A Special Valentine's Day

Being away from home and not having found a good babysitter yet, we knew this was going to be a different kind of Valentine’s Day (translation: no date night for us). But, I was determined to make it special and fun. So, I let Ryan request the kind of dinner he wanted me to make (he asked for chicken parmigiana). Then, I recruited Lauren to help me bake and frost a heart-shaped cake “for Daddy”. I decided we would eat in our formal dining room, which rarely gets used, and decorate it nice for the holiday. Lastly, we all dressed up and “pretended” we were going out to eat at a fancy restaurant. (Maybe Bistro de la Smith?)















After our yummy dinner, I introduced a new idea to our family. We have been teaching Lauren lately about serving other people…and how that starts at home. She has really caught on and has been doing little things and then saying, “That’s how I can serve you, mommy.” So, to get her further excited about this, I made a little craft: a heart out of construction paper that I stamped, laminated and wrote on (see picture below). I presented this to her and Ryan at the table and explained that anytime you do something to serve someone else in the family, you can leave the heart behind to show them that you did it because you love them. It can be anything from folding the laundry to cleaning up a room without being asked to making someone else’s bed for them. Lauren was very excited about this idea and hopefully it will be something we’ll all use on a regular basis.















Lauren and I then surprised Ryan with the cake we had baked and decorated earlier in the day (see picture below) and we all enjoyed eating it! Overall, it was a very fun Valentine’s Day, even though it was slightly different than what we normally do. And I’m sure that Ryan and I will be able to get out for a date when my mom comes to stay with us – we’re definitely looking forward to that!! :)