it's that day of the year again

I've never really put much stock on Valentine's Day. When I was growing up, it was all just a big popularity contest. Our little class would arrange our desks in a semi-circle formation and make construction paper mailboxes that were usually quite unsightly. Then, for the last period or two of the day, everyone would walk around the room and drop little cardstock valentines into each other's mailboxes. We'd have cupcakes with too much icing, too much red food colouring, and too many sickly sweet sprinkles. The popular girls would get a valentine from everyone in the class. Instead of being a day of loveliness, it was often a day of loneliness.

I suppose that it could be quite the different story for me today. Here I am, completely blessed with three boys, all my own. I don't have to vie for anyone's attention. I now know what true love is (well, love between man and woman; true love belongs to God), and I am always assured of the love and affection I so desperately crave. Yes, today finds me quite blessed.

The thing is... neither Joey nor I really care to make Valentine's day a big thing. We enjoy showing our love for each other every day. A little token of appreciation (like chocolates or flowers) isn't really going to make or break our relationship. I would rather he surprise me with flowers on the most ordinary day of the year - not when there's this arbitrary pressure to show affection.

So ends my rant on Valentine's Day.

I missed posting a photo from yesterday. Judah has come down with quite the cold for his size. Yesterday was spent giving lots of cuddles, making special "juice" (lemon ginger tea with a good dollop of honey), and wiping a profusely runny nose. Such is life!

Day Thirteen: Blue.

Judah was most definitely
blue today.
Waking up from naps
with an angry, scratchy throat
made him very, very sad.
Thankfully, there were
many happy things
that made him feel better,
like "juice", fresh cookies,
and a fuzzy blue Cookie Monster
to play with and snuggle.

Day Fourteen: Heart.

I have already mentioned
on this here blog
my deep affection for citrus fruits
at this time of the year.
That affection stands.
As I was drinking
my daily morning coffee
and staring at my toddler's
unfinished breakfast,
I realized that two pieces of orange
make a cute little heart.
Naaaaaaaaaaaw....