February Recap

Usually February is when I start the 14 days of Valentines, but this year I was in Texas for the beginning of the month AND had Adrianne coming to help with the house the next 5 days.  Ryan convinced me that it would be better for the kids if I DIDN’T do this particular tradition…so that the kids would know, sometimes you have to let things go and not worry about it.  They were disappointed but I tried to make up for on Valentines day, with socks, underwear, Valentines tee shirts and a special breakfast.

Ryan and I celebrated by having lunch together and him telling me I could pick anything out at the mall for my gift (I got a puffer coat).  Simple and fun.

Here are some outtakes from the living room re-do:

A hutch filled with bottles and brushes and swatches:

The best baby sitter that freed up our hands to sew and paint and shop:

What happens when 2-4 year olds are left alone with half made pillow…SNOW!:

 

Cute Emma turned 14 on February 12 and it was a busy day…she had a special breakfast (coffee cake), a lunch that flopped (because she told me the wrong time to pick her up for pizza), and a dinner at 4:30 (Cafe Rio) because she had to get to choir practice.  She got a shopping spree from her parents, gift cards from grandparents and creative gifts from her siblings…as well as the famous 10 lb chocolate cake from Costco. 

Look at the darling birthday “card” sent from the Young Women’s presidency:

 

For her birthday, we had a Valentines themed party.  They played the name game as they arrived (famous couples on their back and they asked yes/no questions), ate heart shaped pizza, decorated cookies, watched “Pizza My Heart” (mixed reviews on that one) and blew out candles on her cookie cake.

 

Gabe and Dad had a scout outdoor activity that was night skiing.  When they had an extra ticket, they grabbed Jane from school and took her along.  Emma was babysitting and so I decided to take the youngest two on a date (Faith’s snaggly hair and all).  We headed downtown for sushi (which they mostly hated), a walk around the mall and some treats for dessert.  It was a fun dynamic to just have those two all to myself.

 

Presidents Day was actually kind of fun this year.  Ryan had the day off for the first time ever and we decided to bike ride 7.5 miles to a local park, eat a yummy (though freezing picnic lunch), visit with our friends the Nebekers (back for a visit after they rudely moved away) and ride back home.  There is a hilarious story about a broken steering column, a trip to a gas station, directions to “Joe’s” house to get tools and a repair, but we’ll have to let Ryan tell that one.  When we got home, we had nachos, played games and watched movies.  Loveliest one day holiday in a long time.

Ryan’s birthday was at the end of the month and he never wants much or any fuss made, but I think he had a nice day.  We had lunch together and then I arranged to have his bike tuned up and some new gadgets added.  Dinner was grilled veggie Paninis and dessert (post Scout activity) was banana pudding with strawberries.  I love that guy, truly, more than I can express.

Other random things from the month…

Faith had a 3 day playdate with Kate while her parents were out of town and she was in heaven and I kept thinking “this is the way to take a vacation…parcel the kids out because really ONE extra kid is the easiest thing ever”.

Emma is getting so OLD!!  This picture is from her first church dance, plus we had all this high school registering stuff and meetings to go to.  Ugh.  Slipping away.  Ryan reminded me (as I cried over her birthday table pictures that we had 4 more birthday with her and then she’d be gone.  Seriously?)

We had our first 8 year old mother daughter book club and it was SO fun.  We read The Phantom Tollbooth, the 8 year olds led the discussion and we had fun treats when it was over.  So glad Heather came up with the idea!

 

It’s been an unusually sunny and warm (for here) late winter, as evidenced by random park outings in February:

Abraham Lincoln, duh:

New chunky glasses for my trendy girl:

Februray, recapped.