Visit from the VanNices!

The long awaited day finally arrived. Christina, Thomas, and Will were headed West to see us! We had been counting the days for months (okay, that's an exaggeration, Will was only a month old). Still, there is no better feeling than when my siblings are all together in one place. Sadly, Sam just started his new job and couldn't be there, but we still had a heck of a time, sans pranks and harassment courtesy of Samuel. If you can believe it! Of course, when they showed up, Grandma Dee (Gigi) was first in line to hold the little guy before he got passed around to everyone else.

After a bit, the excitement of Will's arrival wore off for Daniel and Owen. Leave it to Grammy to entertain them. Of course, it ain't fun if it doesn't cause a huge mess, so out came the spray bottle. The boys LOVED it!

The next day was Valentine's Day. This was the first Valentine's Day spent with the family, and it really made me reflect on the fact that it can be celebrated as a day for any kind of love, not just the romantic kind. My siblings and parents were the first to love me. My parents and big sisters loved me before they knew me. That is such an awesome thing to think about. Having kids really calls these types of things to your attention. So in honor of V-Day, the boys got all gussied up in their shirts made by none other than crafty Christina, and we headed first to the elementary school to show William off, then to the park to let Daniel and Owen run around (who am I kidding, it was just a good photo op!)