Evangeline the Love Bug has been excited for Valentine's Day ever since the day after Christmas. Here is the box she decorated for her school Valentine's Day party.
This sweet thing came home in her backpack one day last week..."Love is when my Papa brings to me Disney World! Love is when my dad and mom kiss me! Love is when my mom hugs me."
Evangeline likes to write messages on my white board after school for my class to see the next day. This is one she wrote that I thought was particularly cute, "My heart is filled with joy. I feel so good when Valentine's Day is here." My kids always love to see the things Evangeline has drawn or wrote for them.
This is Evangeline's good friend, Avery Gard. They play together almost every day after school. Her aunt is a fellow first grade teacher.
We had parent/teacher conferences this last week, which meant we had a half day on Friday. I got a real surprise delivered to my work that day. Not one, not two, but three flower arrangements. Two of the arrangements were from Wayne and Karen. One of the arrangements were for me and one was for Evangeline and Jed. They were both so beautiful. The other arrangement was to me from Kyle, Evangeline and Jed. I was feeling the love!!
The arrangement for the kids had a heart-shaped flower made from twigs, which was very sweet. It also had a big balloon attached. I knew this would bring a smile to Evangeline's face. She can entertain herself for hours with balloons. At one point, while playing with her balloon she started off to her room and said, "I really want to take my new balloon with me so I can show him his new room." She probably noticed I was looking at her like she was crazy...she giggled and said, "I like to be weird so don't question that."
The flowers from Kyle and the kids were, of course, so very special to me.
Evangeline took a nice little nap, diva-style, on Friday after having a grand old time with her new balloon.
Evangeline: "Mom, I really think you're the best person besides God."
Oh, oh, oh!!! How I love my new little Valentine.
Evangeline has been asking for a few weeks now if we could go to the store and get a heart shaped box of chocolate for Papa. I thought this was a random request only since she was so adamant about it. I told her we probably could. Before I had a chance to take her, she spent the night with Peggy and convinced Peggy to take her. When I saw Evangeline the day after her sleepover she proudly showed me the box of chocolate and a bear shaped balloon she got for Papa. Ironically Papa called that evening to see about taking Evangeline to the movies the following day. She talked to him on the phone and as she was on the phone Kyle and I tried to get her to mention to Papa that she had a special surprise for him. She made it clear that she didn't want to tell him on the phone, so we let it go. The next day we reminded her to get out her chocolate and balloon for Papa since he was coming to get her and she kind of shrugged it off. Then told us that she wanted to give him the gifts on another day. I thought this was a bit odd. We explained to her that this would be the only time she would see him before Valentine's Day. She reluctantly agreed to give them to him when he came to get her. As the time was drawing near for them to pick her up from our house I noticed she had her purse with her. I asked her what was in her purse and she told me she had the cards she made them and the chocolate. I noticed that there was no way she had the chocolate in her purse and she told me to wait a minute as she disappeared into her bedroom. She came back with the chocolates in her purse. She kind of had a nervousness about her. The next thing I knew she broke down into tears and told me that the chocolates and balloon were for me and Daddy and Jed. She was just tricking us into thinking it for was Papa so she could surprise us on Valentine's Day. Just by coincidence did Papa ask her to the movies the day before. If it had been any other day her plan would have gone off without a hitch. She was devastated that the surprise had been ruined. She cried and cried. I teared up too because of the thoughtfulness behind this gift and the big plan she hatched to try to get us a Valentine's Day surprise. She has the biggest heart and her thoughtful gift means the world to me. After she calmed down, I told her to hide it back in her room and give it to us on Valentine's Day and that we were so excited to receive our special gift. My goodness, what a sweetheart. There are absolutely no words to express the overwhelming joy the discovery of this gift meant to me. On Valentine's Day she had envelopes for me, Kyle and Jed. They all contained some coins and a dollar out of her piggy bank and a little card she had made. She also picked out a few of her little knick-knacks to give each of us. I'm telling you, she's just the sweetest.
On Valentine's Day we went to church. It snowed about 3 inches that afternoon. We had fun playing in it and watching it as it fell. It was a beautiful day.
We made jam cookies. I love these. Way back when I lived on Beech Street a woman from my church, Alice Schroeder, used to give me some of her homemade strawberry jam. I used to make shortbread and slather the jam on top. It was divine. These cookies remind me of that. They are the perfect complement to the London Fog's I've been making lately (1/2 cup steamed milk, 1/2 cup water, contents of 2 Earl Grey teabags, 1 tsp. honey- strain before drinking).
Jed tried out his highchair for the first time. I think he liked it.
Since we all had Monday off Evangeline helped me make a festive breakfast. We called it, "the feast of love"....heart-shaped bacon, heart-shaped chocolate chip pancakes and strawberry love bugs (a strawberry with a chocolate chip on the tip- Evangeline's creation).
Faith, hope and love abide; and the greatest of these is love. -1 Corinthians 13:13
I sure do have a lot of love in my life.
