And Hearts

Yesterday was a whirlwind of pink colors and heart shapes.

I've never cared much for Valentines Day. I think my neutral feelings were planted the day that my Dad took me to pick out my own "gift" from the Valentines Day section at our local Pharmacy. I still remember what I got, too- a standing white glass unicorn, with a velvet rose coming out of its back. A nick knack that moved from shelf to dresser around my bedroom for at least 4 years, before being discarded during a random bedroom-meets-trash-bag purge.

In elementary school, exchanging Valentines with the other kids was always fun. One year we got to make our own mail boxes (I decorated mine with tin foil), and then deliver our letters to everyone. And even though everyone had to give one to everyone else- I still couldn't wait to see what character was on whos, and I was anxious to know if my crush gave me one (even though he had no choice), and if just maybe he really wanted to be my Valentine. Whatever a Valentine is.

And then once we hit middle school, it went from tiny decorated paper squares, to miniature boxes of chocolate bought with allowances.

High school: even bigger boxes of chocolates, cards stuffed into lockers, and if you were really lucky, flower deliveries.

...do you sense that I'm bitter? There were no flower deliveries for this Mama. I had a boyfriend for awhile in high school, but he didn't go to the same school as me, and he was way too much of a bad ass (by his standards, not mine) to do anything romantic. 9th graders aren't really romantic anyways. Can't believe I ever went out with him.

Now that I'm married and madly in love, there just isn't a need for all of the hype and make believe. I told him not to get me a gift (he did anyways). Making plans to go out seemed silly. Its just a day. And I love him every day. So lets not make a big deal out of it, okay?

...Oh, thats right. But the babies.

I remember how fun Valentines Day was, back before the standing glass unicorn came along and wrecked it. And I want my babies to know that fun. And hang onto it for as long as they can.

So heres how we spent our day:
These are SOOC ("straight out of camera"- fancy camera lingo meaning not edited in any way), because I'm anxious to get back to watching season 1 of True Blood. I'm hooked. No time for making my pictures extra pretty tonight, haha.

It all started out with pink milk, and raspberry pink oatmeal.


Hubby and I had our coffee in matching red mugs.


Grammy had sent the kids a special Valentines Day package decorated with hearts. Eleanore couldn't wait to open it.


Charlie wasn't too impressed when I handed him a boring envelope (but it had hearts!), haha.


But he was thrilled to get his brand new rocket ship themed hooded bath towel! (Elie got a pink one- lucky duckies!)


If I would have waited just one minute, you'd be looking at a picture of Evelyn eating her card.
And of course we got the babies some gifts too. I didn't wrap things up all fancy like (I know, whats gotten into me?). I just presented it to them by taking it out of the bag, and then we dug right in...


Painting!!!
Christopher and I got down on the floor with them, and we painted. He helped Charlie, I helped Elie. It was so much family fun, I felt like we were posing for a magazine shoot. So nice though, to just be there with each other, concentrating on making a colorful mess. Dipping the paint brushes in the blobs of blue and pink that we had dabbled onto their dinosaur paper plates. It was the best gift that we could have given them.

I'm sure they'll argue that one though, once they figure out that most other kids get candy.



While the babies had their quiet time later that afternoon, I made them heart shaped sugar-free stevia sweetened "sugar" cookies for them to decorate and eat for their snack.


They spread around their cashew based frosting with baby spoons, and then sprinkled on their gluten free/vegan/all natural sprinkles like cookie decorating champions.
The cookies may sound a little funky, being completely sugar free and made out of mostly nuts, but the kids loved them. I think the sprinkles were key.

And, I don't have any pictures of it, but the babies got to skype with their Nana and Grauntie up in Washington. A live Valentine!

They also got to go outside and go to the park. The weather was perfect, so we strapped baby into the Ergo, sat Charlie down in the stroller, and went went went and ran ran ran off our non-sugar highs.

By the end of the night, the over stimulation of hearts and fluffy pink things was starting to be too much for all of us, so we settled down and watched a movie together.



It was kind of the perfect day. I'm glad I put on a show for their sake, instead of letting my V-day Grinch getting the better of me.

But it turns out, that my putting on a show, was the real deal. As soon as I stirred the red food coloring into Eleanore's soy milk earlier that morning- it was all over. The holiday had gotten to me. I had been bitten by the cupid.

Or... shot, rather.

Clearly, its time for me to exit the blog post, and rejoin the cast of True Blood on the couch for episode 7.

Well done babies, for mending Mommy's broken heart, and showing me the cute and covered in vegan sprinkles meaning of Valentines Day.

I sure do love you kids.