Valentine's Day

Last night, before going to sleep:

ETHAN: What time do you need to get up tomorrow?
ME: Around 7:30.  I don't have to work.


This morning:

MADELEINE: (bursting into the bedroom) Mommy!  It's VALENTINE'S DAY!
ME: Mmmmphh.  What time is it?
MADELEINE: Six forty-nine!
ME: Okay.  I'm gonna sleep a little longer.


Madeleine was not having it, though, and burst in twice more to hurry me the heck up.  She couldn't WAIT to exchange Valentines with her family members.  I can't blame her, because in the giving of Valentines, she also got to receive some pretty cool stuff.  She wound up with not just candy and cards, but also a Flippy Sequin Shirt (Flippy Sequin shirts, if you don't know, are ALL THE RAGE right now) and the next book in the "American Girl: Nanea" series.


Madeleine was so into this holiday that she even decorated the fireplace mantle, and I got a picture of her and Julia with their loot bags (from me, containing the aforementioned pretty cool stuff):

Julia, who also received clothes, a book, and candy from me, gave me a lovely hand-made heart-shaped Valentine.  And Madeleine went to theatrical levels.  She and Julia ran into the hallway, from where I heard sounds of grunting and struggling, and Ethan had to go lend an extra hand.  He and Julia emerged pushing a very heavy box that had this kid inside it:

Happy Valentine's Day to me!  I will DEFINITELY treasure and cherish that kid who popped out of the box, for all my life!  Madeleine got pretty irritated at me for recycling the box later in the day so I guess I'm gonna have to keep that, too.