Valentine's Day 2013

I've never been a fan of Valentine's Day. Just when you think there's no way sugar can be morphed into something more disgusting than a Peep, Valentine's Day brings conversation hearts. Nastiness! Sure, as a kid I loved getting a card in the mail from Mommom and cute little puzzle from Aunt Jenn, but the whole idea of having a day set aside for romance is just not my thing. I have long felt that one day of sweet gestures and romance can't make up for a lack of it the rest of the year. And if it's present all year long, then why do we need a special day for it? Admittedly I'm not one for ooey gooey romance and never will be, but of course I like feeling special. I love getting flowers from Chou! But I love them so much more when I walk downstairs and am completely surprised by them, because it's just a normal Tuesday, and Chou thought of me! All by himself. No prodding from Kay Jewelers or Hallmark. That makes me feel special. And Chou's really great at that! All. Year. Long.

Needless to say, we don't normally do to much on Valentine's Day. This year I decided to decorate because pink is fun and I hate how empty my house is all winter once I take Christmas decorations down. But I didn't have time. I saw a cute post on using pureed beets to make pink heart pancakes, so I bought beets to help us be just a little festive. And then I remembered E won't eat pancakes, pink or not. Have I mentioned Valentine's Day just isn't my holiday ;)

E's G.G.Mom bought her a cute little ballerina outfit when she was born, and I've been meaning to catch a few pictures now that she's grown into it. Valentine's day was as good a day as any. So while we didn't do anything extra special or different, we had a great day! E dressed up for a few minutes, we took a walk through a favorite park as a family, and we ate a great home cooked meal for dinner. Chou and I even split a glass of wine. Livin' it up ;)

Here are a few pictures of our all-out Valentine's Day... :) And yes, even with a dslr, the easiest way to catch repeatedly decent natural light pics of this active girl is to put her on a chair.

this is begging for a caption contest

 

bad dogs!

bad baby!

she was done with pictures once she was actually dressed. she's squishing her teddy bear between her back and her chair, hence the awkward position and cute little belly.

  

A highlight of our day was an adorable card E got in the mailbox from our neighbor. Yeah, the picture quality from my Blackberry Storm 2 is unparalleled, haha.

And just because she's too cute not to share, here's a pic from 2012:

And for those of you who just love Valentine's Day and everything it stands for, might I suggest my amazing sister's blog post.