Be Mine, Valentine

Do you celebrate Valentine's Day?

It's not an over the top holiday for us.  We like to use it as a reminder of the greatest love story ever written:

(I've seen this signage done many times but not ever so elegantly & beautifully as my sis at the crafty cAve does it.)

We choose to use this day as a way to remind the children to love others as Christ loved us.  

Sometimes Mike gets me flowers.  Sometimes I get him a little something.  Sometimes we altogether ignore it.  As the children get older it's been fun to surprise them with a little "for no good reason" love gift as we did tonight. 

 (poor Xavier - that really is all the more his eyes will open - they are watery and sore and exhausted)

Tonight I did set expectations for myself.  On Valentine's Day.  (Silly huh?)  I laid out a nice but simple meal plan, thought we'd light some candles (with the kids) and have a nice dinner together.  Mike's been out of town for 3 days for work, this being his first night home, so I thought a little Valentine's celebration like this would be good for us all.  Let me tell you what happens when you set expectations.  Life.  Life happens.  I had a sinus headache that would NOT give up (thanks snow storm) and at about 4 this afternoon I could see Xavier rapidly declining.  He'd been sick with influenza earlier in the week but now the head cold - sneezing, congestion, sore ear, sore throat, watery eyes, cough, etc. - is setting in.  Once our daycare friends left for the day he flipped a switch and became a snuggling mess of baby boy.  I rocked him while he dozed for about an hour and finally realized my fun, cute little Valentine dinner wasn't going to happen.  Sigh.  

Do you want to know what a rock star Valentine does when you call and tell him you are failing at homemade supper even after he's been gone for three days?  He says pizza for supper sounds great and he'd love to pick some up.  He walks in with flowers, chocolates, and a movie for later and kisses you when you know you have baby boy snot on your shirt and in your hair.  He loves you just like Jesus does.  Sigh.

(I wish ya'll could smell these from the computer.  They convince me that I'll open the door to green grass in the morning.)

So to my Valentine...thanks for being a rock star. 

And to all of you out there...remember how much Jesus loves you and what a treasure you are to Him.

Happy February 14th, everyone!