xoxo

Matt and I have not celebrated Valentine's Day since our first month of dating back in 1995.  Once we found out that neither one of us cared for the holiday, we ditched it and all the pressures that go along with it.  And yes, he does bring me flowers and chocolate chip cookies on random days throughout the year.  Just because. He tells me and shows me he loves me everyday.  We don't need no stinkin' day to tell us otherwise, right?

Well, children change everything. We {kinda sorta} celebrated Valentine's Day this year...because Eli wanted to. I blame it on societal pressures, of course.  Eli wanted to bring valentines to his class, and we didn't want to discourage it. His school helps us by keeping the holidays simple. They don't do parties. Candy is not allowed.  Just cards.  So I figured, we could do something.

After seeing so many absolutely adorable ideas on Pinterest (though most involved a candy treat....), I knew we'd be able to come up with something simple that Eli could actually do.  Making over 25 valentines is hard work for a preschooler!  We settled on symmetry hearts (...and yes, I did explain symmetry to my 5 year old while we worked.)

I pre-cut most of the hearts.  That many hearts is too much for E, and I knew it.  I didn't want him to quit before we started....but he did cut some on his own.  He cut my outline on a few and then free handed some too. The painting was definitely the best part.

Each time he painted half, folded it over, and opened it, he was in awe of the beautiful pattern that had been created.  It was a surprise every time.  He would ooh and ahhh.

And he didn't get bored with it (as he sometimes does with repetitive art projects...) because each one turned out different and unique.  I just *loved* the results!

Eli signed his name on each one and was thrilled to put them into his friends' mailbags the next day.  And of course, we had to give some paint to Jude too.  Kept him happy while I helped E.

On the drive home from school, Eli was excited to get to open his bag of valentines.  From the backseat, he read who each one was from and was shocked at how many he had.  "They must all really like me, Mommy!"  Just too precious!!  And when did he get big enough to read on his own??  At lunch, I cut the boys' food into heart shapes.  Eli was tickled.  "How cute, Mommy!"  And with all of those incredibly precious ideas on Pinterest, I couldn't resist finding an idea or two to inspire a little treat for us at home that day.  Nothing over the top.  No gifts, no flowers, no cards.  Just a sweet little treat.  Eli loved helping in the kitchen, as usual. 

These little cuties are Red Velvet Cheesecake Cookies that we baked in our heart muffin pan that we scored from a dollar bin. Very yummy!

So, maybe I caved in to the pressures of celebrating Valentine's Day.  But I think we kept it low-key and commercial-free.  Matt and I still remain quite neutral about the day, but children make the day worth celebrating.  Just a little bit. 

Poor Jude's final molar has still not popped through. I got lots of cuddles from this little Valentine of mine. All day long!