Wednesday, February 20, 2008

A Sweetheart of a Day

First and foremost, thank you to Danielle for my blog makeover!! I'm so excited about the new look and it's exactly what I had envisioned. The "my girl" that she incorporated in the header holds special meaning for me and Oakley.

"You're my girl, Mama."

I honestly hear those words out of Oakley's mouth at least 50 times a day. And she loves to hear me tell her that she's my favorite girl.

I know lots of folks believe Valentine's Day is just a Hallmark holiday and that it's been blown WAY out of proportion. I agree to some extent, but I must admit that I LOVE it nonetheless!

Oakley was just as excited about this holiday as she was about Christmas. I thinking painting her fingernails bright pink for her Valentine Party really helped get her in the spirit. We painted them after her bath the night before the big event, and the next morning she came down the stairs in her pajamas, tousled hair, holding her fingernails straight out in front of her so as not to muss them!

She loved her beautifully decorated shoebox full of little cards and when I picked her up from school she couldn't stop talking about her "Balenties". She wanted to get them all out in the truck but I persuaded her to wait until she got home and promised her that she and Sullivan could each dump them out on the floor and look through them all.

"Yes, Yes, YES MAM!" she cried happily.

And as soon as they hit the door, she and Sullivan threw backpacks aside, dumped out their Valentines and began trading -- Sullivan received all of her Batman cards and she scored his Strawberry Shortcake cards. It reminded me of me and my little sister sorting through our Halloween candy and trading Smarties for Milk Duds. And those little cards with candy attached to the envelopes ... Oakley was in HEAVEN! She's definitely a chocolate kind of girl and can smell M&Ms a mile away.

The older boys arrived home from school in great moods, and once Michael got home from work, we gathered to exchange our own Valentine cards and gifts. The boys all made cards for one another, for me and Mike, and for Oakley ... and they were SOOO sweet!! It's amazing how some cardstock, colorful markers and heartfelt sentiments can create such goodwill. We ended the evening at a family-owned restaurant in our little downtown. The perfect way to cap off a perfect day!!

8 comments:

Jennifer said...

Every holiday is a little sweeter... when you see the wonder in their eyes... isn't it? I LOVE your new look - and I'm so impressed. I'm an old tightwad and haven't done it. :) This is my favorite post in a little while - because we get to see all those handsome boys, too! (up close where we can see their smiles... and I hadn't even seen her nails until you pointed those out... I was focused on her dimples!!

Jana said...

I'm a tightwad too, but Danielle donates a portion of her fee to Half the Sky, so I felt somewhat justified. AND, if you're interested, she's offering a great special right now!!

Cynthia said...

I just love Danielle! What a doll baby...and your boys are just as sweet too!

Whitty's Four said...

I love your new blog. It looks just like you. You are so creative. I just love the cards you send to Caeleigh. I save everyone for her.
Oakley is a doll!! We cannot wait to see you all this summer.
Karen

Beckyb said...

Your blog looks great - how fun!!!

Yes - I am a tightwad too - and I like to switch mine out too often - I am doing blog re-do's now as well - to raise money for our next adoption - so if you even needed another name - you could throw mine out there - a shameless plug!!!!

Loved your post as well - what a fun day!!

missy said...

So sweet! I love the blog header!

Blogs by Danielle said...

You're welcome. I am so glad that you love your new blog look.

Enjoy!

Maureen said...

So cute! I love her dimples AND her pink finger nails! I think that Oakley and Olivia were cut from the same cloth. :)