I’ll take Spring now, thanks.

Winter is really dragging, isn’t it? Hooray for March! It’s means spring is just around the corner, and how I need it. I’ve been dealing with a serious head cold this past week and a half. I’ve downed a bottle or two of Day/Nyquil, and my nose is raw from the boxes of tissues I’ve gone through. I’m ready to stop feeling tired and groggy all the time! And a few sunny days this week are sure to help. The kids have been absolutely delightful lately, which has been the hugest relief. It was rocky there for a while, but I think we all kind of adapted and our moods evened out because of it. Okay, so things aren’t perfect (Alex has multiple bite marks on his arm, people usually get ice cream even though they didn’t eat their dinner, and the house is always disastrous), but I don’t let a good day go by without being grateful for it! And when you have a few in a row, it just feels like heaven. I love my babies and the sweet, hilarious people they are a lot of the time. I love that they are following my instructions more now, and are more accepting of situations that don’t go there way. I love how much they make me laugh and the darling interactions we have everyday. They surprise me every day with the new things they learn, and how well they are learning to communicate. I wish I could remember it all. They really are great company and I feel so full of happiness as we all walk hand in hand. Here are some highlights of our last few weeks.

Valentines Day is always fun for kids. I’ve said before that I’m not such a fan of the pressure it puts on adults to buy junk, but at least it gives us an excuse to make the day different and fun.

They thought cutting out hearts was like magic.

I set out some valentines for them the night before. Helium balloons never disappoint.

They even got to open some valentines from Grandma and a new friend McKenna! There was a lot of excitement over those.

We kept it low-key with take-out that night. KC said that he and the person on the phone weren’t communicating well, and he ended up with a lot more food than he meant to get. But the price was great so we didn’t mind.

Four egg roll MEALS instead of four egg rolls. Ha! At least it was delicious.

Chocolate is necessary on this day, so I went for an Oreo brownie.

I let the kids have some fun with my roses.

More library fun.

Backpacks are still constant companions to these kids. I’ve taught them to leave them in the car when we go places, but they love packing those things what anything they can fit in them. Once I found a some slippers, jeans, and a pair of Ruby’s underwear in Alex’s. I remember him rushing to put things in when I told them to hurry up. Silly kid.

During naptime, I found Bennett like this. Maybe that will teach him not to throw his blankets out next time. At least he took care of this problem himself. And everyone on Facebook thought those little yellow cars were poop. They’re not.

Lounging.

Potty-time company.

She insists on doing this most of the times I take her picture lately.

We find their stuffed animals “put to bed” in the funniest places. I love seeing their imaginations at work.

She doesn’t go anywhere without this.

Not sure where this new wrestling stage came from, but it can get pretty serious.

Bennett always complains that pictures are too bright.

Cute little sunbeams.

I bought these lip whistles around Valentines, and little did I know how much they would be loved.

Bennett almost died laughing every time he made a noise with his.

Love creative play.

The first time I let them all loose in Costco. It was crazy, but they were cute talking to the staff. They told the man at the snack bar exactly what they wanted.

Ruby set up this picture. “Guys, can we take a picture togeder?”

How I love happy hour.

I’ve been baking on occasion, but also trying to eat better. I’m kind of powerless when it comes to fresh-baked goods, so I don’t bake as much as I want. It’s sad. But I did try bagels for the first time. For some reason, I never have before. But I loved the process, and the final product, so I can definitely see myself making them again. First I tried out this recipe, and did some different toppings on each. Then I found this recipe, and made cinnamon craisin, and holy cow, those were amazingly good. I had to freeze half of them to keep from eating them all in a short amount of time. Try them, you’ll see.

I was inspired to make a tropical granola when I noticed I had dried coconut and mangoes. Just make this granola replacing half of the applesauce with melted coconut oil, and switch out the other nuts for macadamias, and the dried fruits with those listed above. It’s hard to stop eating that stuff.

I turn my back for a couple minutes, and find them half naked in the snow. I’m such  a great mom.

Ruby loves to help in every way. “Setting up the table” is one of her favorite things to do. I always give her paper products, but she does so well, I think I’d trust her with fine china. She always has to make sure there are napkins under the forks.

One snowy Sunday morning I decided to make Welsh breakfast cakes for breakfast. Great recipe. I made them into hearts with my cutter still handy from Valentines. Ruby always want “heart pancakes” now.

This was the same Sunday and church ended up getting canceled. So we did some cozy lounging,painting,whatever he was doing,more lounging,a toddler-friendly lesson,and finished the day off with empanadas. It was a fun snow day.

I’m loving all the shapes, letters, faces, and other things I find on papers all over the house. Bennett is most excited about drawing and is really into trucks and squares lately.They are really into Mickey Mouse Clubhouse lately. Here’s Bennett’s Mickey.

To keep them entertained one day, I gave Minnie a shot. Where is Lili when you need her?!A skeleton and a spider by Alex I think.

Train tracks continue to be a favorite toy. I was proud of this track I helped them with. KC’s are always cooler, but at least I tried.

I found this great clothing rack for their coats and backpacks at IKEA. Little did I know how much fun they’d have with it.

I thought up this little game on the fly one day. It worked for a minute. Then just turned into this.

I’m not sure how this came about. KC took it when I was somewhere. Cute.

VERY rarely do we let them in our room. I’ve kind of kept it my sanctuary, and it’s not kid-proofed at all. But lately we’ve let them come in and play on a really boring cold day. Oh the happiness!

We’ve been making a few new friends, and even had some over for dinner. Emily and Kurt put little Ellie down in our room, and we had an Indian dinner, delicious cookies Emily made, and played a good round of Cranium. A great night.

Loving the occasional warm days! This past week has been full of them!

Now, I know we’re in for more cold and snowy weather this weekend and beyond. I’ll deal with it the best I can and I wait impatiently for spring. I’m going to soak up as much such as I can tomorrow with the forecast being in the mid-60s! Let’s pray it stays that way one of these days!