The Day O' Love!

*Play song, "Be Mine" for this post

First off, a little Valentine message from Em ;)

And if you don't know by now.... change the view from 320p to 720 HD and full screen for best viewing!

I never really liked Valentine's Day growing up. When I was younger, it was a day of embarrassment.... you know? Wanting to give a Valentine to somebody you had a crush on without risking rejection or humiliation! In high school it was even worse, because even if you had a boyfriend... well, let's just say that high school boys are not always smart at remembering or doing things right! 

Thanks to my husband though, he changed my feelings on the day. He has always been good to spoil and surprise me each year :) And it isn't always elaborate, but it is always special (like last year)! 

But this year he did not fail to impress, and I have to say, it was a bit elaborate :)

He had asked a few weeks ago if he thought I could get a babysitter for Em on V-day, which was a bit surprising since we don't usually like to go out on Valentine's because it's always crazy! But he assured me that it was already taken care of and we wouldn't have to worry about a long wait..... hmmm. The next day he told me that he'd made arrangements for Em and that I would have to wait for the day to find out what we were doing..... A few days before though, I at least asked him what I should wear, since a girl's got to be prepared! He told me that I should probably dress nice like I was going to a wedding reception.... I guess I should have seen this as a hint, but I didn't! 

So, finally the day came, and I had worked tirelessly ;) to put this together the night before

Trail of hearts outside the bedroom door (first thing he saw when he got up that morning)

 Leading all the way to the table where his present sat... it was a new iPod dock/clock radio since our old one is now "slow" (at least 9 mins slow!) and won't charge the newer iPods

I cut out 8 hearts to represent the amount of Valentine's Steve and I have shared as a married couple. I also wrote on each eight reasons that I love him.... of course I love him for a million and one, but this was fun! And no, this isn't something I found on Pinterest, but something I thought up all by myself that night when I looked at all the wrapping paper I would be throwing away ;) 

I also made breakfast that morning, cinnamon roll pancakes, source here (though my modification would be to add 1-2 tablespoons of milk to the cinnamon mixture if you don't want to explode your poor honey bear trying to squeeze it out!) and bacon! It was pretty good! Oh yeah, and I also finally defrosted the ice maker that night (hadn't done it since the power had been cut on our fridge while we were in Sedona), and trust me this was a good gift!

And then we went about our regular weekly schedule, school, work, etc. And after we returned home, I commenced getting ready, and while that was happening Steve informed me that I was getting some FB notifications and brought the phone into me.... and I saw this:

With the caption, "How do you feel about prime rib and shrimp cocktail?"

This dinner was held at a reception center in Payson.... so that's why there was need for dressing like going to a wedding ;) The grounds were gorgeous, just wish it had been light enough to get some pictures.... next time though! ;) The food was to die for! And we met some nice people! That was actually the funny part- when we got there and sat at our table (we were a little early), Steve was realizing we'd have to share a table with people we didn't know (they were set for 8, so 4 couples).... those of you that don't know him real well... well, he's a little shy, quite the opposite of me! But hey, you know what they say? Opposites attract! But we did have fun getting to know the other couples we sat with and it was an all around pleasant evening! The 12 year old boy playing the piano was a wonder! He normally plays for the Chef's Table in Orem and will be touring in Europe in the summer..... WOW!

Picture of us at dinner.... not the best, but that's what happens when you take a self picture!

It was a five course dinner- first a really good salad and rolls, then shrimp cocktail, then the 2 course entree, raspberry chicken and prime rib with glazed baby carrots and garlic mashed potatoes. And of course an amazing dessert plate! 4 different desserts to share with your love.... most of which I don't know the name of! Too much to finish, so we were able to bring it home and we're still working on the tuxedo cake with chocolate gnash! 

This cake started out huge!

When we came home, we finished off the night watching the latest in the Twilight saga, Breaking Dawn.... part 1 (Steve was thrilled ;) It was a wonderfully perfect evening! Thanks to Steve's brother Cory for watching Em for us!

Ah and Em, I should also mention that she as well makes Valentine's a lot more fun for me! We had a lot of fun making her Valentine's for school this year thanks to Pinterest!

Though I did opt to do them a little differently since the ones shown on Pinterest were 4x6 prints and I thought that might look a bit tacky for her to take Valentines that would about 3x's the size of her classmates! So I used the photo site from Walmart and chose their kid's valentine cut aparts and ended up paying $0.28 for 3.... not much more than your run of the mill box of Valentine's you'd get from the store, and SOo much cuter! What do you think? 

I sure know one little guy really loved them! 

Yup, that would be Em's alleged boyfriend, "J". He almost gave her her first kiss that day too! And his mom assured me that she's all he talks about and even says he loves her.... ah, puppy love ;) Gotta admit, didn't expect this for my girl.... at least not yet! But he is a cutie, just might have to talk with him about kissing! 

Here's a few more pictures from Em's Valentine party at school

 Giving her Valentine gift to one of her teachers, Miss Kirsten. Em picked out these darling boxes of chocolate truffles herself!

 My cute love bug all ready for her portfolio picture!

 Em with a few of the girlies she's really good friends with (all of them entered preschool around the same time last year and stayed in the same class.... it's been good for all of them!). 

Em getting ready to receive some Valentines!

At home, before Steve and I left to go out, we gave Em her Valentine gift.... which was some furniture for her dollhouse she got from my dad for Christmas! And boy, the look on her face when I brought them out of their hiding place was just priceless! Wish I'd gotten a picture... but we got pictures later that night before we put her to bed :)

Full dollhouse now! I was able to score the kitchen with Em's birthday money from my grandpa and grandma Wilde.... then she got the bathroom, parent's room and nursery for Valentine's (we're still on the hunt for the Family Room, so if you see one let me know please!), but you gotta have furniture for a dollhouse, right?! Especially for teaching some very important skills! We play with it together everyday, embedding vocabulary, play skills, and life skills while we do! I bet Em is so glad to have a developmental specialist as her mom ;) 

I should also mention that she kinda, maybe got this for Valentine's day as well.... wasn't really meant to be a Valentine present, but it came in the mail on V-Day, and isn't it SOo cute?? For those of you who don't know, it is a cuter version of the infinity backpack for her g-tube gear- so it holds the bag of formula, the pump and all the tubing, and is so much more stylish than the ones you can get through the insurance! If you want one, go here to their facebook page :) 

And Thursday night her grandma (Steve's mom) embroidered her name on it while she watched her for us so we could go to our photography class (more on that later)!

Isn't she awesome?? She watches our kid for us AND embroiders the backpack, and she even modified a cuter pillowcase for her wedge! Thanks grandma Peters!

And just for fun, here's a little timeline of Em on all the Valentine's that she's been around for :)

2008

A little less than 2 months old

2009

Just shy of 14 months

2010

2 years

2011

3 years

And 2012

4 years (yes that is the same shirt and shoes from last year, new skirt though! Gotta take advantage when your child doesn't grow like others!)

Hope everyone else had a lovely Valentine's day!