Our day of LOVE wrap up!

 Ours was a day of our favorite traditions with a few extra treats thrown in. 

The kids had finished all their Valentines and sugar cookies the night before and were so excited for school and the festivities there. We started out our morning with pink, heart-shaped pancakes which are always a hit!  Note Matthew's super big (pretty fake- CHEESE) smile!

Did you get any of my favorite exclusively, Valentine's candy, heart shaped Junior Mints?  These are kind of hard to find, but are twice the size of regular junior mints, heart shaped, and white and red cream fills the inside.  I'm sorry if you live close to me and couldn't find any, I'm afraid I probably had bought them all!  I enjoyed my last box on Valentines Day, yum they're so good.

 The kids came home with piles of junk Valentines treats, candy, and stuff from school to a fun package from awesome, Aunt Kristin.
Oh how they LOVE to get a package in the mail!!

I got our favorite bread from Macaroni Grill and we had a yummy salad and pasta dish we love, Baked Ziti.  

The kids love having a "fancy" table complete with flowers (thanks to Tyler), candles, and small gifts!

For dessert we had eclair squares that you make in a jelly roll pan.  These are amazing!  The recipe is from a girl that used to live here whose husband was a pastry chef.  In fact, maybe I"ll post the recipe tomorrow so you all can enjoy!  Note Matthew in the bottom right corner, with the SUPER sad face - that's because he wasn't getting any because he didn't eat his dinner.  Bummer for him.

We finished our night with a great discussion of Love.
  Why is it the greatest commandment?  Why do we love each other?  How do we show that love?  How can we LOVE MORE? 

 We got to read out loud the reasons why we love each other.  It was darling.  I love so many of the reasons, here are a few.  Katelyn said she loves Megan because "she's her best friend".  Aubrey says she loves me because I'm "the best, prettiest, nicest, and can't describe how cool" (I hope that coolness lasts a few more years).  Andrew says he loves Dad because he "always plays basketball with him".  I love Matthew because he and I "have so much fun together during the day when everyone else is gone".  Aubrey loves Dad because "he's willing to spend money on my ballet, piano, play, physical therapy, and swim team". 

After the kids went to bed Tyler and I enjoyed the yummiest hot chocolate ever from local friend, (the super talented author of Giverslog.com) and new company owner, the Ticket Kitchen.  We had the french chocolate and we're saving our three-chili hot chocolate on a stick for another night!