Valentine's Day

Around here, I usually handle all of the holidays.  I do Christmas Shopping and ask Dusty for his thoughts about gifts along the way, looking for ideas or inspiration on what to get the ones we love.  He helps set some of it up the night before and helps videotape that morning.  For Easter, I fill those baskets and make the notes from the Easter Bunny.  For birthdays, I tell him what I'm going to get and have him sign the card.

Valentine's Day is the exception. 

For the most part, Valentine's Day is another day around here.  We spend a lot of time with the I Love You's amongst us and little surprises through the year.  Valentine's Day is another holiday, but a much smaller one.  We're really big on Valentine's Day being a day of love and time together and not really a gift giving holiday.  I mean, seriously, our girls (and us) have way too much stuff as it is.  I'm always looking for ways to downgrade it, not increase it.

Every year since Kaitlyn was an itty bitty baby, Dusty has taken it upon himself to handle it all.  He gets all his "girls" roses and little presents and candy.  He buys it without asking about any gift ideas.  He sets it all up, every year, after I go to bed in places we're sure to find it in easily when we wake up in the morning.

This year was no exception.

Dusty surprised Kaitlyn with her favorite things.  A new Monster High car, lime green roses (her favorite color right now), a Big Time Rush card with a poem in it, and some of her favorite candy.  She was elated. 

When Samantha decides to wake up, she is going to be excited to see the Blowing Kisses Elmo.  Her and Kaitlyn fought over this toy when they saw it in the store to the point where I nearly bought it.  And of course, her pink rose and balloon, hiding what might be her favorite discovery Daddy found her: Chocolate Teddy Grahams.

And I woke up to beautiful roses, delicious bags of my favorite candies, a sewing apparatus I've had my eyes on and a perfect card complete with googly eyes.

Kaitlyn has her cards (that she helped design) are attached to candy, ready to pass out.  Her teacher's gift ready to be given and she's getting dressed now in her custom made Valentine's Day Outfit.

Samantha has mailed out her cards (with Kaitlyn's and which she absolutely loves and carries around with her) to friends and family.  She's asleep, but then she'll get to also wear her custom made Valentine's Day outfit and, depending on her tummy,  enjoy a yummy piece of chocolate or two.

Life is good. 

We are truly a blessed family.  While life may not be perfect and we may endure the daily pain of being a family person short, our house is filled with love, laughter, warmth and beautiful memories that will last us a lifetime.

I hope that your Valentine's Day is a lot of fun.  Even more, I hope that your everyday is filled with love.  I hope that you feel warmth in your home and you have the privilege of being surrounded by those that make you happy.