Happy Valentine's Dog!

That's what we say around our house, anyway.  We have a neighbor who has changing decorations and lights up on their house all year round, and part of their February display includes a Valentine's flag where the AY in DAY look like OG.  Every time we pass it we wish each other a Happy Valentine's Dog.

Chipper got groomed this morning, so we actually have a happy Valentine's dog.

I love Valentine's Day.  I can see why people would get irritated with it if they thought about it solely in terms of romance, but I've never thought of it that way.  It's just about making people smile as far as I'm concerned, and it's nice to remind people you care.  My mom always prepared cards for us and still sends me and my brothers a Valentine's box every year.  My kids gleefully opened it up this morning to find shortbread heart cookies, little wind up owls (Mona's had a broken foot so it just gyrates in place which is very funny so she's delighted), and beautifully decorated cards among other things.

Kids went off to school this morning with their homemade Valentines.  We looked at Target to see if there were any they just wanted to buy, but they didn't see anything they liked.  Aden did pick up some kind of candy treat to put inside each of her cards, and I showed Quinn how to cut out heart shapes and he went to town cutting them out in different sizes and colors.  Each time he finished one he'd update the count on his Magnadoodle board.  He got a list from school of the names of all his classmates and wrote all of them in cursive on the cards.  I love that bag of hearts.

But the big Valentine project this year was Mona's. 
That girl decided over a week ago that everyone in her class was getting a pocket mouse.  Red duct tape pocket mice for the boys, and pink ones for the girls.  She built herself a little duct tape mailbox (with working flag on the side) and started cranking out mice.  Mona was in a panic the last couple of days that she wouldn't finish them all in time, but I sat down with her last night and counted and realized that she was making way too many.  When I showed her really how few left she had to finish for school she breathed a sigh of relief and calmed down.  The extras are for other friends and family, but I told her she could take her time with those.  They didn't have to be ready today.

Anyway, check out the Valentine Pocket Mouse Collection:

Prototype mouse, front and center

I told her I would like to have dibs on the pink prototype mouse, so we'll see if I get it.  I made pink, heart-shaped pancakes this morning so that should buy me a little influence with the artist.  We'll see.

Wishing all of my readers a very Happy Valentine's Dog!  Hope someone you know makes you smile today.