so much of the big stuff on my goal list didn't get done. We do have a brand new fence in the backyard thanks to my amazing husband who seriously worked all weekend long to tear out the old one and replace it. He's such a stud. {of course, I decided that a long time ago, and again after he proposed for the second time last year...lol!}

But I have to brag on him again, you guys. He worked ALL day long building the fence Saturday, then came in at 9:15 and made dinner for the kids, put them to bed, then went to the store because I wanted some 7-up and lemon popsicles {and applesauce and tootsie roll pops too- I had an "I'm sick free for all" shopping card, LOL}. Little did I know I sent him on a wild goose chase...

He came home an hour later with every citrus popsicle he could find:

He went to multiple stores all over town at 11 p.m. {dog-tired}, trying to find me lemon fruit bars, which apparently do not exist.

And at this point, he gets husband of the year award {okay, it was probably somewhere back at making dinner}.

I, however, do not earn any awards. My sweet husband brings me every citrus popsicle he can find in town, and lays them all out on the coffee table for me to choose from my curled-up fetal position on the sofa, and what do I tell him?

I don't like lime.

I'm such a winner.

I ask for the applesauce instead, and he stays up with me watching Netflix until I feel better at 3 a.m. for the second night in a row.

The man is gold, I tell you. A pure blessing from the heavens. 

I had this thought the other day that amazed me- I realized that God loves me even more than Rob does. And it made me cry like a baby. Because really and truly, I can't imagine a love even better than my husband's. I have never met a man who loves his wife more.

I have never met a man who lays down his life for his wife like he does. And I screw up {all.the.time}, and he still keeps loving me and giving up his own life to serve me.

He loves me like Christ loves the church.

And I don't deserve it. At all. 

It's so humbling, and I can't say enough how amazed I am at what the Lord has done in my life. I'm so very grateful for this man and how he lives out the Gospel on a daily basis- not giving up on me, but loving me far more than I ever could imagine or deserve.

He cherishes me, so very well.

25Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.^a 28In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30because we are members of his body. 

Ephesians 5:35-30

He loves me like that, you guys. And it's incredible. Only the Lord could give me such a wonderful gift like him. 

Yesterday I tried one of the fruit popsicles he brought me, and I can't believe it, but...

I think lime is my new favorite.

change is coming, an eventful date weekend & father's day, + our summer schedule

quick reminder: don't forget to enter the Crunchy Mamas giveaway through tonight!! :D

I realized last week that we only have a few more weeks as a family of 6. Isn't that weird to think about? For 4 years, this is what we've known- having 2 boys and 2 girls, and at this point we've not changed a diaper in 1.5 years, or carried a carseat around in over 3 years. 

Change is coming. :D It will be a wonderful one, but I'm kind of trying to live in this moment, and enjoy having mostly big kids while it's easier to get around. :) 

On Friday, we went to the library, the pool to swim for a while, then stopped in for free ice creams with our coupons:

Our gym also had a date night this weekend, and they were thrilled to go play while we went on a date.  Win, win. :) 

I was feeling like Italian food- or more precisely, Italian Chocolate Cake with toffee and ice cream. This is #2 of my favorite desserts from a restaurant! :) {here's #1}

We walked the mall for a very short while. Honestly, it was fun, but I was ready to head out very quickly, which Rob was probably thankful for! hahaha. Shopping and/or walking long distances in high heels is not my thing right now, but I did find something cool for the baby's room I can't wait to show you. ;)

Then we headed over to a local store that has free live music on Fridays- and it was like God planned for us to go there, because these people were playing our very favorite kind of music:

We only caught the end, but it was long enough to listen to three of the most beautiful songs I've heard live. Somewhere Over the Rainbow was one of them, and it made for the most perfect date. Ahhh. :)

But really, it could have been the most perfect date because I got to go with this guy:

Over and over, I realize how blessed I have been to be given such a loving, kind, honest, hard-working man to be my husband and the father of my children. I've never met a single man who loves his wife and family more than he does.  I'm so, so very thankful for him. :)

So yesterday was Father's Day, of course, and we had plans to chill out after church and lunch. Instead, we came home to a terrible {read: gross} house emergency which he dealt with for hours until dinnertime. 

I was so in awe of him. He's such a MAN, you know what I mean? He faces a challenge head on, when I would faint and give up at just the sight of it. I love him. And I seriously have no idea what I would do without him. :) So after that, we took him out to the best Mexican food place in town- Chuy's:

It was a much better ending to the weekend than the afternoon... ;)

And today is our first day working our new summer routine:

download a copy here

So far I like it even though it's slowing me down quite a bit. The kids seem really happy to have an order of events, and to start in on their new school work. It's day one, so I'm going to enjoy that while it lasts. ;) {okay, never mind. That lasted less time than it took me to write this post...}

I'm thankful for summer so far- it's been a challenge to be at home all day with the kids and no school work/schedule, but I've also been able to get lots done before the baby comes. :) I'll update you with that list and our menus for the week later on today! :)

How was your weekend/ Father's Day?

What's your favorite kind of music to listen to live?

