Valentine’s Day breakfast for my Valentines

I know that Valentine’s Day, for some reason, is a holiday that is pretty fraught for a lot of people. But I’ve always loved it. (What’s not to love about heart shaped sugar cookies?) Unlike Christmas, my family has never been over the top with this holiday, so we usually keep our celebration simple. My darling Valentines got a special breakfast and some new story books.

And, since I mention books, I’d like to ask you a favor. Would you please release a book in memory of a very special little girl? It would mean a lot to me. Thank you.

I know that the prevailing custom is to celebrate romantic love on this day, but to me it’s always been a celebration of my favorite things. So bring on the books! And the cookies. (Don’t worry, I was pretty good. I only had a couple! I swear.) So what I’m saying is… YOU are my valentine. Really. XOXOXO

See?

AND THERE IS FOOD IN IT.

Milk, please?

We have mostly managed to get ourselves back to normal now that the excitement is over. I will give you a tip, though: Do not mistakenly put the butter door from your new fridge in a bag full of bins from your own refrigerator and then donate it to the Purple Heart. Because a replacement door? $50.

Also on tap this week is the fact that a missed nap turns this:

Into this:

and this:

and sometimes, it’s a truck wash.

No, really. I mean it. Go look at a baby. Oh, I’m sorry- you might not have one handy. Here you go:
Did your face light up? Did you smile? Did you feel that light go on behind your eyes? Because I’m usually right behind this particular baby, and I can tell you most people react that way. It’s like watching someone plug in the Christmas tree, if you’ll forgive me the non-secular metaphor.

How different would we all be if everyone KEPT looking at us like that when we aren’t babies any more? What if we all saw joy and delight in every face? What would it be like if we could all feel so loved every day?

as the day I took two children to the grocery store and NOBODY CRIED. I don’t know if it was the novelty of riding together or if I did something good that merited a divine reward, but these two kids were awesome in the store, the whole way through. They had a great time… you’d have thought I took them to Disney.

Ian and I were off on an errand just the two of us, and he asked me if we were going to be “just you and me, Mommy?”

Me: Yes, sweetie, just you and me! I like it when we do things just you and me.

Ian: You do?

Me: Yes, I do. I like it when we do things with Keeghan, too, but it was just you and me for a long time, and sometimes I miss it.

Ian: But I was wanting a baby brother, Mommy. I was wanting him for a long time and then we got him.

Me: Yes. And he’s awesome. But I like to do things with just you sometimes.

Ian: Give me a kiss, Mommy!

Whereupon he headbutted me right in the mouth. Hard. By great good fortune, I did not get a fat lip, but I wasn’t giving out any kisses for a while, either.

Also, here’s the big reveal.

Some kind of marigold? Ian is proud of himself for growing them. I WANT MORE. They smell good, too. I can’t get enough.

Also, the hedge has burst into flower in a way I don’t remember ever seeing before.

The things I do to my hair by complete accident never cease to amaze me.

I took Keeghan on a little walk before bed. We had planned to go earlier, but it stormed.

Total Mileage: 3.48