Valentine's For the Kids

Monte and I made a pretty big decision this year regarding Valentine's Day: we weren't going to hire a babysitter and go out.  Instead, we decided that we were going to make the day about celebrating our kids and showing them that this holiday doesn't have to be about the romantic love that it is made to seem, but instead we can celebrate the love we have in our families and, most importantly, God's amazing, unfailing love.

Best.  Idea.  Ever.

We had so much fun celebrating the kids, and from their responses, I think they had a lot of fun, too!  They all woke up to a small card and a gift box full of Hershey's Kisses - but little did they know that was the least of the surprises they were going to have.

Shortly before they arrived home from school, I hurriedly made some heart-shaped cinnamon rolls for them to enjoy them as an after-school snack (and yes, I cheated and bought the ready-to-bake rolls instead of making them from scratch!).

The cinnamon rolls before they were baked.

Lo and behold, they were a hit!  The kids were excited to come home to this treat!

Ellis and Iain getting ready to eat the rolls.

After school I helped Colin go through his Valentine cards that he received and put the candy aside to enjoy later.  We then worked on some homework together and got all of his things ready for school the next day - then I kicked him out of the kitchen, as I was ready to begin preparing the best part of the surprise!  See, awhile ago (maybe a month or two) our local grocery store had lobster tails on a mega-sale, so we snatched some up and put them in the freezer to use for a special occasion.  Valentine's Day ended up being that occasion!  Since I am allergic to seafood, we decided to make it a surf 'n' turf dinner so that I would have something special to enjoy, too!  So, next to the lobster tail, we served some delicious steak, along with gourmet potatoes and asparagus.  The kids were so excited!

Dinner is served!

Add to that the candlelight that was glowing in the middle of the table as we ate, and the kids had a perfect Valentine's Day celebration!

 Monte serving dinner to the masses :)

 Even Ethan was excited even though he didn't eat the surf 'n' turf!

Enjoying a truly delicious meal!  Thanks for helping me make this so special, honey!

After dinner, we cleaned up and dad was rewarded (for making the delicious steak and lobster) with a back massage courtesy of Iain.  It didn't take long before almost all of my kids got in on that one!

What follows dinner?  Why a back massage line, of course!

To end the evening, we spent a little bit of time on YouTube searching videos with Foghorn Leghorn in them, because my kids didn't know who he was!

Top it all off with a goofy game of Catch Phrase and I say this Valentine's Day is the best one I've ever had!

What did you do to celebrate the day?!