I love orchestrated music the most, probably, then rock style. :)

Or your favorite way to motivate kids to finish their work/chores in the summer?

back from vacation {where we went and pics} + the newest member of our family

We're probably weird,
but we loved being together every minute for so many days.
It's like that at home too though, LOL.

We're back from our 10th anniversary trip!! We went to Kauai for a week, and to say it was gorgeous is probably an understatement. I so wish I could have taken you with me! If you love warm weather, the mountains, and the beach with a breeze, you would love this place! :) It was beautiful.

But even more than that, I can't tell you how good it was to take a real break from everything. I realized right before we left that I was feeling really weary, and really needed to take a Sabbath from all the work, the noise, and all the little jobs I have. It was such a wonderful thing to get away for a week, and just focus on Jesus and my husband. I felt like I could take a deep breath and slow down while I was there, and I came back feeling more energized to start again! :D

It was awesome for my heart, and marriage too I think, and only possible because the Lord blessed us with such awesome parents who all took turns watching our kiddos while we were gone! They were the best! What a gift it was.

This view from our balcony definitely helped set the relaxed tone for the week:  ;)

our first sunrise in Kauai

And the long walks helped too:

enjoying a gorgeous trail with my love....we walked this far apart most of the time. {lol...just kidding! ;) }

Thanks to my weird pregnancy body clock, we got to see the sunrise every day! :D

how can people see this and not worship the Lord? I don't understand...He is SO amazing. It was such a precious time!

And then the weirdest thing happened while we were there...I couldn't even form a thought for the whole week regarding what needed to be done when we got back home. I tried to think about it and use the extra time I had to plan several times, and my brain would immediately shut down. Instead, I slept and ate good food {and a lot of it! I think the baby gained a whole pound last week- his kicks are crazy strong this week!!}. I didn't exercise other than hiking, I didn't write anywhere but in my journal, and I didn't make a single to-do list. It was like recovery mode for my body and mind. :D

I have lots of pictures and stories to share with you guys {we took at least 1000 pictures....the crazy tourists that we are}. :D, but I couldn't wait to tell you about this fun little thing who joined our family yesterday:

Her name is Rella, short for Cinderella. :D She's the first pet the kids have had in about 5 years, and they are so excited. She's itty bitty and we've been having lots of fun with her so far. :D We've never had a cat before, so it's even more thrilling for them. It will be neat to seem them bond with this little kitty before the baby comes. :)

I think it was definitely an exciting end to the last week for them staying with the grandparents. :D I'm just so thankful we had a long weekend to readjust before jumping back into life! :)

Today we all go back to school, work, and teaching fitness classes. My oldest daughter Isabella {#3} is also graduating from kindergarten today {sniffle, sniffle}, and Rob's little brother is getting married this weekend, so we have a full week to come back to for sure! :D

Ever since we got back from Hawaii, we have been trying to readjust our bodies again to Texas time. The two flight red-eye we took probably didn't help with the jet lag- but even with that, I have to say I'm still a huge fan of sleeping your way through 8 hours of flying! :) That was the first time we'd done that, and it made the trip home really fly by. {heheh.} I think I'm finally back on Texas time- I woke up at 5 this morning {midnight in HI}!

I missed you guys though! Did anything happen while I was gone?

How was your week?? Did you do anything special for Memorial Day?
We slept really late and worked on pre-baby projects. :D

Mamas, is this week the end of school for your kiddos too?
Summer starts tomorrow for us!

Have you ever taken a red-eye flight? What did you think? Love them or hate them? {It would be awful if you couldn't sleep!}

seriously, the best v-day EVER.

Oh goodness, I had the best time hanging with my man yesterday. It was such a wonderful day. We took the kids to school and took Avalie to Mother's Day Out, and then headed to Panera for a morning carb fest:

Everything looked and smelled so amazing, but I didn't have a hard time choosing this one:

It was definitely not like the homemade version, but it was still really good! Kind of lemony in the center too. I liked it.

And the cinnamon roll was just the beginning.... {evil laugh} :) Lunch was at a local Italian place:

Why yes, that is two large pizzas. And no, there were no children eating with us. :)

At least mine was a veggie pizza- that counts for something, right? I did take some home. ;)

The hubs nailed it with gift as usual. :) You cannot go wrong buying me Starbucks and exercise gift cards. :) Or notebooks and pens. He's awesome like that.

And because he's my hero, he even came to my BODYPUMP class and sweated a perfect heart for me:

That's true love I tell you. Ten years of marriage makes even sweating sweet. :P

Though I loved the gift cards {and the heart-shaped sweating?!}, I have to say my very favorite present of the day was probably this little surprise:

I'm not usually a teddy bear person, but this one was extra special because it had a 7 second recording inside that I still love listening to over and over {oh, you have to listen to it!}:

Isn't that the best sound ever???

It's my favorite because it belonged to this cute little 16-weeker:

Okay, so the best Valentine's Day present ever: seeing your teeny 5th baby for the first time. :D 

:DDDD

What's your favorite Valentine's Day story?