A few months ago when we stayed with our BFF's in Seattle, they hooked us onto a game called Settlers of Catan. At first sight it looks like a game that 90 year old men smoking cigars would play, but it turns out it's quite fun. So we bought it for Christmas and we play it every night after putting the littles to bed.
The idea of the game is to build cities and settlements, but in order to do that you have to have resources (wood, brick, wheat, ore, and sheep), and in order to have resources, you have to build in the spot that will get you the most of what you'll need.
Tricky, tricky.
Well, I've decided that Life is just one big, long game of Settlers.
We want to build in the right place, we are in desperate need of resources (but we have none!), we hope a robber doesn't steal all of our grain, and we just have to hope and pray that the dice roll our way.
Right now, we are a few months away from starting a residency, moving across the country to some unknown location, and making some life-changing decisions.
And as fun as that sounds, it's also scary as heck.
*Side note: In case you were wondering (and so I don't have to explain this a hundred times), here's how it works. We rank the programs that we want to go to in order of most liked to least liked and the programs do the same with all the people they interviewed. Then, a computer program matches the lists and tries to give both the interviewee and the interviewer the best match possible. Awesome, right? We will be told on March 12th if we matched (meaning we'll have a job) and we'll find out where we matched to on March 17th (cruel to make us wait a week, but that's how it goes.).
And while the rest of the world celebrates with roses and chocolate and champagne, I'm sitting at my computer in sweat pants watching Project Runway re-runs and drinking chocolate milk with a spoon.
Luke is working the night shift in the ER at the present moment, which means I'm alone.
All. Alone.
And while he did grace me with a jumbo bag of Sour Watermelons, we did nothing out of the ordinary on this day of nation-wide celebration. Honestly... I'm OK with it. We've never been the rose-giving, poem-writing, sweet-nothings-whispering type. We love each other every day. And today was no exception.
So, in keeping with my yearly tradition, here is what I LOVE about each one of them...
BROOKLYN NICOLE
I LOVE that she is getting so mature. I know some parents hate how quickly their kids grow up (and there are definitely times that I wish I could hit "pause" on the remote-control of her life), but I love that she's gaining more responsibility and becoming such a demure little lady.
I LOVE that this child has a thing for dinosaurs. Seriously... dinosaurs?! It kills me.
I LOVE that Brooklyn is (this is strange for a parent to say...) unexpected. I never know if she's going to love something or hate it. (The ice skating, for example. Did not see that coming.)
I LOVE that Brooklyn is the perfect first-born child. She is so protective of Aubrey and she is the best 5 year old role-model ever.
AUBREY LYN
I LOVE that Aubrey is so playful. While she definitely has a serious side, it's buried deep inside and only makes occasional guest appearances. She demands to play at least 4 different games a day and will have you crying from laughing too hard and panting for breath in 2 minutes flat.
I LOVE Aubrey's gullibility. That girl will believe anything.
I LOVE that Aubrey's hair is growing back.
I LOVE Aubrey's desire to please everyone. She is 100% her mother's daughter.
I LOVE that Aubrey is Cameron's second mom. The way she treats that kid is unlike anything I've ever seen. I have found her on more than one occasion in his crib reading him a pile of books, holding his hand with a marker in it while they color together, snuggling in bed while playing the I-Pad, and cuddling on the couch like they're high school sweethearts. It absolutely melts me.
CAMERON JOHN
I LOVE that when I walk into Cameron's room in the morning he becomes ecstatic. His legs start kicking, his arms start flailing, and he smiles ear-to-ear. It's my favorite moment of every single day.
I LOVE that Cameron sometimes sleeps through the night. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that.
I LOVE that when I kiss his cheeks he gets a darling little smile/smirk that melts me on the spot.
I LOVE that I can tell how much he loves us. He thinks his dad is the coolest man alive. He thinks I'm a little crazy, but I'll love him forever. He thinks Brooklyn is hilarious. And he thinks Aubrey is his biggest fan.
LUCAS LEON
I LOVE that Luke is so hard-working. He's been working 6pm to 4am this week. If I had to do that for even one day, I'd be the world's most unpleasant beast-of-a-mom ever.
I LOVE Luke's bluntness. It's actually quite refreshing.
I LOVE that Luke is an incredible doctor. Like, honestly, the best doctor ever. He is so compassionate and genuinely interested in helping people. And even when he has to deal with cockroaches in peoples ears, men's bums in his face, and drunken bleeding men who fall down the stairs after being pepper-sprayed by the police for punching their grandma in the face, he still loves what he does.
I LOVE his desire to serve. It is purely second-nature to him and that, I think, is commendable.
So even while I sit here alone on Valentine's Day, I really, really do feel the LOVE tonight.
