Today is Valentine's Day, but the festivities have been going on for a few days now. On Thursday, Bear took the girls to their playgroup, where Keira handed out her homemade valentines (she colored the heart and I scanned it into the computer and added the message, then stapled mini bags of M&M's to the back)...
...and collected the first of many batches of candycandycandy!!! that sit here taunting me at this very moment.
On Friday, our kindergarteners had their Valentine's Day-slash-100th Day of School parties, so my partner and I spent Thursday evening prepping "100 Froot Loops" necklaces and double-duty headbands that read "100" using hearts as zeroes. Friday flew by in a haze of glue and calories--hopefully only one of which was consumed, but I make no guarantees where five-year-olds are concerned. It was a lot of work and an exhausting day, but I realized that I really have come to love teaching kindergarten, despite my initial feelings about it.
I had fully intended to spend Friday night getting things ready for Keira's Valentine's Day play date, but dozed off in front of the TV during a "short rest," woke up at 1am Saturday to feed Ellie-bug, and couldn't get back to sleep thinking of all the things I had left to do...hence, the 1:30a.m. sandwich-making venture.
Saturday's party/play date was awesome. I got brave and pulled a George Costanza, allowing worlds to collide by inviting an assortment of friends we knew from different places: our neighbor with her 3-year-old daughter; my teaching partner with her 9- and 5-year-old daughters; my sister-in-law's sister-in-law (aka Silas the Slugger's mommy) with none other than Silas himself; a high school friend I'd recently reconnected with on Facebook and her 4-year-old daughter; and our Chick Fil-A Family Night friends with their three boys and baby girl. It was a house full of good friends and ridiculously adorable and well-behaved children, who had so much fun playing together in the playroom that most of the heart wreaths and crowns went unmade; they did, however, tear themselves away long enough to decorate cookies and mini-cupcakes!
Today, the girls and I are on our own: Bear's at work, and Ellie's had a fever since yesterday. I had a sleepless night snuggling the Bug and silently blessing the inventor of Tylenol, so we have no big plans for today, but that's pretty much how we Bears operate. Simple is fine with us. When Bear said "I love you" for the first time, it was written in a pink crayon we found on the floor at work. Since then, he's said it in a million other simple ways: keeping my side of the bed warm while I brush my teeth at night, perfecting his ability to order for me at any restaurant, knowing the exact moment when I need a pep talk, sitting through the incredibly stupid TV shows I like, and somehow managing not to laugh even one tiny bit when my special edition New Kids on the Block DVD arrived, complete with a swatch of clothing from their 2009 tour wardrobe. Now THAT is love!
I think this photo pretty much sums up the spirit of today. Love is sharing your Blankie: "There are enough Chewies for you, too, Little Sister!"
Happy Valentine's Day!
So cute! I love the last picture where Keira is sharing her blankie. Ellie totally has a "why-am-I-doing-this?" look on her face!
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