Valentine's at our House

Valentine's Day isn't a huge deal around here, but we always try to make it more special than a regular day. This year it was even less of a big deal due to the craziness of our household on any given week night. Things are just busy and wild during the week it seems. I'm cooking supper while entertaining and keeping up with the boys so it's almost ready by the time Terrell gets home so we can eat at a decent time so he can have some quality time with them afterwards and so we can get started on baths and bedtime on time so hopefully they'll both be asleep by 8:15ish. Phew! Sorry about the run-on sentence.

Anyway, this year we decided (because we sort of forgot about Valentine's Day when planning our weekly menu) that I would make spaghetti as planned, but that we would eat by candle light. Garrison's new thing is turning off the lights and using his flashlight, so the idea was special to all of us. We also decided that Terrell would pick up dessert for us on his way home from work and that we wouldn't exchange gifts with each other, just do a little something for Garrison. Austin was sort of left out this year. He got a card from us. Poor baby.

On Monday during Austin's morning nap, Garrison and I did a few Valentine's crafts. Nothing big, just coloring and gluing hearts and making a card for daddy. We pointed out/read all the letters in "Happy Valentine's Day", discussed which hearts were big and which ones were small, counted the hearts, and just enjoyed the use of a glue stick. (I could so come up with some lesson plans for the little man every non-school day. Maybe I'll get on that soon.)








Then Monday night I made Garrison's Valentines for school. I found the idea online (because I'm not creative like that all by myself) and thought they turned out cute. I already had red ribbon and white cardstock and red markers so it was inexpensive too. =)





On Valentine's Day I was kind of blah when Terrell got home. I was cooking spaghetti and trying to keep Garrison from running wild (I think he had too many chocolate Valentines) and trying to feed Austin and cleaning spit up off my pants for the 3rd time, etc. You know, just regular day stuff. Which is why I was feeling blah I think.

But then my Valentine came home and helped out with the craziness, then flowers were delivered- a dozen pink, white, and orange roses (he wasn't supposed to get me anything), then we lit our candles and enjoyed a delicious spaghetti dinner before enjoying a super yummy brownie-ice cream combo dessert. We asked Garrison what he thought about the candles and he summed it up by saying, I jus love dem. Dey are pretty. I can't wait to blow dem out!! After that, I told myself to really take in the moment because one day years from now we'd look back and remember eating spaghetti by candle light on Valentine's Day when the kids were little.

After supper we let Garrison and Austin open up all the cards that came in the mail for them, plus the cards from us. A couple of the cards contained some money for their banks... and Garrison fell even more in love with Valentine's Day.

Then Garrison and Austin gave us Valentines from them. Garrison gave daddy his hand-made card, which read: Happy Valentine's Day, I love you! We take out the trash together. Thank you for putting up the Christmas stuff. Love, Garrison and Austin too. (I had to prompt him just a little with, "what do you love about daddy? do you want to thank him for something?" and that's what he came up with. It was sweet. But for the record, we've had our Christmas stuff put up since the week of New Year's.)

Then I got not only a sweet card from my babies, but I also got the movie Breaking Dawn. Yay!!! Terrell really surprised me by going above and beyond what I expected and what we discussed and agreed to. I was thrilled. (But I also felt bad because I didn't do anything for him!) All in all, our Valentine's was fun and special. And Austin was so excited about the holiday that he was wide awake from 8:30 to 9:45. Not super fussy, just wide awake and wanting to be held. Yes, it was definitely a Valentine's Day to remember.