Lovely People! Lovely Things! Lovely Day!

In spite of the pestilence that has taken hold of Me Show Central (Livy down, Mama down, only SLB left standing), we celebrated Valentine's Day today with delicous food, wonderful friends, generous gifts, and lots of tissues.

First, we woke up this morning and shared gifts.  I only got SLB a card because he ruined my master plan of having our wedding invitation framed for posterity by cleaning and organizing our office - including moving where our file of wedding crap is stashed.  Thus, the card.  Besides, it's probably best for us to choose the frame and mat together seeing as how I have no flair for anything visually aesthetic.

But SLB is smart, and he knew that just getting me a card would be a passive aggression that WOULD NOT STAND.  And so, as proof both that he has a strong sense of self-preservation and that he is a total chubby chaser, I received a mosaic of chocolates.

No.  I'm not sharing.  Thanks for asking.

Olivia received a wonderful pair of hand-knitted stuffed monsters from our Portland friends who were up for the weekend.  We met them at the Dahlia Louhge for brunch, and Olivia quickly fell in love with those two and these two.

Marsupial monsters!

Ain't they adorable?  And what great teaching tools to tell Olivia how she came into the world by being ripped from her mama's belly!  We can even make assorted moist surgery noises to enhance the experience!  What a lucky girl to have such a thoughtful friend make her such an adorable gift.  What an unlucky girl to have been born to such jackasses.  Eh.  6 on one, half a dozen on the other.

Livy also received another special Valentine's gift, this one only for big girls.  Here she is for the first time in her new high chair!

I am your queen, and this is my throne!  Fetch me my strained peas, peasant!

And, for extra added Valentine's lovingness, here is a shot of Livy performing her new trick of starting worshipfully at her daddy while she absolutely, categorically, unconditionally refuses to acknowledge her mommy.

Mommy who?  Who is this "Mommy" person of whom you speak?

(Not to be confused with:

)

She took this trick to new heights today when we were playing our usual game of "Where's Mommy?/Where's Daddy?"  It goes like this: I say "Livy!  Where's Daddy!," and then when she looks at SLB we celebrate like brain-damaged cheerleaders, and vice versa.  She was valedictorian of "Where's Daddy?" today but refused to participate in "Where's Mommy?" so stubbornly that when SLB actually just pointed to me, instead of looking at me she stared intently at his finger.  I am a cypher in my child's life.  I thought I at least had 15 years before this happened.

But no matter.  I love that little squish regardless of her snotty nose or snotty behavior.  She is my daughter, after all.  And, besides, I get her point.  There are times when I only want to gaze at SLB, too.  He's just so handsome!  I mean, if you had the option of feasting your eyes on this unparalleled specimen of manhood, wouldn't you ignore everyone else in the room including your own mother?

A Valentine's bouquet!  How sweet!

I know I would (sorry, Mom), and so I can't blame that little snotmonster for following in my footsteps.

Like Mama, like Livy.