Happy Valentines Day 2008

Here's the spread the girls saw when they first came down this morning, but it wasn't the only surprise of the day . . .
We all awoke to a dusting of snow as well!!! (This was unexpected!)

Leia was really wowed and zowed by her present from Daddy: a movie all about kitties! The Aristocats!!!
There were lots of fun present from Mamma (the huge heart of chocolates) and Oma/Papa and Grandma/Grandpa as well! Leia Rose was in heaven!

I also made a special Valentine breakfast for Leia. All of the food was shaped like hearts: the pancake, the cheese, the apple, and even the juice was red. ; )
As for Annie, she was the most wowed and zowed by her "new" playgym that she's finally old enough for!

Annie also adored this little pink heart necklace (one of many from Oma and Papa), Leia wore the other pink one to school and put lots of crayon shavings inside, Mrs. Schnell said.
Oma and Papa also got Annie these neat markers that don't need caps! So cute!

And I love Annie's face here as she discovers a little baby doll, also from Oma and Papa.
And there were a lot of "Meow!" "Meow!" to be heard when Annie opened her special card from Grandma and Grandpa.
Leia Rose had made Annie a very special Valentine, too. Leia was very keen on coloring the whole thing red, . . . and including sequins, which Annie immediately picked off. I never found them again, actually. I hope she didn't eat them. *sigh*
Annie had lots of fun today coloring her kitty cat coloring book from Oma. She was most interested in using one of the Valentine pencils . . .

but, as often happens, she insisted on using the eraser end.
Then I let her have one of the lollipops from the lollipop boquet (again from Oma), and I saw almost immediately that it was a mistake and basically threw her into her high chair to prevent ultimate living room stickiness. ; ) I love how you can see the coating of lollipop covering Annie's entire face below her eyes. Annie would call lollipops "pop" for the rest of the day. (She also said "bood" (bird) a bunch of times, too.)

This doens't have anything to do with Valentines Day, but I just thought I would show one of Annie's favorite car toys, this little Elmo. You're supposed to shake him (or continually lift his head) to make him talk, . . . but Annie figured out that the reason why it works is a little black button inside the mouth, so usually she just flips Elmo's head totally back and presses the black button again and again. Suddenly the car is flooded with "Elmo's . . . so . . . giggly . . . ha, ha . . . let's talk . . . what's up!"
Okay, now for something really special from Grandma and Grandpa. Inside each of the girls' cards was two crisp one-dollar bills for them to spend! I have to say, this was such a neat gift! And what a great way to let Leia make her very first purchase!

(Note to self: NEVER try to buy something at the Dollar Store on the holiday day, everything's all gone. We ended up at CVS.)
Leia chose a little Russel Stover heart full of chocolates (which she ate immediately). Then I said, "Leia Rose, think a minute, what do you think would be good to do with the extra money you got as change?" And she said, "I know!!! Let's give it to the poor!" So we kept the change in Leia's cupholder in the car, for her to put in the poor box at Mass on Sunday. What a sweet girl!
Annie's Grandma/Grandpa gift (picked out by Leia) was a cherry Push Pop.

She LOVED it, and was still enjoying it three days later!
At dinner, Daddy had a surprise for everyone: flowers for Mamma (even though our present to each other was Tivo) and balloons for the girls. Again, lots of "Meow!" from Annie when she saw this balloon. : )

Leave it to Leia Rose to "play" with her chocolates instead of eat them. Ha! She spent the evening playing "bakery," giving us these "gifts" that consisted of a chocolate with a hershey's hug on top of them wrapped up in paper towels. ; )
Then there was the highlight of Leia's day: watching the Aristocats for the first time! I have NO idea why Brian and I didn't think to show Leia this movie before, . . . it's basically Lady and the Tramp with cats. ; ) Anyway, Leia Rose LOVED it, and insisted on "sitting like a kitty" and being "petted" during the whole thing. ; )

And I just had to include how Leia Rose looks when she's really excited & intense about describing something, which happens quite often. ; )