Love

Our dining room table is covered with hearts. It is the annual paper cutting, gluing, stickering, valentine-making mess that I love. The week building up to Valentine's Day is always busy in our house. It starts off with Noah's birthday celebration then continues into Valentine's Day which is also our special family day. Additionally we celebrate Chinese New Year's and Mardi Gras which usually occur around the same time (varying each year by a week or two)...well this year, we will be celebrating everything at once since they all happen this coming weekend! In many ways it is the perfect way to acknowledge and celebrate our family's unique mix. I never really enjoyed these particular holidays until I had children, but now it is one of my favorite times of the year.

So this morning as Camille and I were making Valentine's together, she initiated a conversation about falling in love. She stated that she was so happy to be falling in love with Daddy and Noah. I tried to clarify that falling in love wasn't quite the same as loving friends and family members. I started to ask her about other people that she loves. I mentioned one of her friends, Lilly. Camille got a puzzled look on her face and said "but I can't love a girl". I took the opening and explained that actually she could love a girl and that some families had two mamas because they loved each other. She continued to have a puzzled look on her face and then she stated: "Well, I'll tell you this. I will never....(long pause followed by a smile and a giggle)I will never fall in love with a run-away pancake". Love is a funny thing especially to a four year old!

While on the topic of love and family, I am happy to announce that I had the winning post in the Mamma Mia:Parenting Stories category of the Blogging from the Boot competition. I feel very honored to be a part of such an interesting and talented group of bloggers throughout Italy. Thank you!