Our Valentines Day

Brody and I don't really get into Valentines Day. We never have, really, and for that I am grateful! It's a day we feel should be spent with those you love, not spending extra money on flowers, candy, cards, etc. For the last 10 years, we have cooked a meal together and usually rent a movie. Now that our kiddos have come along, we pass along the idea to them that it is a day to share your love and ensure everyone around you knows how much you care for them. I make homemade, heart-shaped buttermilk pancakes for breakfast (typically colored red and pink) and this year the boys and I spent several days working on valentines for their friends and teachers at school.

I loved these for many reasons. First- they are CUTE! Little smiley faces with dum-dum suckers as noses! Second- the boys wrote their names over and over and over... Korben did all 20 and Eli tired after 10 or so, so I finished, but he did make all of his smiley faces. Third- can we say fine motor skills to place the sucker in the tiny hole? I got the idea for these on a blog, but feel terrible that I don't remember which one and therefore cannot offer up the credit for the idea- sorry!

Then, for their teachers we came up with this idea- they learn a lot of sign language at pre-school so how fitting are these?

Korben did it all- traced his own hand, cut out the hands and glued them. I traced Eli's hand and he did some cutting, but became frustrated by the amount of curves, etc., but he did do all of his gluing and wrote his name. They are decorated with glitter glue, markers and stamps.