crush...

I loved spending the day with Ruby as we prepared for her preschool Valentine's Day party. We had the best time making sugar cookies topped with pink frosting and valentine nonpareils. Ruby's job was to deluge the sprinkles as I finished frosting each cookie. Of course, the best part was when we got to sample them.

I loved watching her as she decorated her valentine's box which I had wrapped beforehand in brown paper. I gave her an assortment of pink, red, and purple paper, a heart-shaped paper punch, and the glue gun. It was her first time using the glue gun, and I loved being witness to her excitement as she squirted huge globs of glue, and then stuck scraps of paper and cut-out hearts on each side and top of the box. We tied a big pink ribbon around the entire box, and then tied a bow at the top. It was a masterpiece.

Then it was on to the actual valentine's cards. She took pride in writing her name on each and every valentine. I don't think she even noticed that I went back through them all and rewrote her name (in parenthesis) next to each illegible chicken scratched "Ruby".

I thought it was cute that more than once throughout the day, she asked me about Kerry's valentine. Kerry is one of the boys in her class. She wanted to know which valentine card was for Kerry. And then she asked me if I thought Kerry would like her valentine, and then it was "mom, do you think Kerry likes purple? Or should we change his to green?"
Now, I don't claim to be an expert in the love department; but in my experience, one wouldn't worry and fret this much over a valentine...unless they had some kind of feelings for the recipient of said valentine. I asked Ruby if she had a crush on Kerry.
"What?" she asked, a bit embarrassed.
"Well, I mean, do you like Kerry? Do you think he's cute?"
"No mom! I don't! I like Bennett, I think he's cute, and I have a crush on him not Kerry".

Now normally I would think it was all good and fun...but the fact that Bennett happens to be her cousin, poses a bit of a problem. Not to mention the fact that cousin Bennett seems to have a bit of a crush on Ruby's best friend, Ava, as a hand-written "I love you" adorned the valentine card that he gave her. Sounds like a juicy love triangle if you ask me.

Later Ruby told me that she had a crush on Dix-d (our dog), so I'm taking it she may be a bit confused as to the precise meaning of the word. And pretty much in the same sentence she told me that she doesn't like boys at all, that she only likes girls. So I'm thinking we don't have anything to worry about...at least for a few more years (let's hope).