Valentines

He loved delivering these to each cubby.

Hans did Valentines for his buds last year, mostly because Freddie did them.  But at 2.5 it wasn't as meaningful or fun as it was this year!  I like Valentines because it provides an authentic reason to practice that signature and it also really hits home the idea of being able to send a message with writing.

Freddie loved doing valentines and he really loved being able to go through his bag of notes from his friends.  I loved watching him go through the stack over and over throughout the weekend.

At the Sweet Shop after school

We exchanged valentines at home too over biscuits and bacon for breakfast.

Flowers for Mama and chocolates for the three boys.

Preschool Valentines

Since we took a while to get through Christmas thank you notes and we had birthday party invitations to address, I opted out of valentines which involved too much time.  Sigh.  Maybe next year.  They were cute though…

"Sip, Sip Hooray!  It's Valentine's Day!" signed by Freddie and taped to a heart shaped straw.  Hans had a batch to pass out to his friends as well.

Freddie was THRILLED to pass them out and was a bit disappointed to not have a cubby filled with valentines from his pals.  Although he did have a few, the vast cultural diversity in the classroom means most families, unless they've been through it with older siblings, aren't really aware of the American tradition of school children exchanging valentines.  He did receive a handful from classmates, which he was so tickled to read over and over and over.

We did spend some time making simple valentines for teachers and swim teachers.  I hope they never get tired of Starbucks gift cards.   And although Hans didn't want to cooperate and smile for photos, he definitely wanted to foil Freddie's photo.  I mean really!

Both boys loved their mail from far and wide filled with love and surprises.  Thank you for making their day special!

Valentine's Date

I planned a special Valentine's Day with my little loves long ago, purchasing tickets to the latest show at the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theater in Central Park.  I love this little theater.  The shows are cute and last about 45 minutes, and the tickets are only $7.  The shows we've been to in the past have been packed so I got tickets early.

Little did I know we'd have yet another snow storm the day before and the city would be covered in puddles and slush.  We weren't really excited to gear up and head out, much preferring a pajama day, but after delivering valentines to classmates, we headed to the train.

After the first leg of our subway commute and a long wait on the platform, we figured out there were train delays, so we collected our things, folded up the stroller and headed to the street to hail a cab to the west side.  I wish I had gotten a picture of my two babies standing on the corner each with an arm in the air hailing a cab on 6th Ave.  Such city boys.  They love cabbing it, something we rarely do because it's pricey ($10 from Rockefeller Center to 81st and Central Park West) and it's not exactly safe with the boys riding sans car seats.   

We made it just in time.  Apparently several families decided they'd skip the show because we were one of two families in attendance.  I am sure the puppeteers were disappointed but they put on a great show and came out to demonstrate how the marionettes work.  Mama's favorite part was Hans' little hand on my leg for the entire show.  He so cuddly when he's not up to no good.  

Freddie says:  Aidan can do that!

Afterwards we hit up Shake Shack for a yummy burger lunch.  This is my favorite burger, and Freddie would agree.  He ate all of his and half of Hans'.  Hans is more about the fries and milkshakes.

Showing me their muscles

More muscles

I love doing things to make these days special.  It is one of the many things I'll miss when Freddie starts kindergarten in the fall.  Happy Valentine's Day my little loves.  Mommy loves you and this time with you.

Loves

Preschool Valentines

Freddie made his own valentines.  It was a labor of love (for both of us).  Although I found LOTS of really cute DIY valentines online and I really wanted to make them, even at the risk of being "that mom," I decided Freddie would get a lot more out of the experience if he actually made his valentines.  And he did.  There was lots of practice writing, he learned how to spell "to" and "from" (and has since written these words on his own), he learned what a colon was, there was practice gluing and peeling the backs off stickers, and we got to chat about all the kids in his class as he created just the right valentine for each of them.  He was so excited to carry his sack filled with valentines down to school, and he worked really hard matching the names on the hearts to the names on the cubbies.  He was very proud delivering each one.  Well worth the effort. 

Valentine's Get Away with my Loves

Romance at it's finest...The Great Wolf Lodge.

Sucking on their lollipops, a sure sign of a great day

 Sarcasm aside, I really cannot think of a better way to have spent the last few days.

 The food was bad.  The beds sucked.  It was expensive.  And the boys loved every single minute.

Floating on the lazy river

It was snowing outside, but inside the water park we were comfy in our wet suits and flip flops.  The entire place is kept at a toasty 84 degrees.  Perfect February temperature.

Hans was much braver than I thought he'd be.  He'd say "again" each time he got to the bottom.

There were lots of water slides perfect for all ages.  Freddie was able to go on all the slides except 2 where the height requirement was 48 inches.  He tried out the big slides and was most afraid of the long climb up to the platform to get on the slide.  I'm not sure he'll ever get over his fear of heights.

Can you see Freddie on the green slide?

He was so pleased to have beat me to the bottom

He stuck to the "medium sized" slides but also enjoyed going down some of the smaller slides with Hans.

Both boys also loved the wave pool.  A wolf would howl every few minutes and the waves would start up.  Hans had to point out the howl every single time and howl along.

There was water dumping and spraying everywhere.  I liked that several of the pools were "zero depth" entry and a couple were only 2.5 feet deep at the most, so both boys were able to walk around and play.

 

 The boys rested for meals but could have just kept going and going and going.

 

Charlie and I were very, very busy following them around.  I loved seeing the smiles on their faces, although I was a little envious of the parents of older children sitting around chatting and drinking beers.  That will be us before we know it, right?

We'll definitely head back to The Great Wolf Lodge.  We may not be able to wait until next winter.

My loves

Valentine Photo Shoot.  Too bad the boys were not in the frame, but it was fun.

Be Mine

We're yours, Valentine.  Can't wait for The Daddy to join us in NOLA.

February 14th

• Snuggles
• Kisses
• Tram ride
• Zoo date
• Snacks and seal watching
• Walk in Central Park
• Breakfast on heart shaped plates
• Monkey straw 
• Monkey magnet
• Brooklyn Blackout
• Sweet notes
• 50 degrees 
• Sunshine
• Steak dinner

My Valentines