Selph Family Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day was super sweet for the Selph fam. Full of fun, little surprises, and lots of LOVE. I even woke up to the best card ever from my hubby. It sounded just like he was saying the exact words on the card. It was so HIM and just sweet and perfect and the best surprise to wake up too. It was a pretty special day. =)

We don't go overboard for Valentine's but we do give the boys a few little surprises or a small gift every year and this year we went with a few little surprises. Since Valentine's Day was on Sunday this year we decided to surprise them with a special and fun breakfast before church... something we probably wouldn't have time for on a school morning. 

I picked up brand new plates for them... Ninja Turtles because it was slim pickings for boys, plus a balloon, a small $1 stuffed ball, and Terrell had grabbed some heart shaped doughnuts earlier too. I was searching high and low for conversation hearts but either waited too late or those aren't as popular as they used to be... so when I couldn't find those I went with some chewy sour sweet tarts as a substitute. Ha. I also made them a "Heart Memory Game". It's something I started last year with school time for Austin but finally got finished for this year. Yay. =)

Plus we saved their Valentine cards they got in the mail for them open. And this might be a new tradition. They usually always get something in the mail from my parents and my Nanny so that's an extra sweet surprise that isn't even from us!

Our little Valentines right out of bed!

The breakfast surprise was a huge hit!! Everything was so small and simple but they loved it! The balloon and doughnut were the biggest perks for Layton while the balls and the cards seemed to be what the big boys were most excited about. I honestly think all 3 of them loved everything. They were so sweet telling us thank you and enjoying our fun morning. =)

A little pre-church viewing of The Lion Guard by the fire. Ahhhh. =)

Valentine's Day selfie! And we're all laughing hard at something. I don't even remember what. Haha.

After church we grabbed take-out for lunch and the rest of the day was spent resting, watching the NBA 3 point contest and slam dunk contest (Terrell recorded it for the boys Saturday night and they loved it), doing a little laundry, and playing outside. It was a great, laid back, restful afternoon. Happy Valentine's Day to mama. =)

Our Valentine's night tradition is typically some really good take-out that the whole fam will enjoy, but this year with Valentine's being on a Sunday and no restaurants in our small town being open, I cooked... but only because our choices were slim to none and because it wasn't a school night. =) We decided on chicken parmesan, green beans, and garlic bread. The boys looove this meal. Even Layton! We are traditional, simple, and plain (haha) around here when it comes to recipes so in case your family is similar to mine I'll share our recipe. =)

Simple Chicken Parmesan

*1-2 pounds chicken tenders or breast (we prefer chicken tenders because they cook quicker and are more tender)

*1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce (we use Prego)

*1/4 cup of parmesan cheese

*1 and 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Pour spaghetti sauce over chicken; sprinkle with parmesan cheese over top. Bake about 1 hour (depending on how much chicken you're using) at 375 degrees. Then sprinkle mozzarella cheese over top and heat 5-10 more minutes. Serve over spaghetti noodles. 

We enjoyed our meal together and then while Terrell and I made the boys' dessert (a chocolate chip cookie and vanilla ice cream), Garrison and Austin passed out our hearts. So we went around the table reading hearts while the boys ate dessert. It was the sweetest. It was also loud once Layton finished his dessert and decided he wasn't super impressed with why everyone loved him. Hahaha. Thankfully we were able to read them all before getting Layton down from the table and he even smiled at a few of them. =) The big boys were beaming and there were lots of smiles, thank yous, laughs, and sweetness going on the whole time. It was just  super special. And Garrison and Austin even asked to keep their hearts in a little bag. Oh how I love our family Valentine's traditions!

As soon as we got the boys to bed Terrell went out for our annual Valentine dessert. This year called for DQ blizzards! Then we wrapped up our evening like we do every Valentine's... on the couch with our dessert and one of our favorite shows. 

Valentine's Day is simple, sweet, and special at our house and is just perfect for us. We loved our day with our boys and even loved Valentine's Day being on Sunday. Our Sunday School lesson was so fun and so perfect. Terrell and I truly are uniquely one. So thankful for family traditions and most of all that I have found the one whom my soul loves. Song of Solomon 3:4.

What we were up to last year... my biggest Valentine's gift ever. =)