St. Valentine's weekend Celebrations

Our Valentine's table we woke up too!

I love Valentine's Day. Ok, I love all holidays, but I do think this one is very fun. I've loved it ever since I was a kid.  Whether it was making cards for my siblings when we were kids, or taking boxes of candy hearts to my friends in high school, or taking cookies and candy to my co-workers in adulthood, I just love Valentine's Day. To me it has always been a fun day just to show a little bit of extra love to the people around you.

William and I have special Valentine's Day memories that started with our very first Valentine's Day when we were first dating long distance. I flew up to surprise him. He was very surprised and very happy to see me and we went out to breakfast.  Ever since then we've gone out to breakfast on Valentine's Day.

This year we took the kids with us and made a whole day of it... actually, we mad a whole weekend out of it since my Dad came to visit. Rosie has been asking for "Papa" since Christmas  so it was extra special that he came out to see us for Valentine's Day weekend.

Breakfast with my very handsome boys

We went to a very local little dinner where every one knew each other and were regulars. They had very fun and local things on the menu like "city ham" and "country ham" as well as something called "The Mess" which included sausage and eggs and hash browns piled on top of biscuits and covered with gravy. Amazing.

William and Rosie enjoyed taking pictures of them selves while we waited for our breakfast to come.

Then it was time to go to Rosie's Dance class. 

 

We decided to all go and dance around and have a fun and silly time.

Obi loved the mirrored wall in the dance room.

And Rosie loved dancing with and for us.

She was also happy to have a little Valentine's Day party for her dance class friends. That's right... Run around the dance room and then get sugared up before going home. It was very fun... and very yummy!

It wouldn't be Valentine's Day with out some pink food. So I made Pink Cauliflower Gratin for dinner (which is currently one of my most favorite dishes... I just leave the bread crumbs out to make it Gluten Free).

Decorating my kids is always fun

What would St. Valentine's Day be without cards!?

We bought and made and were sent so many lovely and loving cards. I feel so loved every time I walk in our room and see them on our shelf.

Friday my dad was here and I made tilapia (fish) in a parchment paper box.
Folding the origami boxes (with lids) took longer than preparing and cooking the fish did... but it was fun and made it feel extra special.

Papa heard that Rosie likes to play "baby bird" and brought her 5 pounds of gummy worms.

Thanks Papa.

Rosie loves her Papa very much. Perhaps even more than her 5 pounds of candy,  she was especially excited about the fact that  "Papa doesn't mind if I climb on him!!" (which is something that Mama doesn't like because Rosie it too big and too rough)

Also, Rosie was very very happy that Papa decorated cookies with her. She still talks about it actually. It was a very special time to her... and to all of us to be able to watch them play together.

Beautiful cookies decorated by Papa and Rosie

Obadiah loves his Papa too. Obi and Papa both have great smiles and infectious laughs. And Obi also loves that Papa likes to wrestle with him and Rosie.

Thank you Papa for coming to visit and for making out St. Valentine's Day and extra special weekend. We love you ...

...and Rosie wants to know when you're coming back.