KK stopped over for some family fun the night before Valentine's Day - once the kids were in bed we got to gab all night and catch up! It was perfect!

The table was all set for the kids when they woke up on Valentine's Day morning. Daddy bought the three little girls a rose for the first time and Molly got a whole bouquet since she is the oldest! Molly immediately put hers in a vase and put them in her room so she can enjoy them all the time!

I couldn't resist taking a picture of the notes that Bob wrote for the girls! To some they might seem trivial or dumb but I love that Bob took the time to write out a note for each girl and they all loved them!

Annie loved her giant Hershey's Kiss! Who wouldn't love a giant Hershey's Kiss for breakfast! 

Molly girl enjoying her goodies!

I look for things for Valentine's throughout the year to save money so the little boxes of candy are from last March! Sounds awful but not one kid complained when they ate them!

Lizzie loved her new Dora book!

Peter Westley - he will always be my Valentine!

Lizzie immediately did her puzzle and her sisters!

Annie Bananie was seeing what she might look like with long red hair!

My little angel - those blue eyes do me in every single time!

Meghan surprised us by stopping over early on Valentine's Day morning with treats for her goddaughter and a special treat for me! Okay - Brendan and Lila were the BEST treat but they even brought more!

My favorite Brendan look !

Lila is less than cooperative these days but Auntie keeps trying to get a picture!

My Amazing Valentine's breakfast! I am SO spoiled!

Lila giving Auntie kisses! Love that girl!

Only Brendan could get me to share my chocolate covered strawberries! 

Chocolate face - I want to eat her up!

Lila loves this ride on toy - I love Lady Li and her big blue eyes!

Brendan is a prodigy with the piano - seriously, a genius!

Sweet Brendan smiles!

Big smiles for Auntie - he made my day!

Auntie Eileen and her goddaughter sharing some snuggles on Valentine's Day!

We had a perfect Valentine's Day with visits from some of our favorite people and a dinner date for Bob and I! Auntie Kate watched the kids for us so Bob and I could go out alone!

Annie had a dentist appointment this week and we got some bad news - nothing we can't handle but a little stressful right now as we try to work out the details. Annie has 8 cavities and five of them need root canals - in order to do the work they need to do without putting Annie through 11 visits to the dentist and sedating her they are going to do the work at CCMC. She will be sedated with general anesthesia for a few hours and they will do all of the dental work at the same time. We were originally skeptical about doing it since they are baby teeth but Annie is only four and that means her baby teeth could potentially hang around for another 6-8 years! April 11th is the big day and Annie is excited to go to the hospital where she got her broken arm fixed! The other news we were given is that Annie's cavities are abnormal and not from food or not brushing - unforuntaley there is a chance that the dental issues are a result of a medication I took during pregnancy! Obviously, Lizzie is getting checked out as soon as possible but in the mean time we are using special toothpaste and taking good care of Annie until everything gets fixed! A few prayers on April 11th would be very welcome for our little munchkin - she is so sweet and positive about everything!

GNM - ILY!

What is LOVE?

For Peter love is a game of "31" with his Dad! These two could play all day and they get very competetive. I love to be just out of the room so Bob and Peter think they are alone - that way I hear the "guy" talk and silliness but don't cramp their style.

Peter also thinks that love is having all seven of us home and watching TV( his true first love!) in the living room and knowing that no one has anywhere to be. That's our little homebody!

For Molly love is a day alone at Grammy and Papa's. She spends Mondays with Grammy doing her homework after school and has learned to appreciate the quiet and attention. She also loves how Grammy smells - "even her breath is sweet!" Wait till Grammy hears that one!

Molly also loves craft days when it snows - that's when she feels like a good big sister who can show off how old she is and how much she loves her sisters! This picture is a typical Saturday morning in our house - Molly has her easel out, Annie is coloring or drawing and the boys are playing cards.

Annie feels the most love when she gets her Mommy-Daddy group hug in the morning. She feels loved when Grammy counts her freckles, when Molly puts her make-up on and when Uncle Pat calls her cutie - pie! Annie was surprisingly in tune to what I was asking her  - she feels loved when she sleeps at her BFF's (no name needed anymore - it's KK!) and our house would be perfect if Lila and Brendan  could live here!

Lizzie and Ellie did not participate in our little project about love but, as you can clearly see, they LOVE being on Daddy's lap! They also love each other and any game that involves building forts or getting dirty! Lizzie and Ellie love their older siblings - especially when they are getting extra attention from one of them. It doesn't take much!

Daddy's girls!

For me - love is these bright, beautiful faces posing for a picture before we all head off to church together. Love is looking over at the kids during mass and finding Ellie and Annie holding hands and Molly sitting with Lizzie on her lap. Love is Bob looking over at me and laughing during mass when the priest asks what we are going to do with that free fifteen minutes at the end of the day today! He wants us to pray for peace - we're pretty sure we'd fall asleep. Love is knowing that at the end of each day I fall into bed, exhausted and spent with a man who thinks that I am more beautiful each day and more worth the trouble I can cause each minute we spend together!

Love is Annie's tiny hand holding mine while we read a story. Love is Molly wondering if I ever feel bad for people who don't have a house as beautiful as ours as we trudge through dirty clothes and toys to get to the kitchen. Love is listening to all five kids squeal with joy when we announce donuts for breakfast on a Sunday morning. Love is Peter running back into the house when he forgets to kiss me goodbye, Lizzie begging for just one more hug before bed, Ellie yelling "I dove you" ten times to us before she goes to bed. Love is Molly and Annie making cards before bed and placing them gently on our pillows so we will find them when we go to bed at night!

Love is never having a sister but getting to watch my four girls form the lasting bonds that only sisters can possess. Love is hearing Molly tell people that the best thing about being a big sister is that her little sisters want to do everything she does all the time.

Love is dance costumes, frilly skirts, hair bows, dresses, ribbons, tights, party shoes, Someone Special dances, butterflies, flowers, hearts and peace signs. Love is being a mom to four amazing daughters!

Love is the friendship between Peter and Molly that is finally developing after 9 years. Love is the secrets they share and the laughter we hear filter down the stairs late into the night.

Love is when the big kids plot against us to get something! Love is knowing that Peter will protect Molly from anything and that that they will always have each other - no matter what!

Love is the smiles! Knowing that no matter how hard things get or how much we struggle - at the end of the day we can laugh, smile and know that we all belong right here in this home with each other.

Love is 7 people knowing they are cared for, cherished and adored by each other!

This post is a little hokey but it's true! We are so lucky - so blessed to be together and what better day to celebrate that than Valentine's Day! There will be flowers and candy and even a special breakfast of heart shaped pancakes but in the end it's just another reason to say I love you!

GNM - ILY!