Valentine's Day Prep

In preparation for Valentine's Day tomorrow, the kids and I spent most of the day working on Valentines for their Daddy and for the kids in their class in church on Sunday. We did no official school work, but had a wonderful, relaxing, and happy Arts & Crafts / Cooking day in your PJs, so it totally counts in my book.

To show everyone how much I love them, I not only cut off the crusts on their PBJs, I then wasted MORE of the sandwiches by cutting them into heart shapes. (Ssshhhh, I saved the extras in a baggy in the fridge.) Before bed, I made sure to leave a note for Ryan on the bathroom mirror where he can't miss it while getting ready for work tomorrow. If my love is strong enough to waste bread, Ryan's is strong enough to appreciate me defacing his walls.

Ahhh, the things we do for love.

Lily spent a long time working on her Valentines... Carefully matching each girl in her class at church to each card or coloring page, picking out the perfect Princess or heart sticker for each person, writing their names and her own name in the right spot on each card, putting little confetti hearts and 1 little seashell in each cellophane bag along with each Valentine. It was quite the process, but she was very pleased with the whole production in the end.

Jacob picked out each card and each Cars sticker for each boy in his class at church (and one of the girl's dads?), and wrote his name on each card. Forget trying to get him to pick out and sign Valentines for the kids in his class at school - it was hard enough getting him to sign 5 cards for his best little buddies! Plus, he just started preschool last week so I don't feel too bad not making him do it. (He did his two teachers, though.) After he signed and stickered, I wrote the recipient's name on each card...asking him to write more than his name would be torture all around. (Though he did "color" a page for Jeffrey, understandably.)

Sam colored soooo many Valentine pages and paper doilies for people this week - she was like a machine! She would announce who each one was for and I would write on their names. It's Lily #2!

Then they each traced and cut out hearts for Ryan (ok, except for Lily, I did most of the cutting) and I wrote on them the things the kids each wanted to say to him. It was super sweet, and I'm still debating where to hang them all for him as a surprise tomorrow. I'm thinking the inside of his car windshield while he's at work?? More "defacement" would certainly surprise him ;)