Happy Valentine's Day!

I apologize for the lack of posting.... We've been pretty busy around here, as usual, so I'll be playing catch up - sorry about that!

This Valentine's Day was pretty special for us. Of course, it was Lily's first Valentine's Day and she seemed to enjoy it! We got her this adorable stuffed monkey and it's since become one of her favorite toys - mind you, it has not surpassed Lola the sock monkey. I'm not sure anything will! She also got the cutest book from Nana and Paca - its by Sandra Boynton and called "Perfect Piggies" and it is awesome. We've got several Sandra Boynton books; her books have a great reading cadence to them and Lily will usually sit still and actually listen as you read them to her - they seem to keep her a little more occupied than others do. 

Richard and I went to dinner at Flemings the Saturday before Valentine's Day, while Lily hung out with Nana and Paca for the night. This was the first time eating at this restaurant for us and we highly recommend it. The service was excellent and the food was absolutely delicious. We had a fantastic time and I think we appreciated it even more because of how few and far between those type of moments are for us, now that we have the Lilypie. We exchanged our Valentine's presents at the restaurant and I was completely surprised by what Richard had gotten me - a gift certificate to Synergy, this highly recommended spa in Raleigh. I've commented a couple of times that I'd like to have a massage at some point or another, and Richard really took that comment to heart. I can't wait to go! I have absolutely no idea how I am going to decide on the services I'd like to have - there are way too many choices!!

I gave Richard a universal remote - to be specific, its the Logitech 600 Harmony remote. To be completely honest, I knew that Richard really wanted this remote, but personally thought the cost was a lot to pay for just a remote. Little did I know how great this little piece of technology would be! It has taken the place of all of our remotes (4 to be exact), which has cleared up the clutter on our coffee table, enabled us to only have to keep track of one remote and to turn our entire entertainment center on with the push of one button. I have to admit - I was wrong! This little remote has made a big difference, if for no other reason than convenience.

Even though Valentine's Day is labeled as a Hallmark holiday and pretty heavily commercialized, I'm grateful for it. For me, Valentine's Day is a day for me to remember and be thankful for those I love and I appreciate the chance to do so. I think far too often we take those we love for granted, no matter how much we try to avoid it. Having this day, specifically set aside for love, helps me to remember how lucky I am to have those people I love in my life.

Below are some pictures of Miss Lily in her Valentine's Day outfit, made by her Aunt Cara. She wore the outfit to take her 9 month pictures and everyone at the portrait studio commented on how pretty it was. Thanks Aunt Cara! It took a little while to get these pictures - she doesn't sit still for long at all anymore, so most of them are catching her on the move. Enjoy!