Love

So it is February.

I love February.  A lot.  Usually.  

When I taught school it was my favorite month.  Mostly because teaching children who are between the ages of 5-8 years old on valentines day is seriously a riot.  Who doesn't want to read books about love all month long and do secret love acts and just be loved by 20+ children.  My favorite was always when we would write a book: Love is _____________.  An open prompt for them to respond to.  I wish I had kept all my "Love is" books written by my students.  I think that there ideas about what love is were and are still spot on.

And speaking of love:

Look at this cute new baby girl that my sister just gave birth to yesterday!  Her first girl after two darling boys:

They didn't find out what they where having and so it was an even better surprise for them to have a girl.  Adeline Kay Patterson - and she is tiny.  5 pound 7 ounces and 17 inches.  I just want to hop on a plane and fly to Utah so I can smell her perfect baby skin, kiss those sweet lips and hold her all day long.  But since I can't I guess I will just send her all Tess' baby girl clothes....in installments of course. The first one is being mailed today if I can make it out of the house to the post office.

Thanks for letting me brag.  I love being an aunt and a sister and I just love new babies.

So, being it is February I have been thinking a lot about what love really is.  How do we feel loved? how do we show love? how do we understand love?  I am by no means an expert, but here are a few things I think about love.  (and speaking of "love experts" -- I pretty much have the movie frozen memorized after watching it 10,000 times with Tess....and the real love experts are the trolls.  It is probably my favorite part of the movie, if I was going to, in fact, admit I liked it).

Love is.....

Love is Natalie bringing Tess' princess balloon into you while you are laying in bed puking, laying by you and putting her valentines day chocolates on your nightstand and telling you that she just wants you to look at the balloon and remember that you are "a princess of God" -- and that "if you don't want the chocolates that is okay she will eat them.  Love.

Love is this guy putting up with my antics and constantly asking what he can do to help, even when I have no answer for him.  Mostly what I have for him is tears.  Lots of tears and not a lot of love lately if you know what I mean.  He takes it all in stride and is pretty much a trooper.  Nobody should have to deal with me as their wife, let alone me as their wife having cancer.  me + cancer = crazy! Eric is the most patient, loving husband ever.  And he makes me laugh, which is way better than crying. Oh and also it is tax season and so he is working like crazy to keep things going around here.  I LOVE him.  Love. 

Love is Tess using her play phone to call the "doctor" when I tell her that I just need her to read a book or play for a minute because I don't feel well.  "hi, dotor. mom sick dotor. Otay dotor. bye bye dotor" and then she obviously wants to see my "owie" (she has a fascination with my chemo port and constantly needs a bandaid on her chest in the same spot as my port is.  It is sad and charming at the same time.  Love.

Love is your neighbor Jayne coming over and emptying your garbages, making sure your garbage cans are taken out to the curb and asking how else she can help -- oh and she had 2 sick kids and wasn't feeling well herself.  Love.

Love is Corrine.  That pretty much sums it up for her.  Everything she does is out of love for me and the girls and even Eric.  If I were to list out all the things she does for us it would take pages and pages and never do her justice.  So, just believe me when I say that she is Love in action. Love.

Love is your father in law surprising you by having a barbershop quartet come to sing to you while you are doing chemo.  It was a delightful, day after valentines surprise.  It was so touching to me and I think it brightened more than just my day.  Love.

Love is the text message group that I have with my college roommates. Sharing real life experiences of wanting to ring your children's necks, asking for help on church talks, sending a picture of the latest "bargain find" at Target, reminiscing about our days at BYU and just being us.  Love. 

Love is this really cute new dress I bought for myself as a prize for making it through 11 rounds of chemo.  Don't worry I also bought two others:  One for when I make it through round 12 and the other one because I just really want need another dress. I would seriously wear a dress every single day if it wasn't so rainy and freezing cold here lately.  And the one pictured, it seriously feels like pajamas.  It is perfection. (and I got like 5 compliments on it at church so I call it a win).  Also you guys, it has pockets.  And now I am done raving about this dress.  Love.

Love is Lauren making crafts and cookies to earn money for the Relay For Life team she is heading up.....and taking all of her crafts (mostly yarn crafts) to the chemo center to brighten someone's day......even if it does drive me crazy that we are never ready for school, and or sometimes even dressed....we can't get our practicing or homework done because there "isn't time"  and yet we have yarn projects that are getting done left and right. Bless her creative heart.  Love

*more to come about this later.  She has made herself a website and everything for people to donate/order "products"

Love is these people.  Not a day goes by, literally, that I don't hear something from one of them asking how I am doing or just sending a message to brighten my day.  They are the best siblings (and parents) I could ask for.  Love.  

Love is your oncologist just talking to you like a normal person about how he ate his kids Valentine's Day candy and only got like 80 steps on his Fitbit one day because he stayed home and did nothing all day.  Love. 

Love is all the prayers that are constantly being offered in my behalf.  Always.  You know who you are, but what you may not know is how much those prayers are felt and how grateful I am and always will be that I have such faithful, believing friends.  You truly are Love.  

Love is knowing that Heavenly Father has a plan for me (and you) -- and that plan includes his Son and Savior Jesus Christ.  I feel his love daily, hourly and even every minute if I allow myself to stop and realize it. This is truly, the only thing that gets me through most days. His Love.  

So, let's enjoy our last few days of the month of love.....together.