A Very Sweet ♥'s Day

Happy Valentine's Day 2014, everyone!  I couldn't help but take a few minutes to post about all of the things that made this year's ♥'s Day so incredibly nice.

First of all, you can't beat a day that celebrates the ones you love, right?  Speaking of which, here are my two favorite "angels":

Making Valentine's Day special for them is hard to beat! Earlier in the week, they got an especially yummy care package from Nonno and Nonna that included some delicious homemade cookies!

And then the kids received a Valentine's card from Ms. Eleanore,  our sweet, older neighbor back in Durham...and Valentines from Auntie B, too! Who doesn't love getting mail?!

Then I heard Paula Abdul's "Rush, Rush" on the radio earlier today and, well, that just made me day. It reminds me of a happy time in 7th grade...when we lived in Hawaii and I had a really nice group of friends. Oh, and I'm a sucker for the violin solo at the end. :-)

Both kids made beautiful art at school today that made me smile. Here's Brie's "self-portrait" in pink and red:

And here's the ladybug that Sammy crafted, complete with a heart in the middle:

So, as a thank you, I cooked a fun dinner with elements to reflect everyone in the family.

Here's the heart-shaped meatloaf I made for my man with the big heart! (Those are crispy onion strings on top, in case you're wondering.)

I also heated up a Brie cheese with apricot jelly on top for (of course!) Brie!  And made sweet potato fries in honor of my little guy who's as sweet as a tater! Notice the lit candle on the lefthand side of the picture below? It was fun for the for of us to have a "fancy" meal together!

And we finished off our V's Day dinner with petite red velvet cupcakes because the kids need to be reminded of their southern roots from time to time...hehe.

It was a wonderful meal and the perfect end to a very nice week of Valentine's fun.  To my three sweethearts and one on the way, I love you all!

P.S.  Oh, and the icing after the cupcake was Tony and I sharing a little laugh over the fact that this Valentine's Day is the 17th anniversary of when we started dating. It feels like FOREVER ago...and it kind of was! We didn't take a photo on that date, but here's a pic from around the same time. Lots and lots of good memories!!

P.P.S. I also bought the first two things (of many, I'm sure) for Baby Boy today...this precious cable-knit and little owl hat (it can be so hard to find owl things for boys!)--both for next winter.  He'll be here to celebrate next year's Valentine's Day with us!  :-)