Let the traditions begin!

I have never been great with celebrating holidays. I have always liked the idea of making a big deal about them, but quite frankly, they always seem to arrive before I have (make) time to sit and plan anything. For example, our first Christmas together, Jake and I didn't bother getting a Christmas tree. He was getting ready for finals; I was finishing my student teaching, we weren't even going to be at our apartment on Christmas; and lets be honest, we had just paid tuition, so our funds were looking pretty bleak. My Dad, who loves Christmas, thought we were total Grinches for not putting up a tree. He made sure that didn't happen again by surprising us with a tree he found at one of the after Christmas sales. He is such a nice guy.

The following December I was working full-time, was due with a baby the first week of January, and we had just moved. Was I seriously contemplating not putting up the tree for Christmas?... Heavens yes, but I put it up anyways thanks to some wise advice from my Mom. She said something to the fact of, "Do your best to have fun and celebrate holidays in your home. They help spice up your life and make it fun."

Isn't she wise?

Following that advice, I am trying to do better by starting holiday traditions in our family. This month we celebrated Valentine's Day, and it was so much fun! It was definitely an effort, but it was worth it!

Jake started off the festivities by bringing home a gorgeous bouquet of flowers a day or two early before Valentine's Day. He was so sweet to think of me, and I am so thankful for his willingness to do that. He is not a huge fan of the holiday, but he does a good job remembering me on the big day!



On Valentine's Day morning, I gave Jake his card and a gift card to buy new running shoes. While he was gone, little M and I had a great time. When he woke up, I gave him his Valentine. Jake and I  gave him a pack of Starburst and a Toy Story book. He was pretty excited. After a breakfast of pop tarts, we headed to the aquarium. We went with my friend Lisa, and her little girl, whom M loves to play with. It was a lot of fun to see the kids interact with each other and the animals. They absolutely LOVED the penguins!

When we got home, we started making sugar cookies and the big dinner I had planned. The cookies were much more of a project than I had anticipated, so we ended up not making dinner. Jake got home and we finished the cookies and took some to a few friends and neighbors. Thankfully the cookies turned out amazingly well and tasted DELICIOUS...like eat way too many delicious. I was pretty proud of myself, because those who know me know I am working on my kitchen skills.

We just hung out the rest of the evening and enjoyed being home. The next night, we had the big Valentine's Day dinner. We had chicken alfredo, steamed broccoli, breadsticks, Jell-O jigglers (for the little guy of course), with cheesecake pie for dessert. We drank Sprite mixed with fruit punch, and had sugar cookies as well. As you can see from the picture, I even had a few Valentine's Day decor to set the mood.

Overall, I thought it was a really fun day! I think we will add sugar cookies and a big dinner to the list of our Valentine's Day traditions. (And we will keep the flower tradition too, Hon!)