The Highlights
I do a big eye roll every time I hear someone complain about Valentine's Day or refuse to participate because "we should appreciate our loved ones every day." Well of course we do! But try to hide your bah humbug and just enjoy the flowers, chocolate, and feel good vibes, would you?! I personally look forward to the opportunity to love my biggest loves a little extra every year. Our first married Valentine's Day, I woke up early and knocked my new hubby's socks off with an extravagant breakfast feast. This year we decided to wake up together and do the same for Eloise and Harvey. We kept the menu simple (and sugary): heart shaped cinnamon rolls with sprinkles, fruit parfait, and mini donut stackers. Brad picked up tulips for the table, made strawberry milk, and meticulously molded blueberries into a heart surrounded by raspberries and strawberries. I loved seeing him so willingly dive into planning the event with me. I, of course, was in charge of a table design that would make Pinterest proud. A basket full of small surprises I had gathered (new slippers, Love Monster and L is for Love, our favorite Wunderdough, light up bouncy balls, treats, etc.) was waiting for each of them. Everything was a huge hit! Harvey thought it was his birthday all over again and proceeded to sing "Happy Birthday" to himself at various points throughout breakfast. I think that says it all. We made them feel as celebrated as birthdays do. Mission accomplished.
Harvey with his new I "lava" you Wunderdough
Not pictured: cute matching Valentine's Day jammies (see below) due to massive blowout
On Friday we left the kids with Nana and Mickey (Brad's parents) who flew in to graciously give us a weekend away together. We ventured north not too far from home to a quaint little town right between Boulder and Denver. Our AirBnb was divine, a tiny house renovated and decorated by a local singer/songwriter and his artist wife. Saturday morning we rolled out of bed late and down the street hand-in-hand to a coffee shop, new books in tow after leisurely perusing the bookstore we stumbled upon along the way. I cannot tell you the last time I sat at a coffee shop and read a book! That afternoon we explored Pearl Street in Boulder. We have loved this area before, but the patience of our small sidekicks has never allowed us to wander in and out of every interesting shop. That is exactly what we did. We bought bath bombs for the kids and cute, new books for their library and talked about how much we both missed them. I am convinced parenthood is wanting desperately to get away but then dreaming of being back home where your favorite beings exist. Saturday night we splurged on a very fancy dinner at a highly esteemed and awarded Italian restaurant. I always love eating at places like Frasca with Brad. One of us will undoubtably make a fool of ourselves, causing the other to giggle uncontrollably. Will we ever grow up? Probably not. Every night was spent fireside in our cozy oasis watching movies, reading, and playing games. It was amazing how totally at home we felt there. I wanted to stay tucked away together, hidden from what is coming, forever. We are looking forward to returning at the end of the year with a deployment in the rear view mirror. I am so thankful for the time shared to clear our minds, recharge, and reconnect.
The Small Moments
On another Valentine's Day note, holidays have really become fun on such a different level now that Eloise is in school. On Wednesday night we worked together on her donut themed cards to give to all of her classmates. She took such care in making sure each googly eye was adhered perfectly, and she wanted to write her own name on the back of every one without any help. Some were better than others, and she declared with great exhaustion at about the halfway mark that she needed a break. Signing autographs is hard work. We sat down again together after her party at school to sort through the Valentine's she received. All day long she was singing a song from the Valentine's episode of one of her favorite shows, True and the Rainbow Kingdom. 2/10 would not recommend. Brad says the opening jingle makes his ears bleed. Nevertheless, hearing her little voice belting these lyrics was the icing on the cake to a truly great Valentine's Day.
It's happy hearts day. Happy, happy hearts day. It's a day that always makes us feel...HAPPY! I give you a happy heart. You give me a happy heart. It feels good to make somebody happy!
The Ways We Grew
Harvey is making small but steady strides towards feeling relatively okay about being away from me. Eloise has always been so independent. The first time I dropped her off at Fort Leonard Wood's hourly care when she was about his age she barely even looked back to wave goodbye as I cried big, fat tears in the parking lot. Harvey is such a different story. If I even leave him in the living room to walk to the kitchen where he can STILL SEE ME he will often cry. I am officially a member at Burn Boot Camp now after loving every workout of my free trial. We go three times a week, and while I look forward to the sweat, I dread dropping Harvey off at the childcare center. He runs after me, and I can hear, "wanna go home" through his sobs. I have been pushing through because carving this time out for myself is such a huge priority right now. Because repetition is so key for kids, I always kiss him, tell him I love him, and say, "Mommy always comes back" before I leave. It must be working, because guess what I heard from the backseat as we were pulling into the Burn parking lot on Thursday? "Mommy comes back." When I repeated our mantra to him before I turned to leave he said, "okay" in a voice that said he was nervous but trying to be brave. No tears! I practically skipped out of there. It has been such an interesting challenge for our kids to have such drastically different personalities, attachments, and worries. I am super proud of our Harv man.
The Witt-isms
"Do doin'?" -Harvey, asking "What are you doing?"
Every time we listen to The Greatest Showman soundtrack:
"Oh! It's Daddy!" -Eloise
"No, that is the greatest showman. Remember? From the movie?" -me
"Nope. I am sure that is Daddy." -Eloise
Brad does not hate that she thinks he is Hugh Jackman.
Looking Ahead
Grandma Sue's visit | 3 days --- I don't like the reason she has to come, but I do love that she will be here to lift me up at my lowest.
Queer Eye Season 3 | 26 days --- A handful of my favorite TV shows and artists all announced release dates for new seasons and albums this past week. Perfect timing! Even the small sources of joy are worth counting down to. There are few crews I can think of that are better suited to fill my lonely nights and make me laugh than the fab five.
Bray family visit | 34 days --- Our first round of visitors will roll into town to save the day (and my sanity) near the end of March! Ashley and her three kiddos are coming to Colorado, and Eloise is ecstatic to be reunited with her self-proclaimed future husband Levi. I cannot wait to see them all play together again, and I am equally as excited to have Ashley on the couch next to me after bedtime. Looking forward to her bubbly, joyful presence will turbo boost me through month one.
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