Valentimes

The girls have decided to start on their Valentines Day presents for the family, and they even persuaded Auntie Shannon to let them buy little gifts for their family members while out running errands together yesterday.

Somehow, the girls even managed to sneakily buy gifts for Auntie Shannon as well.  I'm sure that Auntie Shannon doesn't mind the fact that she paid for gifts for her own self that the girls are going to wrap for her.

ME: Madeleine, how did you get a present for Auntie Shannon without her seeing it?
MADELEINE: (brightly) Oh!  I hided it!

I wonder if she hided it well enough for Shannon to really remain oblivious to the fact that she was, in essence, buying herself a present.

Both girls spent last night and much of today wrapping gifts and making cards for the intended recipients.  Madeleine has even upped the anticipation by delivering each gift to various locations around the house, but forbidding us from peeking at them until Valentines (or as she calls it, "Valentimes") Day.   

So I have to try and avert my eyes every time I walk by this on my dresser:

Madeleine kind of already told me what she got me, though, so I guess it's okay if I look at my present.

MADELEINE: Mama, I got you something GREAT!
ME: Am I gonna love it?
MADELEINE: Mmm-hmm!  It's CHOCOLATE!
ME: Is it milk chocolate?
MADELEINE: Uh...I don't think so.
ME: Okay, that's good.
MADELEINE: But Mama?  Can you - can - can you have - can - Mama?  Can - can you - will you - uh, will-
ME: Will I get sick if I eat milk chocolate?
MADELEINE: (annoyed at my interruption) Uh, NO.  Mama.  I was GOING to ask you: Can you eat chocolate hearts?
ME: Uh, it depends on what kind of chocolate they're made out of.
MADELEINE: (earnestly) Chocolate from CVS.

At that point it just seemed easiest to assure her that, yes, I can eat chocolate from CVS.  If it does turn out to be milk chocolate, we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

Meanwhile, Julia proudly showed me the Valentines Card she had picked out for Ethan, which I think she probably didn't thoroughly read before opting to buy it.  The card is addressed to "Babe" and talks about the various things the card-giver loves about her babe, including, near the end, how sexy he is.  Yeah.  That's appropriate.  But Julia was SO excited about having picked out this card all by herself that as she delightedly showed it to me, asking me if I think Daddy will love it, I couldn't bring myself to burst her bubble.

At this rate, I can't wait to see what sort of card Julia picked out for me.