Valentines' fun

Aside from the "bad parts" of the day, we actually had a lot of really memorable and fun "good parts" of our holiday this year.  I woke up first to find these beauties and a beautifully written card (it made me cry it was so sweet) and some of my favorite chocolates.  I know it seems a little cliche, but this was a first for us.  I was actually really excited about the roses, because I don't get them very often.  I get flowers a lot, and they are always beautiful.  But Wes really likes sunflowers and tends to pick arrangements starring them when he brings flowers home.  And I'm not about to start complaining about what kind of flowers I get....I think they are all beautiful and I love them all.  There's really nothing like your husband bringing home flowers, and there's really nothing like getting roses on Valentines' Day.  I was absolutely delighted!  After such a rough night and feeling so exhausted, these fragrant, beautiful roses, along with the sweet card, gave me the strength I needed to get through the day.

Guess what else I got?  Wes gave me a gift certificate to go to a spa for a day.  A spa.  I've never been to one, but always wanted to.  I love to be pampered (who doesn't), and I felt the incredibly sweet thought behind that gift.  What could be more relaxing than a spa?  My husband is the sweetest man alive.  I'm so excited to go get a massage.  If I could just fill my day with massage after massage, that would be mighty fine with me.  :)

I got a little phone call later in the morning from my hubby.  He'd gotten his first card and gift from me.  I got him a book on tape, snuck him some homemade cookies, and decorated his car with gel hearts.  I also had an idea to grab a small journal and create a little notebook between us.  I wrote him a little note in there explaining how it worked, and left it where he would see that too.  I'll let you know if it goes the way I envision it, because I am pretty excited about it, but I'm not sure how it will plan out.  Either way he got anther love note in there, right? 

After I saw my roses, I crawled back in my bed and read Wes' card to me over and over.  A little while later, the boys woke up and delivered me valentines and hugs and kisses for over an hour.  Micah didn't quite get it, and delivered me every single valentine he had prepared for his friends and family.  I took a picture, but it somehow got lost, darn it!  They were so incredibly cute and sweet and it was so fun to see them so excited!

I got his second card and gift ready while he was gone.  I stuck it right on the bed in front of our pillows.  It was another card and a book designed specifically for us to read together with questions to ask one another.  (these gifts may seem silly to you, but we've had a lot of talks about being proactive about keeping our marriage as strong as it is, and we've been working really hard to make time together to keep that romance kindled and continue getting to know one another.  Hence the upcoming vacation.  And also these gifts.  And thankfully, I think he loved them.

 

This is a fun idea I stole from another blog a few years back.  During the months of February, each person in the family writes something they love about another person in the family and hangs it up on the kitchen cupboards.  It's a fun tradition that's getting even more fun as the boys are starting to initiate the writing and hanging of the hearts on their own now.  Every mom knows that there's not much sweeter than reading and witnessing your childrens' tender feeling toward others in the family.  It is so heartwarming and sweet.  A treasure I am going to enjoy for years to come.  (This picture is from earlier in the month. I had some darling leftover hearts I'd gotten from a teacher's supply store a few years back, but I didn't find them until right before Valentine's, so we had to cut them out ourselves this year. It took a little longer to fill all the cabinet (and some wall) space up this year because we had to work at our own pace, but I didn't care.)

Before dinner, I began my traditional decorating of the table for our Valentines' dinner.  It was while my mom was over visiting, and soon I had two little helpers, Hallie and Abby, who were tickled pink to see so much pink, sparkly stuff at our house.  It was so fun sharing that girly moment with them.  I hope I get to share them with my own daughters someday....

 I thought the beautiful roses Wes gave me pulled all the decorations together so nicely.  I pulled our heart-shaped pepperoni pizza our of the oven right as my mom left and Wes arrived.  The boys really surprised me at how much they enjoyed the "special dinner".  They loved the "special cups" and the candy all over the table.  It was so fun!  I also finally got a chance to wear my new pink dress (my best girlfriend and I have a long standing tradition to wear something pink and spring-y for Valentines.  It's something I honor every year.) I got at a boutique a few weeks ago.  The boys told me that I was "beautiful", "pretty", and that I "look just like a princess or an angel."  Enough to make my heart melt completely to slush!  It was nice to get a little dressed up after feeling so lousy all day.

Here is my big boy sneaking some candies before dinner!  I just love this boy!  He is such an amazing kid.

Here is Jonah also looking so grown up!  He is this close to crawling, so he keeps me very busy.  Luckily, he was so enthralled with what I was doing, he sat contentedly in the high chair eating puffs and even ate before us and I was lucky enough to get to eat at the same time as everyone else.....while the food was still hot!

The boys loved the addition of heart candies in the cups.  Thanks to my mom for picking them up for me.  Hallie loved the heart doilies and the "cup bracelet" so much that  I had to stop and make her "a very own" bracelet out of some extra garland I had in my box.

We then finished up delivering our neighborhood and family valentines.  Then, I was able to give Wes his last card and gift, which he LOVED.  But what guy doesn't love a gift inside that red and pink bag.  Especially when his wife makes him wait a whole month for Valentines' Day to see what it looks like.  ;)

All in all, it was a really fun and memorable Valentines' Day indeed!