Valentine's Day

As is usually the case with holidays, Valentine's Day was fun but crazy busy. The festivities started on February 13th, when Will's class celebrated with an ice cream social and by exchanging Valentines with one another.

Hallie's class celebrated on Valentine's Day with heart-shaped brownies and by exchanging Valentines with one another.

Tom worked really late on Valentine's Day Eve, but when he arrived home that night he set out Valentine's Day gifts and cards for all three of us. I'm not sure I've ever witnessed this kind of behavior - thinking about and preparing for a "small" holiday ahead of time - from Tom, which made the lovely card and FABULOUS watch (which I'd been wanting for a while) he bought for me a true surprise.

Tom also worked really late on Valentine's Day, so he missed the kids' annual Valentine's treasure hunt. Will thought my clues were WAY too easy, and Hallie struggled to keep up with him as he tore through the house trying to get to his prize as quickly as possible.

I bought the ice cream for Will's ice cream social, so I ended up with all of the extra ice cream. I made the heart-shaped brownies for Hallie's party, so I ended up with the brownie "outsides" (the brownies left in the pan after the hearts had been cut out). I bought a cookie cake from a friend of mine who runs her own cookie cake business, so we had an entire chocolate chip cookie cake on our hands. Add to that all of the candy the kids brought home from their classroom parties and, well, my kitchen looked like the game board from Candyland. I made anyone who came over eat something sweet before they left, but that was only after I ate quite a bit of it myself while watching Water for Elephants on Valentine's Day night.

At school, Hallie's teachers helped each child make Valentines for their parents.  The fronts of the cards read, "I love my mom/dad because..." and then Ms. Mary filled in each child's answers inside the cards.  It will come as no surprise that Hallie's card to me read, "I love my mom because...she does whatever I tell her to do."  For the record, for the remainder of the day I didn't NOTHING that Hallie asked me to do in protest.  Because I'm also three years old apparently.

Next up on the kids' holiday radar (which they most definitely have), St. Patrick's Day - bring on the green!