Anybody who knows us well knows that JP is not a big Valentine's Day sort of guy. He despises any sort of pressure to perform artificially because the calendar says you should. He will go out of his way to do nothing just to prove a point.
This has been the case for the whole of our relationship, and I have never minded because he is so good at showing me love every other day of the year. I have the maturity to understand just because he didn't bring home roses or make reservations at some fancy restaurant doesn't mean I'm not his valentine every day of the year.
My three daughters, however, are not mature. Even though their daddy loves them to bits and pieces every day, they (mainly Rae, but Ruby as well) are reaching ages where they understand the holiday and want to be someone's valentine. I first noticed it last year, and mentioned it to JP.
When I was young, my Dad (and my mom, and even my brothers) made a big deal out of Valentine's Day for me & my sister. I was extremely secure in my family's love for me, and I always knew that on Valentine's Day, I would be showered with extra doses of the same love I felt from them every day. I never dreaded February 14th or joined any pity party groups in wearing all black to school. I was loved from home, and I didn't need to look for it anywhere else.
Apparently, JP took my thoughts to heart, and this year, Mr. Anti-Forced-Affection himself went all out for the women in his life.
Each of the girls came home to find red heart-shaped balloons tied to their beds, weighted with a chocolate heart and a sucker, and a red carnation. The girls were absolutely giddy, squealing just like you would imagine and jumping all over their big daddy valentine.
JP told me he fully accepts that he will never again be able to ignore Valentine's Day, and he's happy to do it just to let his girls know they are always someone's special love. My eyes welled up with tears just knowing our girls will have the same security I had growing up.
After all the hugs and kisses, I went downstairs to do laundry and found a big bouquet of flowers waiting for me on our bed. For some reason, the flowers took me over the top, and I burst into tears! I knew he was going to do something special for the girls, but I still never expected anything for me!
JP doesn't buy me flowers often, but when he does, he likes to make it meaningful. This time he went into the flower shop and told them he wanted to make his own arrangement. They told him they had a bunch of nice bouquets and pre-arranged items, but he said no; he wanted to do it himself. He picked out the flowers and bought them al a carte, then arranged them himself at home. :)
Rae really wanted to do something special for JP as well, so we worked hard to prepare everyone's favorite dinner: Crab legs for JP, chicken for me, and Shells & Cheese for the girls. We even made up a menu (Rae named our "restaurant" The Surprise Bakery...haha), made a heart-shaped fruit pizza for dessert, homemade cards, and a video of JP and the girls. He was very blessed, and the girls were giddy to have done something for him.
Here (if it works) is the video we made for JP. I am warning you, it is VERY rough. I threw it together in about two hours. Most of the photos and all of the videos are from my iPhone and therefore very poor quality. To top it off, I had recorded most of the video vertically, but had to rotate it to landscape mode, which required heavy cropping. He loved it (he even cried, but don't tell), and that's all that matters. :)
