I feel the Love

My parents and I at the temple.
Alfalfa and I at the temple.
Game night at Ian and Serena's.
My Mom and Amalie. (Yes, Amalie is eating a banana off a butter knife)

We had a saying in my house that stemmed from my youngest brother Seth. I don't remember the exact circumstances, but I do remember that one time when he was 4 or 5, he said "I don't feel the love." My Mom turned that into a teaching moment for us children and since then I have stopped to recognize if I am feeling the love or if I am expressing myself in ways that other people feel my love.

Well, let me just say, Mom and Dad, I feel the love! Just to let the rest of you in on this, I have been asking my parents to come visit for a few months now. I really miss my family, but I am not in a position to travel down to visit them. They are extremely busy (especially my Dad who is Bishop of his ward- think Pastor, but without pay) and so on my birthday, they announced that they were coming up to visit me!

I felt overwhelmed with love that even now, when I am a grown adult, they recognize that I still need them- their friendship, advice, unconditional love. They have always taken us seriously when we ask them for time together. My kids were as excited as I was, if not more. When they got here, a week ago, my kids were clamoring for attention and climbing all over them. By the end of the four day visit, Amalie begged them to take her home with them.

We filled those four days full to brimming and just enjoyed every moment together. My brother, Ian and his wife Serena are also up here, so our three families were together every day. The cousins loved it.

Saturday, we had the brilliant idea of getting babysitters and attending the Temple together as couples and then we had lunch afterwards. It was heavenly without the children! We will definitely be doing that a lot more often.

We stayed up late, sacrifcing our health for time together. My body couldn't take it anymore, so the night before they left, I got really sick. But it was worth it! Thank you Mom and Dad. And thank you Ian and Serena for letting us crash at your place!