13 years ago, Josh proposed to me on February 14. The holiday feels more special to me now because of that fact, but I loved V-Day long before that happened. I loved it as a child, I loved it as a teenager, and I still love it now as a grown-up.
For me, Valentine's Day isn't about having a romantic lover's holiday. For me, it's about expressing my love to people in my life.
My mom is a big reason why I love the holiday. When I was a kid, my mom always gave each of us children a valentine from her, and usually she put it on our beds for us to discover. I treasured her simple act of love on Valentine's Day. And as a child, I also loved making boxes decorated with hearts to take to school, and handing out candies and valentine cards to my classmates, and I loved receiving the same in return. As a teenager, I used to send cookie-grams to my friends in high school, and I have pages in my journal with taped-on valentines that I received back then because they meant so much to me.
Being a mother now, I get all giddy when the holiday is approaching. I enjoy helping my kids prepare their valentines, and I like going to their class parties at school. Unfortunately, since Ammon attends the middle school now, he is past the age of valentines-giving and valentines parties. And since I was working on Valentines Day at the school (my first official day at my new job), I couldn't attend Kanyon's preschool class party. But because I'm the room mom for Jonah and Micah's class, I went to their class party during my prep hour. And I loved every minute of it. I could feel the excitement that each child felt as they were handing out their valentines, and it was so fun to see them open up their bags to see what everyone had given them, too! I'm so glad I got to be a part of the fun!
I like carrying on the tradition that my mom did for me as a child, and I give valentines to my boys now as well. This year, I gave each of them a small bucket filled with chocolates and wrote a personal message of love and attached the individual notes to their buckets. The boys were so happy! I gave Josh a bigger bucket full of chocolates and a longer hand-written note. And he surprised me with lovely gifts that day as well--flowers and chocolates delivered to me at school, and a gift-wrapped surprise waiting for me at home: a new hairdryer that I needed so badly! My mom also sent a care package to the family that we opened for Family Home Evening the night of Valentines Day, and the boys loved that as well!
I thought the culmination of gift-giving and party-attending and goodie-eating and family-togetherness made Valentine's Day 2011 absolutely loverly!!
1 comment:
I'm so glad you had a "lovely" day. Don't you love it when the hubby sees you need something, even as mundane as a hairdryer and steps up to the plate. I think I like more practical gifts now than anything, probably because as moms we put off doing for ourselves so we never get things we are in need of until we are in dryer straites. He he get it dryer. Love Ya!
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