Valentine's Day has come and gone

and we are done with love. Not really, but after writing notes to hang on the love tree and notes for the pillowcases, and after putting together a Valentine's tea party for Sweetie and 5 friends from school, and after making 28 large sugar cookie hearts for Mister's class party, and after doing kind, anonymous deeds to pass the love bear on to another family member, and after making heart-shaped pancakes, sandwiches, and chocolate cake, I am Valentined out. I really do love this time of year--I love the positive energy that comes into our home when we express love for each other in different ways. But right now, the key word in that sentence for me is "energy" because I am all out of that right now since H has, once again, been sick all week and hasn't slept or done much of anything but cry and hold onto my legs the minute I put him down.

But anyway, this post is supposed to be about Valentine's. Here are a few pics of Sweetie's party and of the kids following their color of yarn around the maze in the yard to find their hidden Valentine's candy and balloon. Also, Mister's class had a talent show and he perfected 3 magic tricks for his talent--first, he made a pencil rise from a bottle. Second, he painted a scarf air-colored paint and then washed it off and made it reappear. And third, he made the pictures in his coloring book colored, then go away altogether, and then return again. He was nervous, but he did such a great job!

the kids made these scratch valentines, did some mad lib valentines, and we took some pics too to sent to cousins and grandparents:

Looking back

We had a great Valentine's day. Here's the kids with their Valentine's balloons, listening to Oliver Twist on tape Sunday morning. And Sweetie with her heart hair-do:

Mister had his first grade musical last week and did a great job with his speaking part, thanks to many prayers and many practices:

And H has been busy rolling to all corners of the house, figuring out how to turn on the lamps that have the foot clicker and beginning that into-everything phase.

In full Valentine's mode

Full Valentine's mode. That's us. Sweetie has been hard at work, decorating cookies, grating crayons for shavings, cutting hearts, dying coffee filters pink and stringing them in patterns. And we've been hard at work leaving notes for each other on the little tree (my favorite Valentine's tradition), doing acts of service and passing on LB--the Love Bear, and leaving notes and treats in the pockets of the kids' Valentine's pillowcases. I love Valentine's day with kids!

Thanks to Sweetie's request, she and I hosted a mother/daughter Valentine's lunch yesterday with 5 of her friends and their moms, but the only pics I got were post-lunch playing on the swings. We sat out on the patio in the nice 70-degree day and ate heart-shaped ham and cheese sandwiches, heart-shaped macaroni and cheese, chicken won ton salad, grapes, lemonade, and sugar cookies. Sweetie requested games, but I told her food and play would be good enough this time around :)

Grrr, blogger is not letting me tile my pictures like I usually do. So here's a loooong row of Valentine's pics for you, including the kids' Valentine's for this year. We copied Alyssa's idea from last year.

The 5 Days of Love

I've been meaning to post a wrap-up to the 5 Days of Love, but my Internet has been on the fritz, so I'm finally getting to it. 

We had a good 5 Days of Love, but I have to say that I'm glad daily love need not be so extravagant. Mister and Sweetie woke up Sunday morning expecting trails of love notes all over their room. Sorry to disappoint, kiddos, but the big V-day signals the end of the fun. Not really, but the end of the heart cupcaking-making, cookie-making, pillowcase-making (equipped with pockets for nightly love notes and/or treats), and the annual Valentine's day treasure hunt (these two pictures are from a past Valentine's day since the camera wasn't charged for Treasure Hunt 2009). 

Mister was also involved in his own love-fest, trying to add to his class's 100 Kind Deeds book that they are sending to President Obama. So he took treats to friends, mailed Valentine's to grandparents, and donated his allowance to Saleh Jafarov in Uzbekastan to help with his efforts to expand his small business in order to pay for his 3 kids' education (see kiva.org--it's great). 

So here we are, all loved out, but glad for Valentine's day!

Bring on the Love

So my friend smartmama issued a 14 Days of Love challenge on her blog last week.  Unfortunately, I cannot manage 14 days of love in my present state. I'm doing well if I can manage one day, to be honest. So far, it has proven almost beyond my love capacities to gestate a human being, to gestate a dissertation, and to lovingly correct the two children I already I have when they are at each others' throats rather than snapping, sending them to their rooms indefinitely, or turning on Madagascar for them to memorize. So, no 14 days here. 

However, I think I might be able to manage 5 days. Because it's all about baby steps, knowing your limits, or not biting off more Days of Love than you can chew. So 5 days it is. Yesterday, I pulled out the old Easter egg tree from last April, which is now missing more than half of its appendages, and Voila! transformed into "The Tree of Love."  Mister and Sweetie get to choose one little goodie off the tree every day. Attached to the goodies are notes that tell them something that I love about them. 

And so far, so good on the kids' end. In fact, a little too good. They can't keep away from the darn tree and have been known to sneak peeks or tear little slits into unopened little goodies. Today the Tree of Love had to take a time out on top of the refridgerator until two children could remember that one way to show love to Mom is to obey the Rules of the Tree of Love. 

But so far, so good on my end too. Tonight when I tucked Mister into bed, he said, "Mom, you only had to ask me once to brush my teeth.  Is that something you love about me, that I'm a fast listener tonight?" 

"Yes," I said. "That is one of the many things I love about you." 

It's good for me to remember all of those many, many things I love about my kids. And it's good for Mister too. Who doesn't need a little daily validation?  

Now wish me luck on the remaining 4 Days . . .