Tuesday we got a fun surprise in the mail - Valentines from Grammy and Grampy Hall. The girls were so excited to open their own mail, get a card, and get money for a treat. Tommy was excited to get yet another thing to use as a teething toy.
Lily spent Tuesday night carefully filling out valentine cards for her class at school. She was so excited to go to the store and pick out cards. She spent a long time carefully writing every name and sticking the suckers to the cards.
Wednesday they had their class party. Lily came home with an armload of treats and cards. She couldn't wait to show us all the fun stuff and she generously shared all the candy with the whole family. Her first Valentine class party was a complete success. Although she did say the boys didn't like the princess valentines she gave away - they wanted something more "manly".
Thursday we took our friend Nathan to the library with us for story time. At the end of story time they let each of the kids make a valentine poster. They had fun putting on all the stickers. Lily and Annie decided to give their posters to Daddy. The girls also insisted on wearing their Frozen dresses to the library. Everyone we saw complimented them on their dresses.
Thursday night we had a dance party in the kitchen. I put on some Michael Buble while doing dishes and all the kids came in to show me their moves.
Friday there was no school. We enjoyed a relaxed day together at home getting ready for our valentine party that night. All the kids on our street were invited over for a pizza and pajama party while the parents went to a social at the church. Jeremy and I were in charge of the entertainment for the social. We decided on the "Not-So-Newlywed" game. It was so much work trying to find questions that were funny but still appropriate for a church audience. The game went over really well so I guess we did a good job. I'm honestly just glad it's over.
The kids party was a success. We ordered pizza and split the cost of babysitters with the other parents. Our house was a complete disaster when we got home, but all the kids were safe and happy and said it was fun. Our girls partied so hard they were total grumps the next day. They need more sleep to recover from the late and silly night.
I remembered to snap a few quick photos of the decor with my cell phone but forgot to get a picture of me and Jeremy. This Valentine's Day was special for us because 15 years ago this very holiday weekend we had our first date. The food and decorations for the ward social were lovely. Some friends we sat with said their cheeks hurt from all the laughing and smiling they did that night. It was a great way to spend the evening. And it was even more great to sleep in the next morning and rest from all the prep work we did the night before.
Saturday morning Annie wanted to splash in the huge puddle at the end of our driveway with her friend Preston. They splashed for a long time and came back totally soaked and very cold. Every kids needs a good muddy splash before they grow too big.
Saturday night Puna and Papa arrived to visit for a few days. The kids were bursting with excitement to see them and talked their ears off for the first half hour or more. Then they sang and danced to all the Frozen songs for Puna and Papa. We exchanged our family valentines on Sunday morning before church. Lily and Annie were most thrilled about their balloons from Daddy and their ring pops. After church, Puna helped the girls make some valentine cupcakes.
After all this love and celebrating, Mommy is ready for a nap! See you next week.
