And then there's Valentine's Day

[caption id="attachment_3642" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Snuggling with some of my delicious valentines."][/caption]

Unlike my birthday, I love Valentine's Day!  For the past few years we have used it as an opportunity to express what we love about one another.  Ben and I create Valentine's Day cards then we each take turns sharing what we appreciate about each person and record it on the card.  I have also used this day as an opportunity to choose a song that either expresses how the family member makes me feel or reminds me of them or says something I would like to say.  Plus we went out to dinner for a heart shaped pizza that looked round AND we get roses to decorate AND what a great excuse to eat good chocolate.  As an extra surprise bonus, Thom gave me gorgeous garnet earrings (ellie's birth stone).  So many pluses to this love-filled holiday.  Here is what I wrote to each person this year.  I did it in rhyming poem, although I must admit I was a bit intimidated by the poems written by Ellie's classmates.  (I see a television show here--Can you rhyme as well as a 5th grader?)

Lotta, Lotta how you shine,

Won't you be my Valentine?

Full of possibility, love and joy.

Can you believe we thought you might be a boy?

You are especially laid back and easy

Like a gorgeous spring day, beautiful and breezy.

Even when you like to roar (sounding like a dinosaur)

Still, even then, you make our hearts soar.

You arrived at just the perfect time.

So glappy (glad happy) you are here to share our valentine!

Lotta's song:  Your Song the Moulin Rouge version

Ben, Ben how you shine,

Won't you be my Valentine?

I love your incredible ability to create fun

even when there is no sun.

I love how YOU love your sister Lotta

with all that love you could fill a potta.

I love to family zumba and watch you shake shake shake

or in the kitchen where you bake bake bake.

In all the world there could be no better son.

To me you are number one!

Ben's song:  Firework by Katy Perry

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ellie ellie how you shine

won't you be my valentine?

so much do i miss

being able to give you a kiss

or an extra special created hug

watching you make big messes on the rug

crayon papers are still everywhere

as you float around us in the air

although i knew it was time for you to go

being with you was my favorite show*

*with the exception of the ben and lotta shows of course!

Ellie's song:  Three Little Birds by Bob Marley 

Thom, Thom how you shine

won't you be my Valentine?

I love how you are gentle and kind

makes me want to rewind

to a time when we were all together

fairing every kind of weather,

But with you I knew we would survive

working together like bees in a hive.

Thank you for the family we made

for your love I would never choose to trade.

Thom's song:  Oh Africa! by Akon (line:  this is our time to shine)