February

February

I can't believe it is March already!  We have had a good, busy month of February.  We have all been so happy to have some warmer weather at the end of this month, and have finally had some time outside.  Lucas is the biggest fan of being outside, and would spend hours out there getting into trouble if I let him!  The backyard isn't baby proofed for the season yet, and Lucas tends to find everything he isn't supposed to have.  We have to watch him close out there.  He LOVES Matt's sharp tools, BBQ equipment, throwing soil from my flower pots, eating sand, covering himself with mud, eating more sand, dare devilishly climbing up the slide ladders and between the slides, sliding down on his tummy, digging, jumping on the trampoline with the girls, eating more sand, throwing and eating gravel, and generally exploring happily.

 Emilyn had her spotlight week at gymnastics preschool.  She has learned so much this year.

 One of Lucas's favorite play spots under the desk in the kitchen.  He loves the cords on Matt's computer, and trying to shove things in the front.

 Lucas was so happy to sit in and play with his big car seat.  We brought it in to clean it up and get it ready because we thought he had grown out of the baby seat, but we figured out this one doesn't work for him rear facing, and that the baby seat we bought actually goes until 30 lbs.  He isn't close to that weight yet, but he is getting too tall for it.  We wanted to keep him rear facing a little longer, so we're waiting on this one for a bit.  He is growing fast though, so it won't be long.

 Grandma Karen was nice enough to come for a visit to help me out.  Matt was in Nashville for a business trip for the week, and I was taking a teaching class, so Grandma got a lot of time with the kids.  I was gone for classes two days, plus there was SEP's for Matisyn, Kindergarten registration for Emilyn, swim lessons for Emilyn, and on and on.  I was so grateful to have her here, I couldn't have survived the week without her!  Thank you so much Mom!  The kids loved having so much special time with Grandma, and I think she enjoyed the bonding time with them too.  Lucas and her really became buddies.  We also had a meeting with the stake presidency, and Matt was called as the 1st counselor in the Elder's Quorum.  It was a crazy week!

 Matisyn spent the whole first half of the year making a special calendar as a Christmas gift in her second grade class.  Most kids gave them to their parents.  Matisyn decided to make hers for Grandma Karen.  I have to admit I was pretty jealous.  We forgot to take it to her at Christmas, so Matisyn gave it to her during her visit.  I took pictures of some of the pages to document what a great job she did, and because I was so sad to see it go!  My mom was so happy to have it though, and felt so special that Matisyn chose to give it to her.  They have a special bond, and always have.  I'm glad Grandma is enjoying her calender, because I am still feeling like I missed out on it!

 Lucas LOVES his tool bike from Grandma Barb, and has spent lots of time on it while we've been stuck inside this winter.  He rides it backwards and forwards.

 Emilyn's drawings have really been moving along.  Her picture of a person has some more parts now!

 While Grandma was visiting Lucas discovered he could climb up onto the dining room chairs.  She said he had the biggest smile on his face, and just sat down and was swinging his legs.  He was so happy with himself and his accomplishment.  Since then he has repeated his trick over and over, advancing to crawling on top of the table.  I am pulling him down constantly.  He loves having access to everything up there now, and almost no where is safe from him anymore!  The more mobile he gets, the less sacred space we have left!

 And here is the on top of the table trick on a separate day!  He wants to pull out my flowers that Matt brought me for Valentine's Day.

 Happy Valentine's Day!  I helped in Matisyn's classroom for her Valentine's Day party.  Emilyn had her own party at "down the street" preschool, and then got to come with me to Matisyn's class.  She loves to come and be with the big kids.  That night we had heart shaped pizza from Papa Murphy's and rootbeer to celebrate love day!  Matt got us a movie to watch together that night after the kids went to bed.  That was pretty romantic to me, and exactly what I was in the mood to do!

 Another new trick for Lucas this month was scaling the drawers.  I was nervous waiting to take him down so I could take a picture, but he held his balance pretty well!  I'm happy to say he hasn't tried this one again lately.

 Matisyn has always liked playing with the laundry baskets.  This time she had one over her head and was enjoying some showtime through the holes of the basket!

 Matt tried out making "rice cereal," just rice mixed with milk and a little sugar, for Lucas for breakfast one morning.  We are always looking for alternatives for him, because he doesn't have much variety with all of his allergies.  He loved it so much he was dumping the bowl into his mouth trying to get every drop.  Matt took a cute series of pictures of him.

