Ah, love. I love LOVE. I love seeing people happy, watching relationships evolve, seeing families grow and knowing God loves me. But Valentine’s Day has always been my least favorite holiday because of how it can make others feel. And trust me when I say, my heart goes out to others who are felt unloved and alone during this holiday. I have been there! When I was single I always tried to make the best of it. I’d buy myself some chocolates, wine, rent a movie. Yes, yes, I tried to make the best of this miserable holiday. I knew I was worthy of being loved, so I just continued to pray for God to bring me someone and, in the meantime, I embraced being single as much as I could. And now that I am married with my forever Valentine and love of my life, Valentine’s doesn't even seem to be about us. It's of course, more about the kids. And we are okay with that, because Valentine's is over rated as it is...love should be celebrated everyday! And so here it is, Valentine’s Day 2019, with the kiddos:)
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| My little cupids, ready for their school Valentine's Day party. |
That morning, instead of giving the kids candy (like we need more of that in the house, because let's face it, I'll eat it before they do) Mark & I gifted them toys. Cause they just don’t have enough of those either...Mary Kate received some Hatchimals & a Fox Enchantimal. Will loves STEM toys, so he received a Discovery set. Ryan and Matthew both received gift cards to Dominos pizza.
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| My sweet girl is too sweet for candy! |
Digging for treasures...
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But he's my greatest treasure!
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I don't usually decorate a whole lot for Valentine's Day. There are lots of pretty Valentine's decorations out there, but I keep it simple...because we're all still recovering from Christmas decorating! I found some super cute signs at Hobby Lobby for our entertainment center, that I just loved! And with Hobby Lobby and their amazing sales, I was able to get these for just a few bucks each.
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The Grateful sign comes from Kirkland's and the two at the end are from Hobby Lobby.
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I always decorate our mantle for every holiday and all I did was add this heart wreath on top of the boxwood wreath. I think I bought the heart wreath at Wal-Mart for under $5 (I've had it forever!) and the love banner comes from Hobby Lobby...again:)
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My "lovely" mantle.
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Every holiday, Mark's parents also send the kids a fun box full of goodies. The kids received a craft, candy and one of my Mother-In-Law's beautiful homemade cards. The kids are always so excited to receive special gifts but they especially love receiving gifts from their Nana and Papa in Wyoming.
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| This craft was a little hard and time consuming but my perfectionist daughter, kept going until it was built. |
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| Cards made by Nana |
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| Will's little robot man that he built! |
When we went to Tulsa for Mark's birthday, we ate at a restaurant that gave Wikki Stix instead of crayons for kids to play with. The kids loved them so much, I knew I had to have some for Valentines! I found a Valentine themed Wikki Stix and paired them custom labels. They were a hit with their classmates and teachers.
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| Easy Peasy Valentine's Gifts for friends |
The kids' class Valentine's Parties were filled with lots of treats, crafts and games. They had a great time, as always, celebrating with their classmates and friends. I used to be a room-Mom for my kids' preschool classes and Mary Kate's kindergarten class. It was exhausting...so when I see all the work these room Moms put into these parties, my heart fills with love and appreciation for all they do. I've been there Mamas and we are truly thankful for all that you do!
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| The classes don't do boxes, but bags instead. |
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| And we are soooooo grateful for that! Boxes are a pain:) |
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| One of the many crafting stations the room Moms and teachers do for the parties. |
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| Sweet friends and silly grown-ups! |
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| Best Principal and Vice Principal! They are all about making the kids feel special and we love them for that! |
Oh and don't think that Mark and I forgot about each other during Valentine's Day. Oh no, we could never do that. He is the love of my life, remember?!! He's the reason we have this incredible marriage and why we have 4 beautiful children. He is my whole world and I couldn't imagine my life without him. I'm beyond blessed to be loved by my husband of 10 years.
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| He spoils me way too much. My gorgeous watch from my Love. |
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My hard to buy for husband, who has everything, was given his favorite beer and pretzels. He also bought some records for
himself (plus he's getting his own brewery too;)
Well, that's it...our little Valentine's Day. I hope everyone had a good and even a great Valentine's Day. And please remember it's more important that you love yourself first. Trust God's timing, pray for the man that He has planned for you. Don't give God a list, He's not a wish maker....love will come in all sorts of forms but first and foremost, it's how we love ourselves and our Lord that matters most. You are worthy of love and I pray each of you find love.
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