My Funny Valentines!

Valentine's Day isn't something we've celebrated much in the past... often Matt and I have been out of town, working, or otherwise apart for whatever reason. My husband does an amazing job of treating and surprising me often enough that I never feel neglected by "just a card" on Valentine's, although he usually does more!

Fun fact: 2 years ago I was 37 weeks pregnant with Finn, and this year here I am 36 weeks pregnant this time with baby number 3, but we managed to pull together some Valentine fun anyway! We started a couple days ago when Kenna and I sat down in the afternoon to make some Valentines for her friends at church and back in Raleigh (and I made some to send to their mommies!). I had bought these little pre-made blank ones in the dollar section of Target, so it was super easy for Kenna to add her special touch to them.

 In fact, on the very first one she randomly wrote an "H" and an "I" on it... when I told her she had spelled "hi" she was so excited and wrote it on all of them! So proud of how much our little big girl is growing. She also has started learning to write her name!

Her Valentines were so cute I could hardly stand it. I wanted to keep all of them!

Finn, not to be left out, did some coloring as well!

The Target dollar section also provided the cute Valentines I sent to my grown up friends... love these! (I mailed Kenna's little ones tucked inside these big ones.)

This morning we woke up to beautiful roses Daddy picked out- a dozen for Mommy and one special one just for Kenna!

We made cinnamon buns for breakfast and then it was time for the little Valentine baskets I put together for them. I"ll have to be quicker on the uptake next year, I didn't get a single picture of them before they were enjoyed! Finn was the most excited about the candy. He ate two cinnamon buns, some fruit loops, a box of sweetheart candy, four peanut M&Ms, and a partridge in a pear tree... for breakfast!!!

I had a full-on real present from Matt and guess what was in it? Some of the nicest shoes I've ever owned, and just the ones I wanted! He did a little sleuthing and ordered them online in the perfect size. Thank you, babe! I absolutely love them!

Matt had gotten supplies to make chocolate-covered strawberries, so he and Kenna got right to work and made us some really delicious strawberries. They didn't last long and Kenna kept begging for more.

In the spirit of the time we made an all-pink Valentine lunch, Kenna's next cooking endeavor was to help me make her and Finn pinterest-inspired nutella and sprinkles heart shaped sandwiches. The difference this year was that I in no way attempted to make it nutritious- nutella sandwiches, chocolate covered strawberries, and heart shaped marshmallows! 

 On a sidenote, you know Momma's 8 months pregnant when she's wearing a tank top in February:

 

 Finn on the other hand was not so sure about the chocolate covered strawberries- he has been known to hand chocolate covered items back to us saying "poop."

We spent the rest of the day running some errands and then playing with Daddy when he was done with work. The kiddos headed to bed early for Daddy and Mommy to cook a special dinner together... salmon, rice pilaf, chocolate strawberry cheesecake, and Mommy's attempt at stuffed mushrooms.

Matt's gift from me was not expensive, but made with lots of love... a mad lib style love note we filled out about/to each other, a handmade card, and a shovel full of his favorite candy that said "I dig you," -which was one of the first things he ever said to me to indicate he was interested in me as more than a friend! Sentimental, loving, and cheesy... just as a Valentine should be.

It was also fun to do a little Valentine decorating in our new house... although let's be real, this will probably all still be up after the baby comes sometime in March, at which point I will get embarrassed and redecorate! I tried to keep it simple (and cheap!) with glass jars, paper doilies, and a foam glitter heart half off at Hobby Lobby... my favorite!

 And a new verse for our chalkboard in the kitchen:

We love our sweet Valentines! Next year we'll celebrate Valentine's Day not only with 3 kiddos, but gearing up for 3 March birthdays in the family!

A Day of Little Valentines!

Being 37 and half weeks pregnant does not make for much great planning ahead these days, but we managed to all sneak in some fun Valentine's Day surprises for each other this year! Even though Matt and I always say we are not going to do anything more than cards, I always know he's going to get me something, so I make sure to get him/make him a little something too. I also got to pick out some little surprises for Kenna this year, which is so fun now that she can interact with fun holidays a little more!

When I woke up Monday morning, this was waiting for me in the kitchen:
pink roses (that smelled amazing!), a heart made of my favorite dove chocolates, and a card that unfolded accordion-style and even sang to me! Matt has always been a really talented card-picker-outer!

So to go with the card I had gotten him and the one I helped Kenna make for him, we decided to make him cookies too. When he got home from work, this was waiting for him:
My neighbor friend had just mentioned that she and her husband both had Valentine's week birthdays, so I packaged up some of the cookies and chocolates for them too and even made a fun little Valentine for their dog with some doggie biscuits (from our dog, of course!) using these really cute printables:
I had the most fun picking a few fun things out for Kenna. When she went down for her nap, I set it all out so it would be waiting for her when she woke up. The little mailbox was from the $1/$2.50 section from Target, the sticker book was from the $1 section at Michael's, and I painted the pink "K" on a clearance sketchbook from Walmart (to put her stickers in).
Granddaddy and Nana B. had given her a balloon that I tied to the back of her chair:
But of course, she was most interested in the candy:
I let her stay in her hearts jammies all day:
Then, after letting hear eat two "pops" (little dum dum lollypops) and a mini box of nerds, I made her an all-pink and somewhat healthier dinner. Since Matt works late into the evenings, there aren't any men in the house at dinner time to object to our pink dinners:
juice in a pink cup, strawberry yogurt, ham roll ups, craisin cranberries, and pink/red fruit snacks... all on a pink heart plate, of course!

Hope you all had a wonderful "Love Day!" and a Happy Valentine's!