Just a post about love.
February 9, 2011 by alysha
First off, I have to apologize to all my crafting peeps out there because this post is a bit more on the personal side, and is a tad bit lacking in the creative department. I promise you if you make it through my bjillion pictures, I’ll make it up to you. 
Deal?
V-day is almost here, so let’s talk about love, shall we?
Oooh La La!
Valentine’s Day has always been my FAVorite. I’m a die-hard romantic. A blubbery sap. I make lovey-dovey eyes at my husband all month and daydream of a ridiculously romantic date involving a candle-lit dinner by the ocean while my hubby seranades me on his guitar and whispers sweet nothings into my ear. (Hmm. Probably not going to happen.) Of course the romance is a must, and it’s fun to have the flowers and jewelry and everything else that comes with Valentine’s Day, but I like to think of it as a day that goes a little bit deeper than stuffed teddies. But then again, I am a romantic.
Last year at this time our 6 month old baby, Chanley, got very sick and was hospitalized for quite a while. There is nothing more heartbreaking than seeing your baby hooked up to oxygen and countless other tubes while looking at you, begging you to make everything better. When we finally got to bring her home, it was on Valentine’s Day. There were no flowers or chocolates that year. Instead there was lots of cuddling and kisses. It was the best Valentine’s Day ever, because we were together. Often times it’s just so easy to get caught up in the craziness of life, and forget what’s really important.
Usually it’s in those little, simple moments when you realize what love is all about.
Like cuddling on the couch.
Or laughing until you cry or pee your pants. (Check out that little cheeseball!)
So last year my husband and I decided we were going to start a tradition. We decided we were going to write a Valentine’s Day letter to Chanley every year.
I know what you’re thinking, she’s a baby! She can’t even read.
True dat. But, someday she will be old enough. And when she is, we’ll have her letters all tucked away safe and sound just for her.
And someday our Chan will grow up and will no doubt hate Valentine’s Day at one point or another. Because she got her little heart broken by her true love Jimmy, and feels like her world is over.
But at least she’ll know that she’ll always be mommy and daddy’s Valentine. Always.
Even if your kids are older, this is the perfect time to start writing them a love note for Valentine’s Day. They may not appreciate them now, but someday they will become little treasures to them.
-I realize that this is a pretty simple concept, but a love letter to your children or hubby (in my opinion) is the best gift EVER!
In my letter to Chanley this year (in case you were wondering) I just told her how much I loved her, and I also thought it’d be fun to tell her what 18 month old Chanley is like. Her likes and dislikes. Personality, ect. For instance:
{warning: picture overload}
I want her to know that she was completely crazy. She just loves the snow and would play in it all day, every day if mommy let her. Mommy, however prefers the warmth.
(Pictures are always a good thing to add to letters as well.)
I want her to know that she gives the sweetest, slobbery kisses e-va.
I want her to know that she has a love affair with books right now. She will sit, captivated and bring book after book after book to us, begging us to read it.
And my favorite:
Dancing in the kitchen. She loves to bust a move. After we spin and twirl and rock out for awhile, then she’ll lay her head on me and sometimes even fall asleep as I waltz around the kitchen. It melts my heart.
Yes, we do it pretty much every day. In our PJ’s.
I wrote about her loving to be tickled, and that she has the most contagious little giggle.
I also wrote about her love for spicy food, and grapes and that I have to “hose” her off after every meal. I told her she dislikes naps very much, (unless mommy or daddy is holding her), and that she loves to fold her arms and pray several times a day…
-
Love notes are important, because they last forever. My memory stinks, so maybe that’s why I love them so much.
It’s important to remember….
Because, when my baby is a hormonal teenager who is slamming doors and thinking life is so unfair and mom is so uncool, at least I have proof to show her that she and her mommy were once BFF’s.
P.S. Thank you for letting me share so many personal things will you gals. It’s always a bit more scary and vulnerable, but you guys are always so sweet.
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This was pretty much the sweetest post EVER. Had me tearing up! I’m going to start writing love letters to my family members on V-day. Thanks for the inspiration.
loverly. a new tradition. thank you.
Genius! I wish I had done that for my children when they were little. I think they believe my stories are fiction. I may just have to start with my grandson who spends his days with me. He is 21 months old and a real character.
This is a lovely post. I have always made a special breakfast on Valentines morning…no matter what but I think I will add this to our tradition. Our kiddos are 16 & 17 (chances are our son will be at college next valentines Day )-:) I am also a hopeless romantic…I Love Love! Have a great Valentines Day.
I love that idea! I especially like the part where you write what she was like at the given age. It’s so easy to forget. I’m sure she’ll really appreciate that one day.
