New Traditions (and that daddy date that can't be beat)

I love a reason to celebrate almost as much as I love a reason to dress in costume. ;)

Perhaps the onus lies with my parents. In a good way, of course! My beautiful, talented mother could have pursued anything in life as her number one priority. In fact, I've always been proud of her health-field skills as she's a registered nurse. But, what she chose, always, as her first place, was her faith and then her family. Always.

She put her heart and soul into making me and my 3 younger siblings feel loved and valued. Holidays were just one excuse to light up each day.

We still laugh about one Memorial Day morning when I came racing into my parents bedroom at the crack of dawn (I was maybe 9 or 10), crushed to find my parents still snoozing. I anxiously demanded to know what extravagant adventure awaited us kids for the holiday (Memorial Day, mind you). My young mind anticipated a full-blown celebration!

My mom jokes: "I knew then that I had ruined her..."

Indeed.

I'm still a sucker for holidays. And if you think I'm festive, it's only cause you haven't met my little sister.

Anyway, St. Valentine's Day was a beautiful way to start this week! Now that Tim and I have our own little critter in the mix, new traditions are popping up everywhere!

Of course dressing for the holiday--every holiday--is a must! Blakely took her Valentines to daycare and I took little heart pencils to pass out at school. :)

This year, Blakely munched on her new favorite: kiwi fruit. Heart shaped pizza may be the new Valentine evening go-to family meal, but Blakely will have to wait until next year to have her own slice. ;)

Timmy and I LOVE making pizzas together. Tonight's pizza was piled high with veggies and five kinds of cheese. Kale is my new topping of choice. The mishap was that we forgot to cut it into a heart. Oh well, next year...

Tim and his valentine (well, he has two now...) Blakely has to clean-up for her date-night-in with daddy.

Tim picked out a Valentine card for B. His letter to his baby was as thoughtful as they come. She's a blessed little one.

Daddy gave Blakely Beauty and the Beast. First father-daughter chick flick date! I'm sure there will be many more to follow... <3

Blakely will always have a date with her daddy, on Valentine's Day, or any other day. That daddy-daughter relationship is where it's at!

Thank you to my daddy--for always investing in me and Tori so we didn't feel the need to look elsewhere (for luv) before the time was right...