Happy Valentine's Day!

"This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins... if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." 1 John 4:10-12

Today is a special day where we make an extra effort to show our loved ones how special they are to us. Of course, we should do this every day, but especially on this day. I used to be pretty good about sending cards to relatives and friends to let each of them know how much we love them. I even used to make my own cards! But times have changed and now I do good just to encourage and help the kids make cards for others. And this year we seem to have hit an all time low with the cards. I'm just hoping to get each of the kids to make their daddy a card before he gets home from work!

Despite our failure with greeting cards this year, I have tried to make today a little special for at least my own children. Thanks to a dear friend who loaned me two eggs this morning, I was able to make chocolate chip muffins for the kids' breakfast. We had peanutbutter and jelly sandwiches cut in the shape of a heart for lunch, with Valentine candy from Granny and Paw-Paw for dessert. And each child is going to get a small heart-shaped box of chocolates and a Webkinz once their daddy gets home (I don't want him to miss seeing them get their Valentine surprises!). Hopefully we can also fit in a little Valentine craft before the day is out. And of course, we must watch Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown at some point, too. And for dinner, leftover lasagna. Yes, sadly, leftovers. But it's been over a week since we had it (I froze the leftovers) and it's not something I make very often. So, despite being leftover and not as romantic as steak, it will still be somewhat special. :) Here are some pictures of our day so far...

And since Valentine cards did not get mailed this year...

Happy Valentine's Day from our family to yours!!!