Valentine's Day 2014

Yesterday was our 3rd annual family Valentine's Day celebration and it was so much fun! You can take a look here and here if you want to see what we've done in the past.

Before I start on yesterday's festivities, I wanted to share a picture of the gorgeous flowers my hubby sent me on Monday. I love that he sent them early so I got to enjoy them on my desk at work all week long. I'm not particularly a fan of roses, but these beauties are so classic and elegant.

But back to Valentine's Day - I kicked it off by making Cruz's favorite coffee cake that he's been asking me to make for a couple of weeks now. It's actually a mix in a box from Trader Joe's and he's a big fan. I baked it in a heart-shaped pan for the occasion :)

How fun is this pan!

Coffee cake and strawberry smoothies

Since I'm the kindergarten class room parent, I also got to plan their Valentine party. I decided to make mini strawberry and cream muffins and individual snack mixes for the kids to munch on. The muffins are perfectly sized for their little hands and as an afternoon snack. I kept the snack mix pretty simple with just pretzels, plain Chex cereal, mini marshmallows and Valentine M&Ms.

Strawberry & Cream muffins

And of course, what's a class Valentine's Day party without some Valentines to pass out? Cruz gave all his friends one of these cards and a small box of temporary tattoos.

Power Ranger themed cards

Delivering his Valentines

My co-room parent had a great idea for the party activity: the kids each made their own bird feeder using a heart-shaped piece of cardboard, smeared with Crisco and then dipped in bird seed. We added a piece of ribbon and the kids had a bird feeder ready to take home and put out for the birdies! I love being able to participate in his class parties and to see Cruz as a student. It makes me realize how independent he's become and how he's found his own niche among his peers.

After school, Cruz and I headed over to his pal AJ's birthday party. After a couple of hours at the party, we skedaddled back home so I could get started on our V Day dinner. Earlier in the day I stopped by the store and picked up some mylar balloons to decorate our dinner table. Cruz set the table with our Valentine plates that we reuse every year - I love their bright colors and how they help set the atmosphere. I bought the boys each a book and a small candy treat, and I put these at their seats.

Feels like a party!

After decorating, I got started on making our dinner - braised short ribs and polenta, plus heart-shaped pasta for the kids. Once I got the short ribs in the oven to cook for the next couple of hours, Cruz made one of his favorite desserts - brownies! With sprinkles!

Chocolate lover

Here's a picture of the short ribs after I took them out of the oven, after 3 hours of braising. I wish you could smell this picture, it was so fragrant and mouth-watering just looking at it. To die for.

Heaven in a pot

The short ribs were delectable, tender and melted in your mouth. Who says dinner at home has to be boring? This is what I would want to eat if I was at a restaurant on Valentine's Day, so I made it myself. Lawd have mercy, it was good! You can find the short rib recipe here.

Brownies taste better when they're shaped like hearts

My loves

Peek-a-boo!

 

I told Cruz that Valentine's Day is all about celebrating our ability to give and receive love. I hope Cruz and Lucas know how much they are loved by so many people, especially their mama. I hope you all had a great Valentine's Day, however you spent it!