My Funny Valentines

I know I've said this before but I happen to like Valentine's Day. Maybe because it's the holiday closest to my birthday or maybe because I enjoy any opportunity to show those I love just how much I care, even if I do try to make that effort daily anyway. Now that we have kids, and I know Joe would agree, I think of it as more of a family holiday than a romantic one. Yes Joe and I do exchange cards but we don't usually go out or get each other elaborate gifts, again probably since my birthday is so close.

So anyway, here are my funny Valentines before going to school. Again, Kuma insisted on being part of the picture, which is just as well since he is essentially one of our kids:

Last week we did some early Valentine celebrating. Jadyn got a new Build-a-Bear, a special pink heart kitty she named Bella Hearts. Jake got a treat too but somehow a new army helicopter and landing pad just doesn't scream "VALENTINES!" in quite the same way:

The next day Jadyn did a good majority of the work in helping me make these Valentine themed cupcakes, which I served at the inaugural meeting of my new book club later that night:

The kids came home from school on Valentine's Day hopped up on sugary treats each with a full bag of cards and even more candy. To say they were excited would be an understatement. And since it was my regular day to volunteer in Jadyn's classroom, I actually got some extra Valentine's myself, which I thought was super sweet.

In the end, all the red and pink and chocolate in the world can't compete with the pure sweetness of spending quality time with the family and capturing moments like this: