Valentine's Day

Holidays seem to get more and more fun as the kids get older.

 

This year Valentine's Day started a few weeks ago when we read an article for family night in the Friend magazine about some kids and their grumpy elderly neighbor.  In the end, a little kindness went a long way toward helping the kids become friends with their neighbor, who turned out to be quite lonely.  We talked about some of our neighbors who might be lonely and discussed things we could do for them.  We decided to make some Valentines for our friends and these neighbors as our family night activity.

 We still have one elderly widow left to deliver to but it has been the funnest thing ever to deliver them.  Our neighbor, Rosa, is an elderly Russian immigrant whose husband passed away a few years ago and whose children live in other states.  Rosa suffers from severe arthritis and doesn't get around very easily.  When we took Rosa's valentines to her house, she hugged each of the kids and then started to cry.  Then she said, "You haven't forgotten me."  It was a powerful lesson for me and I think for the kids too - they still bring up how Rosa cried when they gave her their valentines.

 

Then we read a few library books about what Valentine's day is and the supposed history of it (I guess nobody really knows for sure?). 

 

On Valentine's morning, the kids and Jaron got a box of chocolates.  Haha, I'm sooo romantic.  Jaron and I had our annual discussion on the commercialism of the holiday and how much Jaron hates to contribute to it.

 

But he got me a dozen roses on the way home from taking the kids to school anyway. :)

 That afternoon we went to a chocolate dipping party at the neighbor's, where everyone brings something to dip and chocolate is provided.  We came home with a tray of chocolate dipped Oreos, Sandies, cinnamon bears, caramels, pretzel rods, and chewy candies.

 

Then we headed to Alden's school where I was in charge of the party games.  I don't volunteer regularly in Alden's classroom so I like to take advantage of every opportunity I have to go there.

 We played some "Minute to Win It" games that were crazy but fun. 

 While I looked around the classroom, I noticed the cutest art project ever:

 Apparently Mrs. Harris gave each student a Hershey's kiss and they had to draw a picture and finish the sentence of what they would give her back.  They had to use the Hershey's kiss wrapper in making the picture.

 

Alden gave her "a day at the bookstore" and used the wrapper to make one of the books.  So cute!!

What a great Valentine's day!