Valentine's Weekend

Valentine's Day was on Friday this year, and in our family Valentine's Day is a family holiday.  This is our fourth year doing it this way, and we still love it!  We thought long and hard about what to cook for our special "Red and Pink" dinner, but the more we tried to decide the more we couldn't seem to decide.  Danny mentioned one evening that we had a free night at a Marriott hotel to use before March, and that was when we had our light bulb moment.  A Valentine's Day weekend was perfect!  We'd have some dinner, let the kids swim, and then head down to Provo to see the Sacred Gifts exhibit at the Museum of Art.  We were so excited!

While Valentine's Day is a family holiday, Danny still lovingly (and dutifully) gets me flowers every year.  This year he outdid himself with 100 Peruvian Lily blooms.  They were gorgeous!  I enjoyed seeing them on my table for two weeks...

Per our Valentine's Day regulations, Danny got the kids Valentine's treats, and the kids and I put together a jar of fancy chocolates for Daddy's desk at work.  It never made it to work...we ate all the chocolates at home before Monday. :)  After we exchanged gifts, we got everyone packed up for our overnighter and made our way south.  We invited Grandma Candy to enjoy our Valentine's Day celebration with us, so she met us at Zupas in Farmington Station.  We had a delicious dinner of salads, soups, and sandwiches.  The kids LOVE Zupas!  Mom does, too... :)

After dinner we made our way south a bit and got checked into our hotel for the night.  The first thing the girls did was jump on the beds!  We have a rule in our house..."You only jump on hotel beds."  So when we catch the kids jumping on the beds at home we ask them, "Is this a hotel?"  Well, this was a hotel!!  We let them jump all they wanted. :)

It didn't take long for them to want to get their swimsuits on and go swimming.  Luke had just had his broviac removed the day before, so this was his first time really going swimming.  He loved it!!  He's a fan, for sure.  It made Danny and I so happy to see him doing the things he's been missing out on.

All the kids had fun.  Sophie and Claire spent their time in the shallow end of the pool making up water dances and pretending they were mermaids.  Ah, the joys of swimming with your sister. :)  Johnny stuck around with the guys.  I know he's anxious for Luke to get better so he can have a buddy, too.

In the meantime, he'll settle for Daddy. :)

 

These kids love swimming, just like their Daddy.  What a bunch of adorable little fishes!

Unfortunately, there was no hot tub (what the heck, right?!), so the kids got chilly after a bit.  We went back up to the room, bathed the kids, and enjoyed some time visiting and eating Valentine's Treats with Grandma Candy.  When it was time for bed, Grandma opted to head home. :)  Thanks for spending Valentine's Day with us, Grandma!  We love you!

The kids slept great that night...all except Luke.  Poor boy was up screaming all night long.  I had noticed the night before that he wouldn't put any weight on his right leg.  Danny and I had a sinking feeling that something was happening on the cancer front, and not in a good way.  Between Luke's crying and our worries, neither of us slept much.  Luckily, we're pretty accustomed to functioning on little to no sleep, so we were up and getting the kids ready in time to eat the complimentary breakfast and get to Provo on time.  

We had wanted to see the Sacred Gifts exhibit around Christmas time, but we discovered Luke's tumor on his clavicle the same weekend that we were planning to go...so it obviously didn't happen.  We were anxious to see this exhibit, and we were excited to be able to take the kids.  

The exhibit was more than I could have expected.  It was incredible!  Sacred Gifts was 12 years in the making.  Some of these pieces had never before left their original places, and while the arrangement was made out of the love people in Utah have for these paintings, it's likely they'll never be lent out again.  This was literally a once in a lifetime opportunity to see these sacred pieces...unless we take a trip to Denmark...which is unlikely. :)  I have never seen original art before, and it was awe-inspiring.  And to have the subject of that art be Jesus Christ and his life and ministry was overwhelming.  The spirit was so strong, and it was so neat to have that quiet time to reflect on our Savior.  The kids did pretty well, and Claire especially enjoyed the art.  Johnny decided he was done a little earlier than I would have liked, but what can you do?  Three-year-olds aren't really your art museum types. :)

After walking through the exhibit, the kids needed to get their wiggles out.  Directly outside the MOA is some artwork that double as a playground for the little kids.  At least it did the day we were there! :)  The kids had a blast, Danny and I got the chance to sit for a spell, and we all enjoyed the gorgeous spring weather. 

Next we decided to go check out the BYU Bookstore.  As we walked through campus towards the WILK, we passed these two...

Ah.  Nothing like a little mythical sword play in the quad.  Gotta love BYU!

The Bookstore was awesome, and Danny has a long wish list now. :)  We ended up buying a 500 piece puzzle of Lavell Edwards Stadium for our upcoming trip to the cabin, two alumni license plate covers, and an oval "Y" decal for the Expedition.  This is why we only go to the Bookstore under special circumstances.  Our budget couldn't handle more frequent trips!

At this point, everyone was pretty hungry.  We decided to eat at Legends Grill in the Student Athlete Building.  It's next door to the sports museum where you can see Ty Detmer's Heisman trophy and cool stuff like that.  So while we were waiting for our pizza we ventured over to the museum.  It was pretty neat!  The kids loved the giant Cougar, and demanded a picture.  They didn't have to twist my arm!

The museum area also leads to the football offices and practice field.  As we were coming into the museum, I noticed through the glass cases a group of guys walking purposefully through the doors.  I thought to myself that they had to be football players, and sure enough I was right!  I even recognized one of them as star running back Jamaal Williams...but Danny and I didn't have the guts to get his attention.  I'm still kicking myself about that.  Would have been a great photo op!  

Lucky for all of us, I stumbled on another awesome photo op. :)  Someday, these two boys will be the halftime highlight during the National Championship Game when BYU makes history!  You saw the future here first, people. :)  

Lunch was good, but the kids were tired at this point.  It had been fun weekend outing, but it was time to get home!  And time to contact Dr. Luke about how Luke was doing.  Sigh.  

I love these Valentines of mine.  And I love that we do Valentine's Day as a family!  Danny, Claire, Sophie, Johnny, and Luke are my whole world.  And I'm crazy about each of them.  

Happy Valentine's Day!