Happy Valentine's Day!

The morning of Valentine's Day, I woke up at 3:30 am and could NOT get back to sleep. I kept thinking about all the folks (many friends) who are hurting on February 14. For the single person, the widow, the divorced and the left behind, this "hallmark holiday" can seem extremely cruel. I found myself praying for them, and God reminding me that He never leaves us nor forsakes us. No one is ever really alone. As I got out of bed at 5 am, I was extra grateful for the faithful husband who was still asleep next to me. He is a huge blessing and gift from God!!!

I got ready for my typical 6 am Flow class, but before I left, I made a little scavenger hunt of heart shaped papers in different colors for my husband. On each one, I had written something else that I particularly loved about him. Then I taped them places like the bottom of his toothbrush, his deodorant, his shoes, his keys, his phone, etc. It took me awhile, and I was barely on time to class with the scraping I had to do to get the ice off my windshield.

I also had gifts ready for the boys. I got them little St. Patrick's Day shirts (which I decided to save as a gift for this day) and then the real gifts of the "Write Your Own Story" books for the older boys and "Baby, I Love You" board book for Ryan. I also put some M&M's in their bags. Even Ryan loves these!

When I was done at the gym, I swung by McDonald's to get a breakfast sandwich and iced caramel coffee for Shawn to serve him in bed. He was still asleep when I got back. For the older boys, I made heart-shaped pancakes.

Joshua cried when the first couple I gave him didn't look like hearts. Ugh! There was definitely a bit of a learning curve to making them. But, I told him I was trying and it wasn't because he wasn't being good. He said they tasted delicious even if they weren't perfect. That's all that matters!

Here are my three little loves waiting to eat! :) We had the boys valentines ready for school. We did "Angry Birds" with tattoos (Ryan helped me pick them out at Walmart) and attached some candy to them. Each boy wrote the names of their school friends on them and they both did a GREAT job. Joshua didn't need supervision for his (other than reminding him that being left-handed meant that his hand would occasionally wipe across a card he had already created). I sat with Caleb as he wrote each letter, but he did well.

They both wore their "Heart Breaker" shirts. This will be Caleb's last year in that size. I wish I had one for Schnook!

But since I didn't, I still put him in a cute little red puppy vest and matching red socks. He went with me to a Moms in Prayer meeting that morning for the elementary school. He was very chatty, but these moms didn't seem to mind at all, and he was very well behaved.

I tried to get some pictures of them all together, but no one would look and smile all at the same time. This was the closest I got! That day each one had a party at school, and Joshua had early dismissal. I picked him up at 10:55 and then we got Caleb together at 11:30. We drove straight to Universal where I went for a quick run and let the boys get some energy out. When we got home, I fed them lunch and we looked through all their many valentines from their class and talked about their activities. They were SO excited and pumped up on chocolate! :) :) :)

Shawn gave me some beautiful roses! I told him not to spend all that money, but he tried to watch for deals and make sure I felt extra loved on this special day. :) Did I mention how great I think he is?

I had asked our babysitter to watch the kids and made reservations at Carrabba's, which was excellent! Our service was amazing, and the food was great! I saved half my chicken bryan for eating the next day. Then Shawn suggested we go to the mall. He bought me a new bikini from Victoria Secret for our upcoming anniversary trip. I wasn't expecting it, so it was a very generous and thoughtful gift. :) He also bought a new type of protein shake to try at GNC, and he bought me some foundation that had run out. It was less expensive than we thought, and it came with a free gift. He had already given me a gift for Valentine's Day, so I was shocked by all this generosity. He always tops anything I try to do (in a good way). I had made a special trip to the store to get him Cetaphil cream (for his poor skin) and to get him some peanut M&M's - his favorite. I had also gotten him another gift beforehand, and we had agreed not to spend the money on "stuff" since we have a trip coming up. He didn't do what he insisted on, but I have to say that my love tank was filled to overflowing!

Here is what I wore on our date: a skirt from Abercrombie & Fitch I had bought cheap off a new website called "Like Twice," fish net stockings given to me by my mom that were brand new, and this shirt from Old Navy that I had found for less than $6 on the clearance rack and I had purchased with a gift card. I also wore the zebra heels that Shawn had bought me years ago. But, I'll admit that I changed them after dinner into ballet flats when Shawn suggested we walk around the mall. My favorite part of the outfit (which you can't really see in the pictures) is my new set of fake eyelashes that went on in the first try. The boys commented how pretty my eyes looked. :) :) :) I think such things are probably a bit lost on my husband whose eyesight isn't the greatest. But, I think that probably works to my advantage as well. :) :) :)

We had a GREAT night! I told Shawn How thrilled I am that we are married to each other. I truly enjoy spending time with him. All marriages take work, but I feel like we have a really decent relationship that makes the 'work' fun and worthwhile and even enjoyable. I told him how much that came from him and his effort he puts into our family. We watched as other couples barely said two words to each other at tables near us, and we had plenty to talk about the entire date. We walked hand in hand and laughed a good bit. I even got my rings cleaned at a jewelry store in the mall (not leaving them but watching as they were there) so they are nice and shiny for our upcoming anniversary.

When we got home, we paid the babysitter extra for coming on a holiday (she is such a blessing to us!) and played with the boys awhile before putting each one to bed. Then we downloaded a youtube video on St. Maarten that we watched before bed. It was a great way to end the evening! We had an absolutely wonderful Valentine's Day full of love! :) :) :)