the boy with the red balloon.

just some little somethings for our love dove on valentine's day. from each set of grandparents: love notes -- one that sings, one that springs -- brought by post. from mama and papa: a carved-wood cub and a ruby balloon. francis was expected valentine's last, though he himself had a january birthday in mind, and he has forever re-defined this day (and love and life and thursdays and all days and and and...).

i love doing all the little mom things. like dreaming up a valentine or baking cookies from scratch or planning clothes or stuffing a stocking or gathering treasures for an easter basket...i love it all, every last bit, so. darn. much. everything an expression of the trillion bursts my heart feels with every beat. everything an answer to the questions i am asking every tick of time: how can i love him best? how can i make it special for him? what magic can i make?

they're just some little somethings for our love dove on valentine's day. but also, they're not. you know?