Valentines Traditions

We had a great Valentines Day this year -- quiet, relaxed, and low-key!

Ian took Camille and I out to breakfast yesterday morning at Terrace Cafe. It was one of the few places around us that was open on a Sunday at 8am. We were there by about 8:15 with absolutely no wait. This is a spot that typically has a dozen or so people waiting outside in the cold to get in for breakfast and brunch!

I have been really trying to eat healthily to manage this gestational diabetes, but yesterday I cut myself a little bit of slack. I'm a nut for anything lemon, and they had a french toast entree made from homemade lemon poppyseed bread. SIGN ME UP. Camille's kids plate was huge and included a sausage patty, so I swiped it from her (no shame) to help balance out the carbs with some protein. After an hour, I initially had a reading a few points higher than the limit (120), but I retested five minutes later after drinking some water and moving around and my second reading was in line with where it needed to be. 

During the brunch, they even came around with long-stemmed roses for the ladies, and they gave one to Camille, too! It was such a cute touch.

We got back in jammies after breakfast and just enjoyed a very slow-paced Sunday. Here are some other snaps from the weekend...

Saturday, Camille and I worked on a card for Ian. Yes, she has earbuds around her neck. Lady loves thinking that she is listening to music. 

Later that day, the mailman came and brought a card from her great-grandparents complete with some "paper money" inside!

We make a really big deal about this to her and always put it straight in her piggybank. I think she's up to about eight dollars now in it. :)

The silly little family tradition we always did that Ian and I are passing down to her is the Valentines Man. Legend has it (at least according to my Mom and Dad), a lightening-fast man wearing a red spandex suit leaves a Valentines goodie at your front doorstep, rings the doorbell and runs away so quickly that he cannot be seen. 

So Camille got her little afternoon snack delivered by the Valentines Man yesterday, and she was a little petrified of him ... so Ian worked out a deal with him (wink) and he happened to stop by once more later yesterday, this time dropping off a red heart balloon. I think that two nice visits in one day really helped Camille warm up to him!

After she went down to bed, Ian and I snacked on a little appetizer board (the standout was the brie baked with Kahlua, brown sugar, walnuts, and dried berries) and finished up making dinner. 

Ian broiled ribeyes for us and I made sweet potato fries and a spring mix salad tossed with granny smith apple slices, walnuts, blue cheese, red onion, and a homemade lemon vinaigrette. 

We did something out of the ordinary ... we sat at the dinner table and talked through dinner :) It was a nice departure from the TV tray we typically share. I think we are going to have to make that a once-a-week goal! Smart small, right? :)