Step aside Hallmark!

My sisters and I have always had the tradition to make cards for our loved ones. We eagerly awaited the grand viewing of Jane's cards at each individual birthday dinner. They were always so cute, creative and memorable. Since this tradition kicked off I have carried it on in my marriage and now family (what have I started!!!) where I make a little valentine for my Chase and kiddos every year. The cheesier the better and I have REALLY hammed it up over the years. I won't post pictures of all the ones we've done in the past but I do display them on the mantel or around the house when v-day is around the corner.
So if you are just DYING to see our fancy artwork, come over and I'll show you my favorites. Probably the funniest one that should be mentioned was last years Valentine from Chase amidst the bar exam and him having absolutely ZERO time to make me a valentine. He simply got red paper, put a couple brown pieces inside and wrote..."the bar may stink like poo, but I still love you." Knowing how hard he was studying and the effort (little it may be) he put into the card, it still goes down as one of my favorites.
As soon as we threw the January calender away and put the pink February one up on the fridge, Sadie couldn't wait to start making Valentines. We made ours the first day of the month and the next 14 days of having to wait to give Dad his valentine were absolutely torturous for her.

This year I was going to put candy all over a Valentine and tell Chase that he's "yummy" or "sweet" but they ended up weighing too much and I didn't like the look of it. Sadie stole my idea instead and ate about a bag of heart gobstoppers in between. With out any help she attempted to spell "valentine" on her cards but ended up with "valt" which is close enough.
I felt bad staying inside all day to cut, glue and paste because it was such a beautiful day outside. However, spending that time with my little lady was so fun. We just talked and ate candy and had a little "ladies day in."
Chase's valentine ended up REALLY froofy but like I said, the cheesier, bolder and brighter, the better. I still went with the "your yummy" theme after consulting Lizzie over the phone. We both decided "you're sweet" isn't cheesy enough.
Jack's was probably my favorite this year. I was originally going to get gumballs and put them all over a heart because the kid loves basketballs so much, but again the weight issue was annoying me. So instead I went with buttons. My mom and I share a fetish for buttons. I remember scaling the walls of fabric stores in New York(probably Mood) for the cutest buttons. Apparently being buyers for the store didn't stop at the convention center. My mom has by far the best button collection EVER so I think she would appreciate this valentine I made for my little Jack.
When asked in primary what she would give God as a Christmas present Sadie told them she would give him a diamond. The kid is obsessed with all form of bling. She got a massive pink diamond paper weight for x-mas and totes it around in her bag everywhere. So naturally a diamond studded valentine was in the works for my lady of a Sadie.
However Dad's valentine to her somewhat stole the show because beyond anything, diamonds included, Sadie loves her ponies. Chase spent about two hours cutting and pasting out this Valentine and left it over the fireplace for Sadie to discover the next morning. Sadie came into our room after Chase had gone to work that morning telling me there was a pony valentine up WAY too high for her to see and I had to get out of bed to get it down for her. She was SOOOO excited. She and her dad have such a sweet and special bond.
I loved the card Chase made me this year. Apparently hearts are out and Texas states are in. We always make fun of the song around here "Deep in the Heart of Texas" and mock it all the time whenever we're feeling "western". The other night we took a short scooter ride up to the mailboxes while the kids were asleep and after noticing the bright stars above us Chase started singing "The stars at night..shining bright....Deep in the Heart or Texas" in his most southern "hickest" drawl possible. He always knows how to make me laugh. It's funny enough that we're riding around on a one seater scooter in the middle of the night and another to be singing about the stars. I love my quirky, adorable husband.
Valentines day we had our usual PF Changs (Pei Wei this year)...a tradition amongst my high school friends minus the movie "Bed of Roses" which we also watched every year even though none of us really even like it. The girls had a pact that even if they got asked out on V-day, we spend it with the sistas. It got harder to keep once we all got married so I at least carried on the Chinese food part.
We always have fondue which Sadie looks forward to every day up until V-day. She loves helping me unwrap the Dove chocolates and put them into the crock pot. Jack had his first fondue experience this year and initially was not at all interested. He preferred the blueberries raw at first and then got the hang of it a little later.


I know Valentines day was pretty much invented my Hallmark but I'm glad it was. I think it's the best holiday to show those around you how much you care about them. I love my little family so much.

So even though I told Chase NOT to get me flowers (I'm not a huge fan of roses. I know the cards are cheesy but roses are just over the top). I tell him this every year and every year he gets me more roses. They last only a few days and then droop in yellow water for a while until I remember there are dead flowers on the table that need to be thrown away. I guess he has a point. Every woman should get flowers on v-day. I just need to learn to like roses more.

Happy Valentine's Day!