Layton's 3rd birthday was Sunday (Garrison's and Layton's birthdays are exactly 5 years and 1 week apart) and we celebrated our littlest man with our fun and simple birthday traditions. Other than the sickies invading us on Sunday, everything turned out pretty special.
We all woke him up with Happy Birthdays! and his 3 balloons. He was smitten with everything. =)
Then we all came down for breakfast together and Layton's birthday doughnut. He was so sweet while we sang to him. And a huge fan of his doughnut!
We all made it to church together but Garrison came down with a little fever and had to leave early. After take out for lunch and getting our birthday boy down for his afternoon nap we had a busy couple of hours! While Layton slept, we Valentine-d. =) Austin signed his name to 22 Valentines. Hard, hard work for a PreK-er! They turned out really cute and perfect for our football lover.
Meanwhile Garrison worked on his Valentine mailbox and signed Valentine stickers to go on his packs of Skittles. Thankfully he was feeling well enough to do it! This was our first year to do store bought Valentines for him (which bothered me just a little.... or a lot.... at first), but it worked out perfect. We just didn't have the time or energy for anything more elaborate and he's at an age that doesn't require cutesy Valentines. Haha.
After lots of laundry, finishing up Valentines, waking up Layton, and a little play time outside we were ready to take out our birthday boy for his special dinner. With very few options available in our neck of the woods on a Sunday, we opted for one of Layton's fave restaurants about 10 minutes from our house and right near the interstate.... Waffle House! Hahaha! He was so excited when he realized where we were!!
We had the yummiest waffles for supper and sat right near the window so we could watch the big trucks go by. I'm telling you his day was MADE. It was perfect! Waffle House for the win!! =)
We had the best birthday meal with our littlest love. I'm so thankful we remembered good ole Waffle House. =) Sometimes the best ideas are the easiest.
Now for a recap of our Selph Family Valentine's Day...
Tuesday morning I woke up bright and early as always, but to a BIG surprise waiting for me in our bathroom... these beauties, a big, over-sized card, and a box of Resse's cups. I was sooo surprised! We typically don't exchange any gifts for Valentines we just get the kids a little something and then celebrate as a family. But giving/receiving gifts is my primary love language so my heart was full!
Garrison was able to make it to school after staying home on Monday and then Layton and I tackled a couple of errands before coming home and doing a few Valentine "activities". Heart stickers and conversation heart graphing.... =)
After school was a big whirlwind of Valentines, snacks, homework, candy, and messes and then once I heard from Terrell that he was on his way home I sent the boys upstairs for technology time with strict instructions not to come down. Thankfully our electronics totally held their attention.
For the past several years we've done a family Valentine celebration with a special dinner and then reading of our I Love You Because hearts. It's special for the whole family and just a really sweet tradition.
A whole lot of love spelled out on our hearts!
Terrell was able to grab take-out for us from one of our favorite restaurants (J. Henry's!) and the boys requested Wendy's chicken nuggets. Hahahaha! Ohhh, chicken nuggets. We got to pick what we wanted for dinner so it was only fair they got to pick what they wanted too. =) We love some good take-out for Valentine's when it's on a week night!
So while Terrell was on his way home and my 3 little loves were busy upstairs, I was able to prep for our dinner. So fun! I saved a red plastic table cloth from Garrison's birthday party, used some pink construction paper for personalized place mats, set out a couple of candles, and then prepped and set out the boys' little gifts. Super sweet and simple.
We found the boys these little Valentine containers at Walmart and threw in a few goodies, plus laid out their cards they'd gotten in the mail.
Once Terrell got home with dinner, we lit the candles and called the boys down for their surprise.
I was able to capture Garrison's reaction. =)
We had a fun and sweet start to our night!
The things you see Garrison and Austin holding is squishy foam. It's been the biggest hit and is way better than play doh!
They loved everything. =) We got ready for dinner shortly after finishing up going through their goodies and ate on red paper plates and had the best meal. It was sooo good. And it got darker and darker so it became more like a real candle light dinner. It was one of my very favorite family Valentine meals. So blessed with my 4 guys!
After our delicious supper we read our hearts around the table and it was super sweet. It was also pretty crazy. Layton "read" aloud almost the whole time. Ha! So we were talking over him while he was pretending to read his hearts. Some really sweet words were shared along with lots of hugging and laughter.
We love this tradition every year... even if it does get loud and a little crazy. =)
We made the boys an ice cream, mini brownie, and chocolate syrup dessert before wrapping up our special night. Even though we had some craziness and I may or may not have stressed just a teensy bit about getting it all set up and ready, it turned out perfect. Our version of perfect at least. =) It was definitely one of my favorite Valentine's ever. 18 Valentines with my love and lots with my little men. Valentine's Day is silly to some but for me it's a day to be intentional about celebrating the ones you love. It was a great one.
This weekend we've had a major change of plans (a postponed tonsillectomy for Garrison to be exact), so we're focusing on Layton's birthday party and gearing up for our now much more fun Winter Break! Happy Friday Eve! Have a great weekend!!
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