First Comes Love...

Mamie and Papa offered to watch the kids this past weekend, so Kevin and I were able to get away for Valentine's Day. What a treat! We spent the weekend on the coast and found a house just north of Ocean Shores. It was the perfect chance to relax, unwind, and reconnect. (We even spent both mornings simply looking out at the ocean, drinking our coffees, and talking to each other!) Disconnecting from our devices is hard, but so worth it. We had our fill of high cholesterol seafood (we managed fish and chips, clam chowder, crab cakes, and shrimp louie all within a 48 hour period), took long walks each morning, spent Valentine's evening at an adorable wine bar and restaurant in Seabrook , and soaked in the ocean air as we drove down the beach each day. Here are some pictures from the weekend. I hope you enjoyed an equally relaxing weekend. Happy (belated) Valentine's Day.

We celebrated a delightful Valentine's Day this year with the kids. While it didn't involve all the excitement of last year  (which included George's 13 week ultrasound), it was surely sweet. Abigail and I spent the morning touring preschools, then had lunch in Issaquah, followed by a Target trip to find a gift for Dad.  We picked out a heart shaped box of chocolates, and Abigail chose a card from the "funny romantic" section with a puppy on the front.  On the outside it read: "Don't Let This Cute Face Fool You." and on the inside: "I'm An Animal When I'm Around You!" ...it's what happens when you let them choose their own cards  ;) Friday evening Kevin came home with a bouquet of flowers, chocolate, and all the fixin' for crab mac and cheese- score! And while George didn't buy us anything, he gifted us a new milestone: sitting up unassisted for the first time.  We were all so proud of him, and I think h...

Last Thursday's Valentine's Day celebration went down in history as my favorite to date! Kevin and I are funny about this little Hallmark holiday.  Every year we play it cool and make the same casual comments: "Yeah, Valentine's Day is stupid..." "Let's save some money and not celebrate this year" "It's such a cheesy holiday..." Then, as the date approaches, the conversation evolves: "Well, I just got you a little something..." "Flowers would be nice.  Just flowers." "Did you see that HUGE box of chocolates at the store?!" And so, by the time February 14th rolls around, we've invariable spent a few casual bucks on a not-so-casual gesture. This year we farmed Abigail off for the evening and enjoyed a night on the town: shopping, dinner at Benihana, then to see a movie (Argo). I figured the date night was our unspoken "not-so-casual" gesture, but Kevin one-upped me ...

Abigail's already received three Valentine's Day gifts today: a box of chocolates from her buddy Griffin at PEPS, a play mat, and a Valentine's Day balloon from Grandma and Grandpa. Her favorite gift?  The balloon she's dangerously obsessed with sucking on, of course. Not much in the way of romantic celebrations at the Lauckner's today.  Kevin has not been feeling well, so Grandma came over to watch the babe so I could focus on the boy. Hope everyone's having a great day and takes a moment to remember all the people who fill your life with love. Love to you all!

Apparently we ARE celebrating Valentine's Day!  The flowers below were just delivered to my office from my Valentine!! Thank you Lovies, these brightened my day more than you know!

Kevin and I don't usually celebrate Valentine's Day, but this year has me dreaming of these little goodies!  Maybe I'll grab a box for dessert tonight... Hope everyone's having a great day and able to spend time with their Valentine tonight! xoxox