Valentine's Day 2012

Valentine's Day made me tired. The kids all need a box decorated and Valentines for their classes. We made chocolate pretzels for their teachers, and I helped in three class parties and planned one.

The night before, we did the boxes and put the valentine's together.

Drew wanted peanut butter M&M's, but we couldn't find them in small bags, so he made his own.

Bev did some cute semi-homemade animal valentines with kettle corn treats.

Jessi did cupcake cards with cupcake erasers.

Christian did sports cards with Reese's.

After the class parties, we got home and I helped Drew with his science fair project. Then I sent them all upstairs while I decorated the table and made dinner. This part is tradition. Mike brings the girls flowers, and this year I got the boys balloons.

I wrap the table in butcher paper so that we can write love notes to each other. I made heart-shaped pancakes with berries and whipped cream, bacon and eggs. Mike brought me home some Cafe Rio and a Diet Pepsi. For dessert, they frosted sugar cookies and decorated the top with cut up fruit.

Every year I make him a mix tape. It always has our songs on it, and then the songs we listen to a lot that year. Some of them are inside jokes and some of them are sincere.

(The kids got after me because I didn't add "I'm Sexy and I Know It." They LOVE that song. I admit it is catchy, but I am trying to be more discriminate on the songs I play. The problem is that they seem to hear it everywhere, including their father's car. The other day, I was doing Jessi's hair and she busts out: "I got passion in my pants and I ain't afraid to show it." That girl can hear a questionable lyric once and have it memorized.)

My latest favorite song: (Remember when the sound of little feet was music, we danced to week to week.)

Sunday night, I went to bed early. Mike apparently stayed up working on a surprise for me. When he came home from work on Monday, he said that he needed my help with something on the computer, but I couldn't see what he was working on. He was working in iPhoto and Photoshop. He never works in iPhoto or Photoshop. I answered a few questions, and I so wanted to rescue him. He spent another two hours on it Monday night. Then, on Valentine's Day, he presented me with this collage with a really nice letter on the bottom. It is probably one of my favorite things he has done for me. I am framing it to go by my bed.

Some of the love notes on the table: