Its Valentines Day - Hooray Hooray!

    So maybe I am just a little excited today.  I love showing my kids and husband how important they are to me and just how much I love them. I love seeing the surprise and excitement on their face.  I want them to know that I love them most in the whole world and that no one loves them more than me.

     This year we have a love wall. Little love notes written to each child every night, some extra ones just because and the kids even wrote some to each other and us.  I think the one Camden wrote to Mike is my favourite though.  "Daddy, I love you because you work hard at work, to get money for food so we don't die. Love Camden"  Straight to the point and honest as Camden always is( unless he is blaming his siblings for something).  The kids are excited to get up each morning and read the notes we left.  I often catch them standing there and rereading or asking me to read them again.  I hope the messages sink in and they will know how much we love and value them everyday.

    We made valentines for their school friends.  Camden dropped his off with daddy since he no longer attends school and has started home school with mommy (yes we made a decision and pulled him but that is another post on another day).  We left Daddy a note with chocolates and a sandwich in the fridge.He will get his hand painted works of art later today.  Painting with a baby is much harder than I remember and it ended up looking like a scene out of Dexter when we were finished.

Sawyer

Harrison and Dexter from DEXTER

NAILED IT!

     We also chose to leave the kids a little Valentines day surprise. Nothing big. Just a little something to make the day special and something other than loads of candy which they don't need or really like.  The first thing they dove into? The apple sauce squeezey. I know to some people they think its ridiculous to buy things on Valentines for their kids but learning to love starts at home.  I also know others that go way overboard.  We feel this is the perfect amount. Just a little something to let them know they are loved without turning it into a huge gift giving extravaganza.  It isn't second Christmas.  Along with their little treats are hand written valentines from each of us.  The ones mike wrote to the kids are so incredibly sweet.  I love how the kids are learning to be loved by such a sweet man.  The girls will learn that anything less is unacceptable and the boys will learn that as well and how to treat women.  I hope they carry this love with them their entire lives. 

     What I am most excited about is going out this evening with Mike to dinner and a play with out kids.  A real restaurant with real food.  No toys in a happy meal box or lids on your drinks.  I am looking forward to not cooking , cleaning, wrangling kids and battling bedtime. After dinner we are headed to the local live theater that we are members of and watching a play.  We love live theater.  Its how we met and fell in love so it seems fitting that we go see a play this evening as well.   What is everyone else doing for Valentines Day? Is it a hallmark holiday or a day with meaning for you? How do you celebrate or not celebrate it?