love

"There is only love."

-Gretchen Rubin (from "The Happiness Project")

Valentine's Day is usually pretty low key for us. One year we took Charlotte swimming at the indoor pool and got Chinese Take-out afterwards. Before children... we made chocolate fondu and would watch a movie at home. To be honest, I think it is more about the PLAN to spend time together in a special way than the actual activity itself. It's the plan that gives me something to look forward to on a cold, dreary February day. We didn't have a plan this year. The girls were both up at 5 am, both exhausted from a busy weekend.

I used candy hearts to decorate homemade oatmeal a fun way to make it special but Tim preferred brown sugar and Charlotte wouldn't eat the oatmeal... or the hearts! I laughed it off and moved on...

The most fun part of this Valentine's Day was planning on making Valentine's with Charlotte and accomplishing this task over several days.

We had a lot of fun! But a hint... don't use Dollarama kids tempera paint if the paint will end up anywhere on their bodies - it is almost impossible to get off! A long soak in a bubble bath ended up doing the trick for us. (Oh, and if you haven't received your Valentine yet... I still have yet to deliver most of them!)

The day ended in exhaustion and our few ideas of a fun family night out were left in the dust. It wasn't what the girls needed after all. They needed snuggles and books and nursing. So Tim asked me what I needed, and I said a tidy house. Just the dishes and floors and a chance to start fresh on Tuesday. So that's what he did. He worked hard as I dozed off while nursing the girls. And today was a new day.

That's what love is - a choice to serve, little surprise love notes, tight hugs when I finally get to bed at 3 am. It's the reassurance that this too shall pass, and we will make it through - because we have each other.