valentine scavenger hunt

I wanted to do something a little extra special for the kids on Valentine's Day. I had already gotten them a little surprise for the special day, but I decided last minute (like the night before at 9:00 PM last minute) that I would create a scavenger hunt for them and at the end would be their valentine surprise! I thought I might come up with rhyming clues (which I have done before for Ryan, and I love to write short poems), but at 10:00 PM my mind was blank. And, because of my perfectionist ways, I tend to not do something if I can't do it exactly the way I want to. But I am trying really hard to do away with that mind set, so I created the clues anyway (hand-written and no rhymes...you'd be proud!) and I'm glad I did! The kids (especially Mikayla) loved it! She was so excited to go find one clue after another.

Let's go on a scavenger hunt!

Clue #1: Good morning my valentine babes!
Go look where mommy dries the clothes...

Clue #2: Your surprise isn't here, so go take a look
where you play with blocks to build a tower.

Clue #3: You have to keep going, but where do you go?
Look in the play kitchen...where is the food?

Clue #4: No surprise here! How about where the Kleenex goes?
Clue #5: You're almost there!
Take a peek where you give your cousins a kiss!

Clue #6: Only one more to go to find your surprise.
Go find mommy's diaper bag...there might be something inside.
Clue #7: OK, I won't tease you any longer.
Do you want to know where your valentine surprise is?
Go look under mommy and daddy's dresser!
SURPRISE!!
This is what was under the dresser for the kids...
And after the scavenger hunt was over,
we all sat down to a yummy breakfast!

French Toast & Smoothies

I will definitely be making this scavenger hunt a tradition for Valentine's Day. It was just too much fun watching the kids get so excited to find the next heart and their final surprise. Maybe next year, I'll try to rhyme because I'll have more time (sorry, I had to say it).

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Later in the evening, Ryan and I dropped off the kids at my parents' house and we went out for some dinner. We started out at Olive Garden (even calling ahead), but when we got there, the wait was still a good 40 minutes. We didn't necessarily need to eat Italian, so we decided to head over to somewhere we knew wouldn't have a wait. We (I) love Baja Fresh!

After dinner we went to Joe's and then to Target. We just enjoyed walking down the aisles and enjoying being together. It was a fun night...nothing big, nothing special, but we don't need all the candlelight and gourmet dinners to keep loving each other.

Here's to many more Valentine's!! Love you, Babe!