That is so sweet!
What a great idea! Your daughter will have all those letters to treasure so many years from now!
This is something that she will cherish so much! I must start doing this for our kids this year. Thank you for sharing! (Btw…you and your sweet baby girl are so beautiful!)
And you’d BETTER be tucking in some of these pictures in your love notes to her too. They MELT my heart. Alysha, this post is a tear jerker. What a brilliant idea to write love notes to your children,…AND to you spouse every year. This is a tradition I am starting THIS year. Thanks for sharing.
That is BEAUTIFUL.
She will always have that connection with you and will ALWAYS know how mch you love her!
So special.
Thank you for sharing
Wow, what a great idea & keepsake. I’m mommy to 4 lil’ youngins…and to the dismay of my mother I have not kept up on the “baby books” I think I would be MUCH better @ this. THANKS…and btw great pics!
So true Shanna! I’m awful with those baby books too! It makes me sick when I think about how behind I am. This sordof makes up for it a little.
Love this idea. I’ll start it with my one year old this year. And maybe even write one for our second baby girl due in June!
Love, love, love. It’s just perfect!
Love, love, love. It’s just perfect!
OMG! You made me cry…. at work! Beautiful post and what a great tradition for me to start with my little guy – thanks!
I absolutely love your post! Made me cry too! Such a great tradition. We have 3 little girls, I’m sure they would LOVE to get Valentine letters!
Thanks so much for sharing!
Brilliant! Simple but so sweet. I can’t wait to start writing one to my little ones! My 2 year old AND the one due next month.
Love this idea. I use this idea slightly differently. I was given a “mommy journal” when my first son was born. I wrote who he was, what a great baby he was or wasn’t, how I felt about being a mom, working, leaving him at the sitter’s, when he got sick, all his milestones etc. It is the best thing ever. I love ready through it and remembering all those times I have now forgotten. I make a book for my new Mommy friends with the hopes they will cherish it as much as I have and hope my son will too. Even if your daughter can’t read them or doesn’t have the maturity to appreciate them yet, you can and do. She will and hopefully she can take some advice from them when she becomes a mother too.
Tanna, what a beautiful thing to do! Someday your daughter will treasure that more than you know. I need to start a mommy journal.
That’s a lovely tradition
That was great. You and your daughter are both beautiful. Thanks for sharing.
I love this idea! I do the same thing for my children’s birthdays! Each year I write them a letter summarizing the year, talking about their achievements, special events that they participated in and funny words they say. I love to go back and read them on each birthday, it helps to ease the fact that they are growing so fast. I plan on having them bound into a book and giving it to them for either their 18th or 21st birthday.
I love this post! I love your blog in general. When I was pregnant with my first (we now have three and she is 7), I started writing my kids letters. I told them about my pregnacies (the truth). I told them about my fears. I told them about all their first. I wrote about how I hate how they are growing up…one is titled, “growing up is hard…on mommy.” They don’t know I have written them. I haven’t intentionally kept it a secret. My youngest is 2.5 and sometimes when I go back and read my letters, I don’t remember some of the stuff…already! I started keeping a little journal of letters, but found that I couldn’t keep up and got discouraged. So now, I just type them out and save them in a file. I love writing letters to my babies.
You and your daughter are so beautiful! I loved this post!
Maybe I cried a little. Too sweet! We started this year taking our kids out to dinner (dad and daughter) (Mom and son) and making them a little scrapbook with a picture and note each year. I loved this post! Thanks for sharing!
This is beautiful, just like you. I will be starting this tradition this year. Thanks for the fantastic idea!
great idea! loved this post.
yesterday was my daughter’s first birthday – and we plan to write her a letter every year too! to tell her what she was like at this time, etc.
What an adorable idea and keepsake!!
Very very sweet and a wonderful thing to do. Might I add………I have a thirteen year old daughter……. things change. Mom’s feelings don’t.
You are such an amazing person. I loved this Alysha!
Beautiful post, thanks for sharing!
You have a beautiful daughter! I loved this post so, so much. I’m so doing this with my kids.
Thank you!
Thanks you for sharing this idea! I love it and I am going to start doing it with my little boy!
Found you on made by you monday blog hop.
Have a great day!
I guess I’m just going to man up and leave a comment. I’ve been waiting for another guy to leave a comment so I’m not the only guy, but there seems to be few and far between on here. Alysha, I love you! You and Chanley mean the world to me. If it wasn’t for your good ideas Chanley wouldn’t have anything to show for her childhood. Instead she’ll have a lifetime of memories. Happy Valentine’s Day.
