Spring, yet?

The weather has not yet made up its mind...it really felt as though spring was beginning to weave its way into our daily routine. You could feel it - longer days, sunshine, the cold air had lost its bite, birds singing. Bennett has been craving time outdoors and we have obliged. We decided February wasn't too early to start blowing bubbles and hitting golf balls. So that is what we have been doing these past couple weeks. Even with the recent return of snow, Bennett is going to see it through. So, today we blew bubbles, pushed the tricycle, played golf and did a little sledding.

Sending him out to practice. And find his white golf ball (which he insisted on using and FREAKED if it had any dirt on it).

Concentrating.

A few things we are loving about Bennett recently - he is enjoying learning his ABCs, counting to 10, playing playdough, pointing out all he finds during car trips, eating ice cream, taking his coat off all by himself, he has a big opinion when it comes to what he wears...down to short sleeves v. long sleeves and he loves to be tickled.

Elly Rose has a few new tricks of her own. She has found her toes and thinks they might be the best toy yet, she likes to make funny sounds with her mouth (and mimic noises daddy makes) and she rolls back to tummy and vice versa.


She checked out perfectly at her 4 month appointment last week. Weighing 12 pounds, 14 ounces and a little shy of 25 inches. We received the okay to introduce rice cereal between now and her 6 month appointment.


It is fun to see this little girl scan the room for her big brother. And when she spots him, she doesn't let him get away...that more than anything, will have her doing a roll. Also loving the grin she flashes me upon greeting her when she wakes. It makes you fall in love with her over and over again.

Love is all you need.

Just a quick post before February gets away from me...

Daddy is always assigning nicknames to us. From the day we brought Elly Rose home from the hospital, he has often referred to her as E. Rose. I don't even think it is a conscious decision...he just does it. Miss Elly Rose will be 4 months old tomorrow. And broken record that I am...it is just so hard to believe. On the one hand, how can she already be 4 months old? Yet it is difficult to imagine life before her. This week she has been battling an upper respitory infection that has brought on her first fever, so it has been a rough couple days for her. It is so sad to see her feeling so awful.

Art project in celebration of Valentine's Day. Bennett loved playing in the red finger paint. We dipped and dipped and dipped the sponge...pressing it against construction paper that we finished out to be Valentine's cards. I think daddy was hypervenilating because he was sitting quite close to the couch.

Bennett and Elly Rose on Valentine's Day. We recorded the Grammy's for Bennett to watch and they were a total hit. This little guy loves to dance and talks frequently about drums, guitars and music. He likes to dance to music in the car in the mornings with daddy. We close our family room blinds many evenings as the three (and sometimes four, or five if you count Fenny) of us dance in circles. All led by Bennett. We are trying to avoid the "freak" label from neighbors.

Hooray for 60 degree weather. A family walk last night was much needed.

Exhausted

While we wish this photo would re-cap our week...

...this photo has been our reality...

The laundry basket has been our boat. The occupants the captain and co-captain. And me...the one who pushes the boat around the family room searching for fish. Fenny was the shark.

This past week's weather kept us home bound for many hours. Many more hours than I care to count. I am feeling a bit exhausted from this whole weather experience. Worrying about keeping it fun for a two-year-old and the many what-if's with the weather/power situation. I think this re-caps the highs and lows from the week:

1. Flashlights can be a toddlers best friend. Bennett now asks to "play" flashlight in the basement.

2. The blue paint tape...that too is handy for a toddler (or group of them). Bennett has been playing with it all week and his cousins have helped him decorate our family room with blue tape. Literally...we have taped everything. Including the milk jugs in the fridge.

3. The laundry basket is a great way for a 3 month old and a 2 year old to "play together."

4. Wine and beer are essentials for any type of storm.

5. I repeatedly wished my parents and my sister (her family) were my neighbors. I kept dreaming of sleep overs, movie watching and breaks for everyone. Thankfully, my sister braved the roads yesterday for a trip to our house. Bennett was literally screaming with excitement when they arrived and my mom came today for gymnastics and lunch at Paradise Bakery.

6. A slightly slanted driveway covered in ice is perfect for sending the sled sailing and Bennett belly-laughing.

7. Laundry and Vacuuming are two of the household chores that I can complete with Bennett and Elly Rose. I think I washed everything that bears the words "machine washable" on the label.

Thankfully, the ice storm didn't cause us to lose our electricity and Zach was able to work each day (and pick-up any essentials). We survived and are looking forward weekend outings that include The Children's Museum and Kokomo. Whew.