 This little guy was feeling a little under the weather.  When I went to get him the other morning, his bed, blanket, and himself were covered in throw up.  The poor little guy had thrown up in the middle of the night, and had just gone back to sleep without letting us know.  I think it's the first time (not counting spitting up as a little baby).  It was the only time, luckily, and he seemed to feel better by the end of the day.  I just felt so bad that he had slept in it.  It just proves what an accommodating baby this little guy can be!

 Emilyn had three birthday parties this month for her friends.  Her friend Mya had a frozen party and this is the little Olaf snack that they made.  She has decided she wants a Frozen party for her birthday too!

This pictures cracks me up, because Lucas is smiling most of the time, but this captures his wild side! I mentioned how much our little guy LOVES being OUTSIDE!  He always wants to be outside exploring.  He has increased his baths by about triple, which probably was necessary anyway!  He always manages to find the water, mud, dirt, and things Matt leaves out to play in.  I love this picture of him with his hard core, serious look, covered in mud and holding a fire stick.

 Matisyn had her second grade storytelling at the end of the month.  They have to memorize a story of their choice and tell it to the classroom.  She was set on "The Little Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything" at first, but then when another girl from her class was already doing it we managed to convince her to choose another one.  She chose "Green Wilma" which has been one of our favorites for as long as I can remember.  We have read it to her since she was tiny.  She was so adorable and animated, and she did a great job.  She was actually chosen to move on to the next part which was rotating to the five different second grade classrooms and getting to tell her story to all of them too.  I thought she would be nervous, but she was so proud and excited, that she didn't get as nervous.  THEN she was chosen to tell her story to the school at the lower grade assembly.  Only two were chosen from her class to rotate to the second grades, and only she was chosen from her class to share at the assembly.  She was so happy to be chosen, and we are so proud of what a great job she has done!  She has never been short on personality, and she really excels at this sort of thing.  It was fun to watch her!

 Loving another tool that Matt left out for Lucas to find!  How does he find all of these things?!!!

Matisyn's cute story she wrote at school for Halloween.  What are you scared of?

 My friend Amy is moving in March, and we are so missing her already!  She isn't moving very far, but anything farther than around the corner is too far!  Here are our kids playing on the jeep together.  She also watched Lucas for me so I could go watch Matisyn's storytelling in her classroom.  Lucas and Ryan have matching outfits!

 Earlier in the month while Grandma Karen was visiting, we finally got a free night and decided to take the kids bowling.  Lucas was a challenge to keep out of everyone's games, and just wanted to wander and grab for the balls.  The girls loved it though, and surprisingly did not break through the floor with their high throws with the bowling balls!  Emilyn especially threw so high that it was barely moving down the lane.  We got a kick out of watching it slowly make it's way to the end and hardly have enough left to knock down the pins as it passed.  I think it was her first time getting to bowl.  Matisyn has only been once or twice before, and really had a fun time.  Matisyn and Emilyn had bumpers, and they both beat my pathetic score!  Mom and I were pretty embarrassed!  Our shoes were sticking and we were distractedly chasing Lucas and trying to keep the kids out of the other bowlers' games, so I don't mean to make excuses, but we weren't at the top of our game!

 Grandma plays on a bowling league with friends at home, and usually scores pretty well.  Apparently having three helpers while she bowls does not up her game! 

 Matisyn is blurry because she is jumping up and down with delight over her great turn!

Grandma won, but wasn't proud of her score!  Matisyn nicknamed herself Ruby for the game, and Emilyn chose a nickname too, but I can't remember it right now, it might have been Christina.  Grandma was named Ama since that's what Lucas called her all week.  It was a fun night.  Matt got home the next day from his trip, and Mom and I managed to fit in lunch together, a movie, and some shopping.  We also took an afternoon to take the girls to see the new Lego movie.  Then on her last night we went to see one more movie, Monument Men.  We went to breakfast one morning with Lucas too.  So even though it was busy, and she spent a lot of time babysitting, and I spent a lot of time running around, we still managed some fun together too.  For being a short month, this was sure a busy one!

Emilyn Quotes:

"Isn't it crazy that our Grandma lives so far away?  It's so far I need to take my blanky to drive to her house.  Can you even believe it mom?  It is totally crazy because she is our own grandma!"

Emi:  I love our brother, he is such a wootchie tootchie cutie.
Me:  Do you think our family will have another cute baby like Lucas, or is he our last one?
Emi:  No, how could we have a cuter baby than brother.  No baby can be cuter than our baby.

resposed to = supposed to

Matisyn:
 desides = besides