I'll back up a little and say the Valentine weekend kicked off with the NKAADN with Shafer and Lindsey as host's. Man, they can throw a party! So many lovely details! Love is in the details, right? There was plenty of love going around, that's for sure. Lindsey had decorated the house so cute, the table was fab, and apparently they had just put in gorgeous granite countertops right before we arrived. I know it was a crazy day for them, but it couldn't have been more appreciated and admired. Dinner was sooooo delicious~ one of those meals you think about the next day. Love the fam!
The next day was fun to get together with cousins for a baby shower. It's fun to see the younger generation start their little families. It makes me happy to be where I'm at. Elaine came, it was so great to see her, it's been a long time since I last saw her! As I gave her a hug good-bye I found myself all choked up and had to pull myself together! JoAnnna's house is always so charming and cute. I enjoy chatting with her on her projects she's done. The stripes in her bathroom = darling!
Sunday night after the kids were down I started the fancy table. I was glad I'd waited to put anything up, it made it more dramatic the morning of. I'd found anything red for the plates: Strawberry breakfast bars, red jello, licorice (yes, for breakfast) red juice, etc. They loved it.
Then off to school they went for their class parties. Remember Valentines Day in gradeschool? I lived for that. As soon as Eli was off to school I busied myself in the boys room. The week before I had been frustrated with them that Saturday cleaning turns into such a long, drawn-out chore. Then I stared touch-up painting the doors and trim, which led to patching up the walls. All the while I'm noticing how filthy everything is, and getting more frustrated that they have not been caring for their room. A room I recall sanding, puttying, caulking an entire summer before they were even born. I started packing things up to get ready to paint- and moved their dresser out to the garage to spray paint, along with their bookshelf because I knew they needed a better toy storage system. The boys were very worried, and my response was simply that I'd like the room to be my new sewing room because I wont dent the walls, write my name in pen on the walls, smear poo on them, or pee on the carpet. When they asked about what would they do for a room, I suggested they could perhaps sleep on the floor of my new sewing room sometimes, but really, it was their problem and I am tooooo busssssy.
So for the rest of the week, an Ikea trip, lots of sewing, Jon putting together shelves at night etc. and lots of worried looks and tears from the boys, as well as lots of cleaning up on their part, I felt like Valentines Day was the perfect day to unveil their room. Everything was ready to go, so it was simply a matter of getting the toys organized in new bins, hanging curtains, spreading out new bedspreads, fluffing pillows etc. and it was ready by the time they got home from school. I was so excited to show them! After they told me about the school parties etc. I told them that I had been seriously thinking about the promises they had made about keeping up their room, and that I had appreciated their hard work the past week showing me they could be responsible etc. and I had a suprise for them. They loved it! It was the response I had hoped for. They noticed all the little details~ they love having the beds separated with their own little reading lamps and everything has a place. I'm impressed so far, because each morning they make their beds and have kept it up nicely. We also make sure we keep the door closed when they are at school so curious little Zeke doesn't attack.
On to later...... Jon was sweet to bring home dinner- and gorgeous pink flowers. (He is my Valentine, after all) and we had our candle-lit dinner.
For dessert, heart shaped pink sugar cookies, of course! The kids ran some gifts to friends (always amusing to watch them be sneaky and run and hide) We settled down to a movie when the door-knocking began. It started with Valentine gifts from the grandma's, where we were sure to yell, "Thank you Grandma and Grandpa! Thank you Granny and Grandpa!" out the door several times, hoping they'd hear. Then several goodies kept arriving: Coloring pads, small toys, mylar balloons, etc. Zeke was fun to watch as those little legs would move so fast to the door. Precious! He got it.
The final suprise was when they went up to bed to find their Build-A-Bear's lying on their beds with new outfits. They dress them each morning and leave them on their beds, then undress them and carefully put the clothes back on the hangers each night. Adren brought his to show-and-tell. I love that he wanted to do that, and wasn't too self-conscious about it.
Overall, it was a really great Valentines Day. Each year the kids get more and more fun to do these things.