Be My Valentine

Ah, Valentine's Day.  I have to say, it wasn't always my favorite holiday.  But after our inaugural Red and Pink Dinner last year, and it's wild success, I was actually kind of excited for this year's holiday.  It helped that the girls were excited, too.  Being in school, they actually got to buy Valentines and exchange them with their classmates.  And that meant Mom could find something fun to do for their teachers. :)  I went to my tried and true...Our Best Bites.  They did not fail me.  Granted, the girls didn't help a lot, but that was mostly due to my over developed sense of perfection.  I was up late the night of the 13th finishing up the teachers' Valentines, but I think they were worth it.  Behold, the Sweetie Pie Pops!  They were a big hit with the teachers.

We woke up on Valentine's morning with quite a bit of work to do.  The girls got busy getting their Valentines in order, and we worked together to put their Sweetie Pies together in their candy-filled cups.  We also worked together to assemble Daddy's Valentine basket and card.  I was busy working on some of the menu items for dinner after that, and the kids enjoyed some Valentine's themed cartoon goodness.  Around 10 am, there was a ring of the doorbell.  I answered and found only a cardboard box bearing the logo for "Proflowers".  And they were for me!  Danny had sent me a beautiful bouquet of purple irises and stargazer lilies.  He had the foresight to order them more than two weeks in advance!  We thought he might have to be out of town over the holiday, and he didn't want me to go without a Valentine.  What a wonderful husband!  

It was a busy morning for the doorbell here at Papa and Grandma's house!  The triplets that live next door came over and doorbell ditched a total of nine Valentine's for Claire, Sophie, and Johnny.  That was three Valentine's each...one from each adorable triplet.  Then a couple from the ward came over and asked for John.  I was so confused!  I had no idea who they were talking about.  Then it dawned on me that they were the Nursery leaders in the ward, and they were there delivering a Valentine to our little John-boy!  Unfortunately, he was taking a nap at the time. :(  But he loved his very first Valentine!

After the girls got home from school, we had Isabelle over for our Red and Pink Dinner.  We also invited Braxton and Tavin, though they came a bit later.  The girls enjoyed some time playing dress up and such, and then Daddy came home.  With Valentines!  The girls each received 6 pink tulips and a chocolate candy treat. They loved it!

I went about my dinner business, since I had already gotten my Valentine flowers from Danny earlier that morning.  And we had an agreement about Valentine's Day.  I get flowers, he gets chocolate.  Period.  But Danny being Danny has to bend the rules. :)  He surprised me with an additional Valentine gift...and this one came in a little velvet box.  He bought be the most beautiful diamond heart necklace, and it's officially my favorite thing next to my wedding ring!  Serious brownie points this Valentine's Day for Danny!

Finally, it was dinner time!  We had the kids help decorate their table, and got them seated and ready to go.  They were so excited for their Red and Pink Dinner!  On their menu was Bagel Bites, Strawberries, and Valentine's Glass Block Jello Hearts.  They each ate every single solitary bite.

The adult table turned out pretty cute, too!  On our menu was Chicken Cordon Bleu (from scratch, OBB style), Strawberry Spinach Salad with a Lemon Poppy Seed Vinaigrette, and the same Jello hearts as the kids. 

It.  Was.  Delicious!!

I think all of us enjoyed a rather nice Valentine's dinner. :)  And that makes me happy.

We cleaned up dinner and got started on dessert.  The kids waited patiently for their Brownie Heart Sundaes, complete with Valentine's sprinkles.

But alas, after dinner and dessert it was time for all the cousins to go home and for everyone to get to bed.  It was still a school day the next day, after all.  But before we sent our little girls to bed, we let them look through their Valentine's from their school friends.  They really felt the love!  They really love their friends at school.  I can't believe I have not one, but TWO girls who have school friends.  Where did the time go?

At this point, I was so tired I was barely able to walk.  I had literally been on my feet in the kitchen since the night before.  But every bit of the pain in my back was worth it!  Danny remembered right before we headed down for bed that we needed a picture of my necklace.  So bear in mind how pregnant and tired I am before judging this photo.  Or just look past me and see the beautiful necklace! :)

Like I said, all the preparations were worth it.  And surprisingly enough, I never felt terribly stressed.  We had an amazing Valentine's Day, and I think I'm confident in saying this Red and Pink Dinner will be our tradition.  I love creating these memories with our kids.  I love each of my sweet little Valentines, and I love my Sweetheart most of all.  How fortunate we all are to have each other.

Happy Valentine's Day!!