{ Valentine’s Day…A Year Ago }

With Valentine’s coming up I realized that I never posted from last year’s celebrations. (big surprise that I am that behind I know) We LOVE to make a big deal around here when it comes to holidays. I LOVE little traditions like this that give us something to look forward to and helps the kids appreciate all the little things that make us happy. I sometimes feel guilty about not going on as many family vacations or doing really big things-but days like this help us all to see how those little things can really add up and be just as memorable as the big ones.

Brianna asked me the other day if we were going to do something big for Valentine’s this year or not because I am so close to having the baby. I told her I didn’t know, which the kids usual interpret as NO-and  I was kind of sad and disappointed in myself for using that having-a-baby-thing for an excuse. Looking back at these pictures makes me get excited to at least come up with something fun for the kids.

The kids still LOVE coming home from school and spreading all of their special Valentine’s cards and treats that they got from their classmates out on the floor to look at. Poor Scott, he looked on with such envy of the stuff they got. I think they were nice to share some of their treats with him. I was glad that I had everything else set up for our special Valentine’s night fun so he had something else to look forward to.

    

I LOVED Abby’s hair for today-I tried one hairdo that was suppose to look a little more like hearts, but it didn’t look so fantastic, so we opted for the simplified version. I LOVE that it’s the middle of winter and she is wearing flip flops today-I think what I LOVE most is that is was so warm out that she could wear flop flops today. That is definitely my kind of winter!

Party time! Balloons are my go to fun item for the kids. It almost always brings out the smiles for them all-maybe not so much with Brianna and Austin anymore, but 5 out of 7 isn’t bad in my book. When we tied one to our dog Simon’s tail and watched him chase it, that brought out some excitement from the older kids so I’m officially counting the balloons a success.

    

I actually had these chocolates set out this morning so they could have some little treats on their way out the door to school. I am pretty sure that they needed to be refilled by dinnertime-I think I was in need of a lot of chocolate LOVE, HUGS, and KISSES today.

    

I sometimes think that I like the party setup almost as much as the party. It was any excuse to get whatever I saw that was red or pink. Everyone got one of their favorite big chocolate candy bars, and then one present. It is usually a book of some sort, and the older kids and Aaron got iTunes cards this year. Some years we have done movie tickets, or something else that’s fun to do as a family. I don’t see a chocolate on my plate, so I’m pretty sure I was on a eat healthy kick that day. I think the real truth is that I was on a health kick the day that I bought the candy bars, and then today I just ate enough LOVE, HUGS, and KISSES to get me through.

I LOVE that you can see a panoramic of our whole kitchen area. It makes me smile.