V-day

True fact:  Holidays are just more fun when there are kids around.  My kids live for holidays.  They loved each one, talk about it for days afterwards, and anticipate the next holiday for weeks in advance.  Valentine’s is so fun especially at the stage my kids are in where it’s not about romantic interest more just love for their friends and parents.  All week and still a week after my cute boys have been asking me if I will be their V-A-L-E-N-T-I-N-E (a song they learned from Let’s play music), and it’s adorable.  I let them each pick out their valentines of choice to distribute.  Nothing too labor intensive on my part this year.  Camden picked glow sticks to pass out, Carter wanted to give Swedish fish, and Olivia wanted simple princess valentines that didn’t come with any candy for the girls and used some old left over animal valentines for the boys.  She attached Valentine’s pencils with tape to each one (her choice).  She hand selected an Ariel valentine for Hallie (her BFF and Hallie’s favorite princess) which read Best Friends Forever.  Carter surprised me.  He totally got into addressing valentines.  He loses interest with some many things and struggles with focus more than my other kids, but he addressed all his valentines with attentive fervor and then wanted to help everyone else address all of theirs.  Due to the excitement factor, we had all the valentines addressed days before Valentine’s Day.

When the day arrived, I gave each of the kids their Disneyland character signature books filled with pictures from each character, and season tickets to the Orem Hale Center Junior season and The Jolly Postman Book (no candy whatsoever, which was a bit of a let down, but school valentines and grandparents made up for that).

My Cherry Tree work folk decided to exchange Valentines this year.  Everyone was encouraged to decorate their own Valentines box, but were provided a bag if they hadn’t.  I decked out a red box with yellow McDonalds Ms and then posted a picture of Ronald McDonald on the front that said, “Your body must be from McDonalds because I’m lovin it!”  

Everyone loved it.  Then, I passed out Extra gum to everyone  with a printable that said, “I hope your Valentine’s Day is extra special.”  It was sort of fun giving out valentines.  I have done that since I was in elementary school.

Last minute, I got a hankering for making heart shaped sugar cookies, and I found a copy cat recipe for Cutler’s Sugar cookies that I wanted to try.  So I made the dough and realized I had no sprinkles which is the fun part for kids, so we threw an impromptu day of small kid cookie decorating party and invited all the littles in the neighborhood to bring sprinkles.  We had the Watkin kids, Ashlynn Vought, and Martha Riley all over with my boys around my counter cutting out sugar cookies.  I found a Valentines bingo game, so we played that while the cookies cooled and then glazed and sprinkled them. It was super fun and made the day feel like Valentine’s.

I got two beautiful bouquets of flowers one from my Dad (never misses a year) and one from Derek.  I made a fancy dinner for the kids and Derek at home that evening.  Set the table, lit a candle, and the Menu included: Filet mignon, broccolini, corn on the cob (mainly because I knew that was all Camden would eat), and the risotto Mom and George brought me back from Italy then completed with chilled sparkling cider, plastic champagne glasses, and chocolate covered strawberries for dessert.

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