Happy Valentine’s!
Making the decision to have a child – it’s momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking outside your body.
– Elizabeth Stone
T on Valentine's day 2009
I hope you’re having a happy Valentine’s day!
I’m fairly sure that Teaball is!
We have a couple of brand-new Valentine’s traditions, and T’s day has been covered in pink and sweet kisses!
The first (and coolest) of our new traditions is Lollipop ‘flowers.’ This is one of the neatest crafts we’ve ever done. It was inspired by a post on a blog that I randomly stumbled across one night – Fairly Odd Mother (love it!). It does involve lying to your children, which is something I generally shy away from, but in this case – I think it might have been worth it!
First, T painted a flowerpot and decorated it with stickers and gems. She’s an old pro at the flowerpot decorating thing by now!
Then she filled it up with dirt, and ‘planted’ candy ‘seeds’
Next, T sprinkled some ‘magic’ glitter on top (because even at the wise old age of 2, T knows that lollipops do NOT grow in the ground without magic. . . plus we just like glitter! Duh.), then we watered our ‘seeds a couple of times a day. . . and watched them grow!
This morning (cuz’ Valentine’s Day is a super-special day) they bloomed – much to Puff’s wonder and amazement.
So she picked ’em, and gobbled ’em right down! (Whatever else would you do with magical lollipop plants before breakfast on Valentine’s day?!)
We also got her a little bag of cheapie goodies that had a little teddy bear, some Valentine’s stickers, heart-shaped bracelets, and her very first-ever heart-shaped box of chocolates!
Our other fun new tradition is to have a Valentiney breakfast – which includes heart-shaped pancakes with pink whipped cream, sprinkles, and red-raspberries on top, along with heart-shaped toast with eggs, and strawberry (pink) milk, lots of fresh fruit, – and bacon, of course (so Husby won’t cry!) We were all too hungry to get any pictures, but she loved it and ate nearly every bit of what was a very big meal (AFTER the lollipop!) If that wasn’t fun enough, T’s Gammy sent her a My Little Pony Valentine – and $10, which we went out and spent at the toy-store right after breakfast!
My husband says that I can’t count something as a ‘tradition’ until it’s been done for at least 3 years running. But I disagree – these are brand new baby traditions, and we’re gonna keep ’em! (I think he’s just jealous because Valentine’s day had nothing to do with him!) Oh! And speaking of Husby. . . when I went out to run an errand the other day, T was playing with her foam stickers and construction paper. When I got back, they presented me with this;
Husby swears that T helped him “pick the colors and stuff. . .” she calls it “The Dancing Flower,” and its hanging right over my desk. I really think its far cuter because my husband made it, as opposed to my toddler – don’t you? I finally got a Valentine and a flower!
Three cheers for a good n’ fun Valentine’s day!
Huginn, Muninn, and me 