Valentine's Day!

What to do on such a special day? I didn't know, but I was given answers. They wanted to go swimming and sledding! Well!! Swimming is possible and so is sledding; after all we do live in Alaska!

Wait! You can swim in the middle of winter in Alaska? Yes, yes we can and it is at the club. So we decided to go sledding first because that would be cold. As a treat we brought our mini propane BBQ and set up hot dogs, hot chocolate and chips! After we were nice and chilled we then to descend upon the warmth of the pool and hot tub to warm our bones!

I wanted the girls to have a great time with dad and so we did! There was nothing like having my oldest get my youngest up on top of the hill with the sled, and both of them slide down and just smile. Screaming at the top of their lungs at their PURE pleasure, it's shear joy to look at the smiles on those little faces when they reach the bottom. I let them make a few runs while I get the grill nice and warm. Of course, they stop by after every run and want to know if everything is ready? I tell them no, that the grill needs to heat up a bit more and that is the truth. But I also want them to remember how much fun they had while waiting and to create memories of things that they both did together when they were young after they get older.

Finally, when everything is ready and they are as well, I call and tell them it's time! I want them to sip the hot chocolate and get a nice warm bun with ketchup on the hot dog and think life is good! Well better than good, GREAT! And that is what I got!

They hugged me and told me how much they loved me and that I was the best daddy in the world, and I soaked every bit of it up. I didn't need the hot chocolate or warm hot dog, what they both said to me was enough to keep me warm all winter.

We finished with the sledding after a while, not only because we were getting cold, but the other people around us were looking like they might rush us for some hot dogs...they did smell good and people were wishing they would have thought of the same thing. I bet I helped Coleman out with the sale of about 50 grills that day!

Now it was time to warm our bones and get to the pool. Nothing like having a hot tub and some time playing in warm water to take the chill off! We were there for almost 2 hours! Finally it was time to go home. I could see it in their eyes and their bodies; however they would never admit that! It was time to go home and have a nice dinner and maybe watch a show or movie, read a bedtime story and settle in for the night. I think that this was one of the best Valentines Day's I have ever had, and I can't wait to do it again.

What I have learned again and again, is that it really doesn't matter what you do with your children, the most important thing is that you do anything with your children. Have fun with them, play with them. Have that tea party... Maybe even add a special surprise to the party by bringing in cookies or graham crackers on a plate...I know that it may not really seem like fun to you, but they will go nuts! And you bring something to the party? That will make it even more special to them!

The days that you can spend with your child(ren) are the most valuable of your life when they are at a younger age but any age with them is great. It is simply that these ages are just the ones where they think of you as the most amazing person in the world... Don't not take advantage of these days; you will never get them back. Then one day later in life you will say "should have, could have, wished I would have." Start today and always look back at those fantastic memories, but don't forget to look towards the future. There are so many more memories to have and that have not happened yet!! But They Will! And you can help create them....

Doug