Then: Sammy's 1st Valentine's Day

I'll be the first to admit that Sam's first Valentine's Day was less than eventful. Both Marc and I worked all day (it was even Marc's late night, so we barely saw each other at all that day), which meant that the boys spent the day with their fabulous nanny. It was a very strange time for me at work, our company was about to shut down, but we weren't aware of it yet, although speculation was at its peak among employees at this time. Ultimately we did get shut down, which was a blessing in disguise for me and our family because I am now home with my boys and there is no place I'd rather be. Still, I am grateful for the friends that I made at my previous job, and for our nanny, who really did provide top-notch care for my babies.

But back to Valentine's Day. I did dress the boys in their finest red, and ran out at lunch to get them each a little gift and a card. Sam received two books about love, and Jack received a book and a cool crayon dry-erase board. That's it, the extent of our "celebration". I didn't even get a card for Marc, and I maybe got him some chocolates? I don't even remember. I'm pretty sure he got me a card from both himself and one from the kids. Man, what a downer of a day we had last year; perhaps that why I went over-the-top with the celebrating this year!

Now: My Funny Valentines

Holy smokes, I don't think I've ever celebrated a Hallmark holiday quite as much as I celebrated Valentine's Day 2014. Chalk it up to a long, cold, snowy winter with two small kids and a stay-at-home mom. The kids and I prepared for the holiday for weeks before February 14 arrived. We made 2 batches of Valentine sugar cookies (Jack refers to them as Christmas cookies since we used the same recipe as our Christmas sugar cookies), read lots and lots of love-themed books, made various Valentine-oriented crafts, and talked about our Valentines.

Our masterpieces! We finally aced the homemade frosting, too!

A failed Valentine craft attempt at salt dough.

Right off the bat, Jack informed me that Daddy was HIS Valentine, and that I should "call Grammy Carol and ask her to be your Valentine because she's your mom". So I called her and she graciously accepted my request...thanks, Mom. Apparently in our household, there is only one Valentine per person and there will be no sharing of Valentines. I asked if I could be Sammy's Valentine, but nope, he belonged to Grammy Judy.

Fortunately, we were all still able to celebrate Valentine's Day as a family that morning. I stayed up a little late the night before making my first-ever batch of homemade cinnamon rolls, then woke up early to bake them and make the frosting. Holy cow, they were delicious, if I say so myself. Not that Jack and Sam would know...Jack refused to try it and Sam wasn't terribly impressed either. But Marc liked them, and so did I. I had everyone's Valentine gifts laid out at the breakfast table: the kids each received a Valentine book, a book about spring, heart-shaped red "bath bombs" that I made earlier in the week after they'd gone to bed, and some candy. Marc got a CD and a bottle of wine.

I received a gift from Marc later that morning...a seriously gorgeous bouquet of flowers. I was shocked because we normally don't do much for Valentine's Day, and I knew he was taking me out to dinner that evening. I think the flower delivery guy was shocked himself when I answered the door, baby in hand, preschooler at feet, and a crazy mess in the kitchen behind me. The best part is that when I read the card, I told Jack and Sam that they gave me the flowers along with Daddy. Jack said, "no, we didn't give them to you. That man at the door gave them to you. Maybe you shouldn't tell Daddy."

The kids and I did more Valentine-y things all day long. They took a pink bath with their bath bombs, we made hearts out of pipe cleaners, and painted heart sun catchers out of coffee filters. By the time Marc got home, I was completely over Valentine's Day and the colors red and pink or anything shaped like a heart. But I was more than ready for a night out with my Valentine (sorry Jack, I'm calling dibs on Daddo), and I had such a good dinner at one of my favorite restaurants with my all-time favorite date.

And there you have it...SO MUCH celebrating for a holiday that I think borders on silly. But really, it's a holiday about love and it's nice to celebrate that once in awhile. (But enough is enough, and I'm ready to retire the hearts for a good 11 months!)

Sam's "cheese" face when getting his picture taken. (And while eating his favorite thing ever, a lollipop!)