Valentine's Day

I love Valentine’s Day.

I always have.

I know you should show your love every day-- not just on the marked day of love because your calendar says so...
and we do.
Just like we love Jesus every day-- not just on his birthday, and because we have a decorated tree in our living room.

Aside from the mixed feelings about the day... Valentine's has always been a happy day for me, and I want it to be one for my boys as well.

There are tiny little memories etched in my mind for this particular day that always bring my heart joy as the calender reaches February again each year.

My Nana has always sent a card with a special message and usually some cash too, for the little holidays like Valentine's Day.

Growing up, my dad and step-mom would send me flowers or balloons and candy to school to celebrate as well.
My senior year, the card had a super-special surprise inside... I was given a cruise to take as soon as I graduated with my step-mom!

We didn't celebrate it much at home, but I remember one particular year that my step-dad brought me home spiral notebooks and fancy pens to doodle with, and my sister a bear.

Valentine’s is the anniversary to mine and Lance’s first official date.  [this year marked the 10 year anniversary for that]

And finally, my favorite Valentine's Day was one from my mom:
When I was pregnant with Maddox, I was up all night on the 13^th with terrible leg cramps and my arm was numb.  I dressed and undressed multiple times that night, contemplating an ER visit, but decided to stay in bed (and in and out of baths) and call my OB in the morning.
Rather than calling in (like I would post kids) I went in to work on very little sleep, not wanting to break my 2 years of no call-in record, and unable to reach my doctor until 9:00, I thought I could help out for the hours before my doctor could see me. 
Well, per the nurse, the pains were "normal pregnancy stuff" and they didn't want to see me.  I slept on an exam table through my lunch break and cried most of the day, realizing that I wanted my bed more than any bouquet of flowers or fancy dinner... or maybe anything I had wanted in my life.
Of course it was winter/ flu season/ RSV season, so I was late getting out and cried almost my entire drive home.
Defeated, I strolled into my house that 14^th, only to find that my mom had broke in and scrubbed my house from floor to ceiling.  Pine sol and bleach filled the air and she had new pajamas and clean sheets already turned back for me.

Though that one is hard to top, I still crave the nostalgia of the day, and get excited about filling the boys day with the same kind of over-the-top love.

But I made a mistake.
   

One of the perks of my job is that I have the freedom to create my own work schedule.

Most weeks I keep it the same, however, occasionally something comes up and I get to manipulate it to my likings.

When making February’s schedule, however, I forgot about Valentine’s Day and was bummed when I didn’t ask off.

I was double-bummed when I found out that I was working with my least favorite physician and knew it would be late before we made it out.

I wasn’t going to let that get to me, however.

I woke up and got the ball rolling.

The boys had their gifts waiting for them and were excited to break into their goods.

I made heart shaped cinnamon rolls for breakfast, Maddox put together his sticker-animals and the 3 of us had a dance-party to some love music.  (Beckham learned to dance this week)

Lunch consisted of mini heart-shaped PB&Js and pink and white animal cookies in celebration of the day a well.

We had the ultra-crammed, water-everywhere, tons of giggles, bath in the sink that Maddox always begs for.  And though the boys attempted to damage my mood a few times throughout the morning, I persevered with love.  It was Valentine's Day after all.

And then I chipped my tooth.

Yes, you read that correctly.


I chipped, my dang, tooth.

I was trying to bend a cord back into the proper alignment and the cord won the battle.
The damage wasn't bad but the edge of my tooth was sharp, and worse,  yesterday was Lance's last day at Denton-- meaning that our insurance had just hours left to be ours.

I crazily put calls in to my step-mom and my BFF (both dental hygienists)  And Wendy called me back with an emergency appointment to be seen at 3:00.

I called in to work because, being a new patient to this office, I didn't know how long it would take.... and secondly, I wasn't sure if I would be spending the night loaded on pain meds.

Lance raced from work to meet me with the boys and what I thought was going to be an act of surgery, was fixed with a tiny file and I was out the door in minutes. (not even a Tylenol was needed.)

Lance apologized for no flowers or card (although he brought me 14 double dipped strawberries from Candy Haven the night before) because he was going to take care of those two things while I was at work.   Being the romantic that he is, however, he thought we should run by Cabela's being so close and all, just to browse.

My mom met us there, also, and together we all had dinner at Babes.

Back home, my sister met us with gifts for the boys and we found a sweet box on the front porch from my dad and step-mom, for them also.
(side note::  what happened to the white conversation hearts?!  They are the only ones I eat!  I feel like I was robbed! I mean, they were robbed!)

This morning, Lance gave me my "flowers" that I missed out on yesterday...
Actually, he traded flowers and a card for something way better.

Some sweet sunglasses, that I have wanted forever.

{I have never had a nice pair of sunglasses and Lance has always acted like I lose or break every pair I have when I talk about wanting some good ones.  Recently, I pulled out a picture showing him the pair I wear most days, I wore on our honey moon, five years ago.  He, on the other hand, could open a Sunglass Hut with his own collection.  He must have realized that I had a valid point when he purchase these.  They came with Lance's typical speech including "don't let Beckham play with them", but I was thrilled anyway.}

Chipped tooth and all, my Valentine's Day was pretty fab.

***
Today... not so fab.


We attempted the museum and it was a complete bust...
Bust may be an understatement.


It was a complete devastation....


From me gagging and thinking I was going to have to make Lance pull over on the way in -- trying to tell him what McDonald's chicken nuggets contain.
To finally finding out why everyone warned me about age 3.
To the coke (that I wasn't even suppose to have in the museum) being tugged away and then spilled all over the floor of the cattle raisers exhibit.
To the wound near Maddox's eye that I caught with my fingernail, in the battle of the coke-cup.
To the screaming that he did over the eye catastrophe.
To the mom who told Maddox to share as he got near her daughter playing on the scale... and then reminded him to share again, as her daughter ripped a toy out of his hand.  (apparently "we share" means that everything is hers whenever she wants it)
To the well dressed moms who were talking about their doctor-husbands who acted too good to talk to me.
To the abused knees of Maddox's jeans as he slid on his knees over and over and over.
To the defeated conversation I had with my husband as I gave him the ultimatum:: I could curl in the fetal position and cry in the corner... or we could leave.
To the spanking Maddox got as we reached my car... my rarely-ever fit-throwing kid, screaming the entire way.
To his vomiting episode at dinner-- into Lance's hand, my napkin, and into the chip container as  he gagged over an onion in his cheese.
To the whelp on Beckham's cheek as he smacked his tiny brother with a glow-in-the-dark bracelet, once finally back at home.
To the tears we both shed as I explained that even though we have had to get on to him more than we ever have today... we still love him more than anything in the world-- however, he was still summonsed to his bed for the rest of the evening.
To the wails that poured from his room and bargaining he made to get off of his bed.
To the computer cord (that I chipped my tooth on yesterday) deciding it was done today and not letting me on Lance's laptop to blog.


What wasn't a complete failure, however, was the glass of wine my husband poured me, the remaining  strawberries I devoured, and my old laptop deciding to cough out a glimpse of life for this blog.


Just looking for the silver lining... and the hope for a better tomorrow!!


Oh, and Beckham's okay too.
He's a tough little cookie!