Our First Tradition....Valentine's Day Cards

I do not come from a family with a lot of traditions. In fact, I can't think of a single thing that we did on an annual basis at all, which I find sad. I love traditions! I don't know why, but it makes me feel like I am a part of something bigger...and I really enjoy that.

For years now, I have been thinking of all of the traditions I am going to start with my kids once they finally decide to join us. I want to:

1. Buy new/cute pjs for the family and have them open them and wear them on
Christmas Eve

2. I want to volunteer, as a family, at least twice a year

3. Family vacations! Can you believe that I never went on a family vacation
with my parents and siblings? We did travel to AR about once a year to
visit our grandparents, but I don't count that

4. My friend does a very cool tradition with her son that started when he was
somewhere around one I think. They put him in a plain, white, button-down
collared shirt (Men's) and take his picture. Obviously the shirt is WAY big
on him....but they take the photo EVERY year and you can see how their son
has grown and changed and filled out just a little bit more of that shirt.
I'm not sure why, but I find this facinating and unique.

These are just a few things. Maybe most of you already do these things or something simliar, but I never have and am looking forward to it! The one thing that I do know for fact will happen very single year, is that I will receive a hand-crafted..thoughtful...adorable...loving Valentine's Day card from my husband.

There are many Valentine's Day haters, and that's just fine. The day isn't a big deal to me at all (considering my b-day is the day before, and I like to put the focus on that lol), but I do like the thought of setting aside some extra time that day/week to ensure that you show the people in your life that you love. You should show this all the time, yes, but there is nothing wrong with the extra attention. =) Chris and I don't do big gifts or anything (well, sometimes I have have been known to go a little overboard...but I love giving gifts!), but we do always do cards. I buy one for him (he doesn't care much for cards, honestly) and he always makes one for me.

The first card he ever made me was my favorite. We were not living in the same city, so he mailed me the first card below. On the outside it says "This card expresses how I feel without you." Then you open it, and the inside has a blue piece of construction paper torn up and glued all over it and it says "All torn up and blue." ARE YOU KIDDING ME? How could I NOT fall in love with this guy? So sweet. A few years later he did another version of this card...it was the same on the outside, but the inside had the blues pieces all fit together properly and it was "how he felt WITH me"- meaning full/whole/etc.





Chris gets creative, and often does a card that goes with the gift he has gotten me that year. On year, he tracked down the old porch swing that my grandfather had made that had been left at a house owned by strangers. He went to the house...offered to buy the swing and when they said no ended up going and buying a new one and going back and offering to switch theirs outs (all in the rain). That year, he gave me the below card.





The year after we got married and got our first pet together (Suka), I got the below card-



And one year I even got a pop-up card! AMAZING!



There are many more. Are you all impressed? I am. Daily. I am one lucky lady, that's for sure. I love you, Chris!