The kids’ eyes filled with hearts when they saw the Valentine envelopes hanging on their bedroom doors. They were so excited that they immediately began making valentines for each other. Silas put together Lego valentines while Cooper shocked me by writing love notes for everyone without any prompting! Brynn and I managed to make some cards with her new glitter paint, and a friend who was over helped Brynn write notes inside.

Unfortunately Stephen was away for the week down in Phoenix, but he managed to call us Valentine morning when the kids were opening their surprises. Their excitement was contagious.

I adore seeing their eyes light up and their anticipation for holiday celebrations, but I hope their takeaways from the day are, “My mommy and daddy love me,” and “How can I show love to others today?” It was exciting to see a little of that this year.

Though Stephen was gone, he arrived home Valentine night, and we went on a date Friday night. We ate too much dinner at Pad Thai Kitchen downtown, and then hung out at the Cheese Bar–so great!

The cheese monger created a cheese board for us with his three choices, and we were happily surprised to find that our favorite cheese was an aged Dutch Gouda. Stephen doesn’t even usually like Gouda, so we would not have picked it on our own.

We came home with the L’Amuse Signature Gouda, a butter bloom that melted in our mouths, and a Tomme de Chevre which was just the right amount of tangy.

Thankful for all my valentines!