Awww, sniffle. Look at you Ryan, trying to be all romantical on the big day. Props.
That is sweet! Don’t worry we won’t tell anyone you are the first guy to comment on this post:)
Awww BABE! This is why I love you.
This may just be the cutest and sweetest thing I have ever seen! Thank you so much for sharing. The pictures are so beautiful!!! I found you through Made By You Mondays and am now a follower.
Melanie
youmadethat.blogspot.com
Sounds familiar! I too have been writing letters for my kids …for 14 years…and I’m still not sure when they will receive their collections.
I use fancy stationary OR special cards OR valentines or their homemade birthday invitations. I also include precious letters from Grandma, Godparents, aunts and uncles and friends. I think that they will treasure this collection when they receive it…years from now. =)
What a lovely post you wrote…the photographs are beautiful and so is your writing.
Sounds familiar! I too have been writing letters for my kids …for 14 years…and I’m still not sure when they will receive their collections.
I use fancy stationary OR special cards OR valentines or their homemade birthday invitations. I also include precious letters from Grandma, Godparents, aunts and uncles and friends. I think that they will treasure this collection when they receive it…years from now. =)
What a lovely post you wrote…the photographs are beautiful
and so is your writing.
That is so cute. I’m going to do this when I become a mother in the distant future! I can’t wait to start a family and start traditions like this.
I thought of a similar idea. I have a journal that I started writing the day I found out I was pregnant with my little girl. I am due in May and I write letters to her when I think about her. I already have twenty pages of my thoughts and dreams. I have the important dates such as when I first felt her kick, when my husband felt her kick (I wrote about his reaction), when the grandmothers. I also talked about her new baby cousin that was born made me wish it was closer to her due date. Anything that reminds me of her. I am hoping to keep writing letters to her as she gets older. My plan is to give her the books that I made of my letters as a wedding present or when she first moves out. As a way when she is homesick she can realize how much she is loved.
I am going to do it with all my kids.
This is a beautiful idea. I love the idea of writing “love” notes to your kids. I think, now as an adult, if my parents had done something like that for me I would cherish those notes more than almost anything. I love the idea and I think I’ll give it a go {even though Valentine’s is past}. Also, I love all the photos. Definitely not picture overload. I think lots of pictures make a post more readable and they are beautiful pics, too! Thanks for sharing!
I love the photos. What camera/lens do you use? Also, I have 2 girls and time just evaporates as the grow up. I like the idea. I like that you capture their life at that moment through words. I think I will add it to our heart-shaped pancake breakfast tradition!
Thanks Erin! I’m glad you like the pics. I have a Nikon D40 and just used a 18-55mm lens. I actually took most of them with my remote.
lol.
Love the heart-shaped pancake tradition! Sounds yummy!
Precious post…thank you for reminding us about a special love of parent and child.
OMGOSH! what a sweet post! I am so going to do this for my two kiddos! Reading your post brought tears to my eyes! what a super sweet message!
I love love love this idea! So simple but so perfect! Thank you
Super cute! My daughter is turning five in less than a month and this is a great idea to start doing. I agree with the memory and the part about when she is a teenager, the proof that we did have a good time will be helpful
Thank you for your post!
JW
Precious… Great idea.. Loved the pictures, you girls are just beautiful xo
My daughter just moved back home after being with her boyfriend for 7 years. She brought all her stuff and the most precious gift of all my 2 1/2 yr-old granddaughter. YES! It is tough but to make it easier I had a picture of Miss Cutie Pie blown up to 4′X 3′ (engineer’s blueprint)and hung it over her bed So she wakes up every morning seeing what is most important. Hang in there it only gets better.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!!!!
Thanks for sharing and making my heart smile!
LOVE this idea. My Dad did this for me at Christmastime through my late teens and early twenties, until he passed away. It’s been a wonderful thing to have and my most treasured keepsake. It only takes a few moments to jot down words from your heart, but your children will cherish them forever.
What a sweet idea…I really love this tradition.
I love this idea!
I loooove this! Sometimes we get caught up in commercialism and forget to truly show someone LOVE. that’s why we celebrate V-day, right?!
I also LOVE love, and valentines day, and just adore your post, hugs to you! I write my kids letters whenever the mood strikes me and I put a date on it and stuff it into their baby books. After your post I think I will also do one this year for V-day. I completely agree that being a mommy makes one very forgetful, so the letters remind us both of a time when it seemed…easier..Great post, Thank you!!
I’m 24, married, and terrified of having kids. But after seeing these pictures and how you describe your Chanley, for the first time ever I had the feeling….maybe it wouldn’t be all that bad. I really appreciate you sharing this!