Happy Heart Day!

I get the feeling that Valentine's Day is going to be a pretty exciting, fun-filled day in the years to come. Not that it wasn't before; I'm married to a super-romantic guy and he always knows how to shower me with little surprises to show his love. But, I think from this year forward, it will be a different type of exciting.

As a heart mom, I tend to get a little mushy-gushy about all things "heart". Just a quick walk into Target, and I'm ready to buy every heart-shaped item I can get my hands on! It will forever be a symbol of who we are as a family. So, I knew that I wanted this Valentine's Day to be extra special, and it most certainly was.

Earlier in the week, I received a special piece of mail from the Governor of North Carolina, Bev Perdue. It had been my personal mission over the past two months to have her declare February 7-14 as Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week for our state. After a few persistent e-mails, with no response, I felt defeated. We were already halfway through the week and I thought, "Well, we'll try again next year." Imagine my surprise when I checked the mail Thursday evening and found a signed proclamation, state seal and all. I ran from the mailbox, back to my house, with tears in my eyes. I sobbed as Jeramie read it aloud. I was so proud, and so very emotional.

To Ethan and our North Carolina heart friends: Olivia, Charlotte, Audrey, Angel Jack, Angel Kelis, Jordyn, Angel Malin, Angel Hayden, Jay, and Kylee... this is for you:

(Side note: Can anyone tell me if the state seal usually has a red & blue ribbon attached to it??)

After waking up to a couple of sweet surprises from my boys this morning, I went to Visio Dei and spent some much needed time worshiping with my church family. Then, Jeramie, Ethan, and I ventured out to the Build-A-Bear Workshop to make a special friend for Ethan. Our main purpose was to donate to the Children's Heart Foundation (CHF). Did you know that through the month of February, you can choose to donate $1 to the CHF when you check-out? It's an easy way to help raise money for the foundation, and have a little fun while you're at it!

Meet Dr. Goodheart, Ethan's newest surgeon.

He won't be using a scalpel anytime soon, but we hope he'll keep Ethan company when he's around those who will!

Later, we had a family lunch at Moe's, where we discovered that Ethan is a fan of guacamole; who knew?!

To end the day, Jeramie cooked an amazing salmon dinner and I baked a cake in the shape of a... yep, you guessed it; a heart! All in all, it has been a fantastic, fun, and very special day.

I am thankful for a husband who loves me with such grace and forgiveness, and for a son who fills my life with unspeakable joy.

Happy Valentine's Day, from the bottom of Ethan's mended little heart.