Valentine's day

Remember our early plans for Valentine's Day? Classroom party, games, mommy gets to come and volunteer, etc.? Well, Valentine's Day turned out to be not the pinkiest, sweetest, most funnest holiday for Ella, as we had planned and hoped. Due to her upset tummy she had to stay home again yesterday missing the festivities at school and not being able to eat cake, candy, and the like. Instead, she visited the doctor's office, got a stool culture, and was told to drink even more gatorade and pedialite to help stay hydrated! Luckily, since she's been on the BRAT diet for a few days now, she was released to eat regular food. But didn't really have an appetite for it anyway. Poor thing, I felt so bad for her. She had made so many plans, wanted to give out her hand-made Valentine's, and just be there with her friends. (She's home today still, hoping tomorrow she can return to school.)



She taped a Valentine's themed pencil on the back of each of the bookmarks which she made with very little help from mom and I.

Since she was able to get back on her regular diet, mamaie made a cake for her last night and I prepared a "fancy" lobster dinner, baked salmon, couscous, and spring mix salad. She ate a little bit of everything except for the salad.

Messing around with the lobsters.

Hrishi and I were going to catch a movie after Ella went to sleep but were too tired to do so. Instead, we watched a "Mentalist" episode, one of our favorite TW shows. (It was a very good one. I love this show. It never gets old, at least for me.)
Oh, and here's part of my Valentine's Day present from Hrishi:

(Building that home gym, one piece at a time. The rest of my present is still in the mail. I have a feeling Tony Horton will soon become my best buddy!! :-)

Now some random pictures I've been taken and not posted.
Baked and decorated cake pops with mamaie:

Watering some freshly planted primrose bunches:

 
Finally, some beautiful portraits, by Ella: