Valentine's Day and Boys Beware

The blah factor of winter always gets an uplift in February.  Just as I was contemplating a fun toy or goodie to make for the kids school Valentine's, the kids started coming up and asking: "Mom have you done my Valentine yet?"

It's so fun to make it personal, that I sat right down and started making their Valentine's.

Isaac's obsession with mustaches found a perfect outlet in a mustache trend you can find all over the web.  I'm sure your kid got a similar Valentine in their box.

These Valentine's were designed with ease on www.PicMonkey.com.  I love this picture because when Isaac asked me to take it, he posed himself with his knee up to the side, elbow on the knee, and concentrated Mona Lisa Smile on his face.

We made a hole punch on each side of the heart and we slid a sucker through it.  It almost looked like an arrow shooting through the heart. 

If there was a current catch-phrase that could sum up Isaac right now in his life, it would be this:  I'm STARVING!  (perpetual snacker and carbohydrate radar at home, abroad, in public or private)

Leif was a little disappointed with his Valentine.  I couldn't help writing a poem to go with our recent tree adventure.  We sliced the picture above and below his mitten so we could squeeze a Valentine pencil into his mitten.

The catch-phrase for Leif right now would be this:  Buckle Up!  

He is such a good boy, is eager to live up to expectations.  He wisely cautions us to follow the rules every single time, without fail, whenever we get in the car.

Chloe is at a crossroads in her life.  Instead of passing out Valentine's in her classroom, she participated in a Valentine Etiquette Dance.  We designed her Valentine to pass out to close buddies and family.

We taped it the top of a hot cocoa packet.  It seemed perfect since she's the best farmer helper in the house and we are raising pigs.  This was my first photoshop project, and the hair could have been cleaned up a bit.  The original picture I found on shutterstock.

I personally thought the school etiquette dance was very cute. The perfect age to show an example of asking nicely, accepting with kindness, and learning the two-step instead of an MTV-worthy bump and grind.

All the kids in middle school received a dance card.  There was then a painful couple of days where people had to fill each other's dance cards.

She begged for high heels.  After telling her she wouldn't even be able to walk, twisting her ankle, and other "You'll shoot your eye out!" worthy warnings, I actually broke down when I found a pair of glittery blue heels for $7 at TJ Maxx.  I told myself it was ok since she wasn't boy crazy.  

I was officially my mother- living through the daughter going to the dance young and free.  

So mom, here's the heels.  Do you wish you were sixteen again?

All in all, there was 5 group dances and 5 partner dances where they learned things like the cha-cha, the two step, and the like.

We found a matching blue belt, blue glittery earrings to tie in the outfit with her perfectly pink dress.  

This is the beginning of the end.  Stop growing up!