Happy Valentine's Day!

It's true, it's true. I am about 3 months behind in my blogging. There have been so many amazing memories made, so many that I haven't had time to sit down and write about them. I'll be post dating my posts to keep them in chronological order, yes I'm a little OCD about things like that. Given that disclaimer...on to Valentine's Day!

After chasing her around the house (can't you tell by her hair?!), I finally managed to get a smile.

My Valentine decor was lacking as well - but with my standard window clings, wreath ribbon, and a few cutsie things around the house - I called it good and festive. The day of, I found a Happy Valentine's Day word banner to put up...you'll see my lame attempt at getting it to fit on the back of my kitchen cabinets. Olivia and I were home alone - Aaron had taken his sister Allie to work that day to give her the full Riot experience. We both had a sweet tooth (okay, so maybe it was just me with the sweet tooth) and I was thrilled to find out we had some cake mix and frosting - CUPCAKES! With Olivia getting older, she is able to "help" me with so much more around the house. Cooking and baking with her has got to be in my top five favorite things. She is so darling and deliberate with her cooking skills. We mixed everything together, poured the batter into the cups, slid the pan into the oven and there Livi sat, in front of the oven, until the cupcakes were done. She kept pointing at the oven saying "Duh!" (She says it ALL day long when pointing to ANYTHING).

I told you it was lacking...

While we waited for the cupcakes to finish, I got out my vinyl tablecloth (I knew it was going to be messy), the frosting, the sprinkles (I happened to have every variety of red, pink and white sprinkles), wipes for sticky fingers and a knife. I even found Liv's little knife so she could help spread the frosting. Once the cupcakes cooled, it was time to party. Olivia gave spreading frosting a valiant effort, but she enjoyed sprinkling far better. So Mommy frosted, Livi sprinkled; and she did an amazing job! Our cupcakes look pretty darn delicious if you ask me. :) Yes, the floor was sprinkled, there was frosting everywhere, and after we "sampled" (devoured) our first cupcakes, there were crumbs too!

She saw me touch the tops and bottoms to see if they had cooled, and had to do the  same. 

Sprinkling her first cupcake!  Such good form!

She just couldn't wait to try one! :)

Don't judge. We all know the sprinkles are the best part!  

Priceless.

We finished our little holiday party by making valentines for Auntie Allie and Daddy - and "heart attacking" the front door with all the reasons why we love him.

Experiences like this one remind me that it really is the small and simple things that we do with our children that are the most memorable. Taking time to slow down, get a little silly, and enjoy the "messes" of life makes it all worth it. I love seeing the world through my daughter's eyes, and I need to do it more often. When I do, not only am I filled with an increased sense of curiosity, but also gratitude to my Heavenly Father for the blessing of being a mother. What better job description could there be? Responsibilities: laugh, play, create, imagine, read, and love.