Happy {Heart} Day

Valentine’s Day is our half year anniversary. We would be quite remiss not to celebrate it each year. I have always felt, however, that focusing on the many people we are blessed to love in our lives is much more fun than making it a romantic mushy gushy holiday between couples. That being said, we do some celebrating as a couple and some celebrating as a family.

I.

In the mushy gushy department, Brandon is 7 for 7 on sending me a bouquet of flowers. It is so refreshing and wonderful to get flowers in February. I love them every year but never manage to capture their beauty through a photograph, so this year I didn’t even try. Just imagine a beautiful red vase filled with white and purple gerber type daisies, white roses, and little red carnations.

For our celebration, we went out to dinner at Olive Garden. Yum. After dinner we came home and watched the Jazz game. What can I say, it was a big game (first game without Sloan as a coach) and I love my husband. For the record, I suggested that we watch it. I’m sure he would have grudgingly willingly watched “Sleepless in Seattle” or some such nonsense, had I batted my eyes enough.

  The happy couple of 6.5 years.

II.

The kids are both in Joy School now and were thrilled to share the love with their classmates.

We picked out their Valentine’s about three weeks ago when I was feeling cabin fever and needed some reason to get out of the house. Hello Kitty from Marie and Batman from William. I was so proud that both kids could sit and write their names on their cards.

The treat was per William’s request. He wanted to give caramel popcorn. We compromised with something much easier, white chocolate popcorn.  I packaged it up in paper cones, adorned the kids in Valentine’s attire, and sent them on their merry way. Not after one, or two, or twenty pictures, of course. Then it was time for me to hang out with this little love bug. I can’t get enough of those gorgeous eyes!

III.

An impromptu lunch became one of my favorite memories from this holiday. Lunch after Joy School is always a bit crazy because Anne is tired but I am trying to hold her off until I put the kids down. Consequently, I throw together whatever I can one-handed and then sit down to nurse Anne while attempting to referee the other two rascals in the other room. This day wasn’t any different in the need to throw together a lunch so I pulled out some crackers, ham, and cheese and had the brilliant idea to cut the meat and cheese into hearts. The kids loved it and Anne was happy enough that I could stand at the counter with them and chat while they ate. I sure do love these precious times with my little ones!

IV.

The actual big day, February 14th, we planned a joint dinner and FHE with some of our favorite friends. Fondue was on the menu complete with cheese sauce, pizza sauce, chocolate sauce, potstickers, meatballs, chicken, steak, little smokies, homemade artisan bread, pretzels, bananas, pound cake, oreos, veggies, pitas … every bit of it was delicious, delightful, and delectable. If you’ve never had the joy of partaking in fondue before, I have a fondue pot. I would love to introduce you to this wonderful world of yumminess. Just don’t expect me to take any pictures, I will be way too busy eating.

Following the fabulous fondue feast (hehehe) we settled our stomachs with a bit of Just Dance for Kids. Good times were had by all and I think I might have burned the calories from one bite of dinner. Maybe.

And there you have it. Happy Valentine’s Day and 6.5 anniversary to us!