February 2016

You started out this month with the flu and your first ever real vomit.  It was so heartbreaking.  Also messy.  It was all over me and our bed.

Grandma and Grandpa wrapped up their visit with us.  It was great having them here and we were sad to see them go.

You don't like your hands to be dirty.  If you think they might be dirty you hold your hands in fists and won't touch anything.  After you eat and I clean you up you often come back to me just a moment or two later and ask, "Mom did you wipe my hands already?"  You can tell how effective it must be seeing as you can't even distinguish if I've already done it or not.

If I am eating or prepping food or anything in which my hands could possibly having something on them and I try to touch you, you tell me, "don't get me dirty!" or "did you wipe your hands?"

Terrible picture, but it was so sweet I had to share.  One night not long after Daddy had been gone on a business trip and working late several nights after he returned, you insisted on wearing his hat to bed.

You have been telling us for awhile that you sometimes see black spots or sometimes you ask why there are bugs flying around in the house.  I called your doctor and she suggested we see an opthamologist.  We took you to have your eyes checked and he said everything looks perfect and that it's not unheard of for kids to see spots like that and they aren't really sure why.  He did a pretty basic eye exam then dilated your eyes to check your retinas.  Daddy and I were very relieved because when we had googled what it could be the most likely problem (if there had been one) would have been a detached retina, which would require surgery.

You generally prefer all of your food cold.  I put a lot of plates in the freezer to cool them off before they go to the table.

You love to eat frozen peas and corn.  Straight from the freezer.  It's a great go-to when you don't like your dinner or if you're hungry while I'm cooking or when we need a healthy snack.

Baking soda + vinegar car wash.

Some favorite mis-pronunciations this month:  corrections (directions) and wyam (lime).

Homemade pom poms to cheer on Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl (they won!).  When we made the pom poms I told you it was for the biggest football game of the year.  For several weeks after you continued to ask about "The Biggest Football Game of the Year."

Your Valentines.

Valentine's tea party at school.

Sidewalk chalk.  It's important to line them all up before getting started.

You wanted to make a rainbow but didn't know how so somehow I ended up making it.

This is the rainbow you made for me.  It couldn't be more perfect.

Circle time with the bunnies.

Valentine's weekend breakfast with heart-shaped toast and hot chocolate.

Best Valentine's gift ever:  Daddy surprised us with a haircut!

Love your style.

You have been learning to dress yourself!  It's a work in progress but you're doing great.  It started one day when your shirt got dirty at lunch.  I was cleaning up the kitchen and we were also getting ready to leave.  I told you to pick out a new shirt and when you brought it back to the kitchen I asked if you wanted to try it yourself.  I looked up a couple of minutes later and you had it on!

Rain days are always exciting around here.  Puddles!

You were making us apple pie for dessert after dinner one evening.  I think you filled at least 45 minutes doing this.

You also got your second hair cut this month.  I have been thinking about doing it for awhile but since Daddy got his cut I thought it was a good opportunity to get you excited about it.  I cut it at home and put some layers in it so it would still curl and I love it.  I don't have a great "after" picture, but you can kind of see it in this one and a few farther down.

Visit to the aquarium at the Santa Monica Pier.

Visiting the fountain at The Grove.

We met my friend Erica for lunch and I promised you if you behaved we could ride the trolley when we were done.  I think Erica was as excited as you were.

Tea party using my dishes from when I was a little girl.

I found a recipe for what you and I are calling "slime" (corn starch + water).  We've made it twice already and we both had a lot of fun.  It's sort of a mix between liquid and solid and is really fun to play in, even for me!

Picnic lunch.  I sort of adore you wearing this hat.  It was part of my work holiday party gift bag last year.

Snacking with Kelly.

Sorbet is dairy-free!  What a treat!

Making your Valentines.

You like to play hide and seek.  Your hiding method is generally to either (a) stand right out in the open, or (b) hide in the exact place where the person hiding before you just hid.

Making milk carton houses.

Hanging up all the Valentines you received.

I started putting you to work helping clean up crumbs under the table.  You love using the Dust Buster.

You had to put all the kids to bed in their respective houses, beds, and blankets, before you could go to bed.

You like to shorten words to one syllable.  So you'll say things like, "Can I have more broc?" (broccoli).  Or, when asked if you want your pink jacket or khaki jacket you replied, "khak."  Straw (strawberries), Kell (Kelly), pan (pancakes), etc.

Lately you like to pretend we are building things.  No matter what we're building, it's always made out of pretend tools, yarn, and thread.

*gasp*  I let you paint directly on the table top last week.  It was already messy after painting on paper so I suggested we just take the paper away.  You were really hesitant at first but when I joined in you finally realized it was okay and had a lot of fun.

Cleaning up the table at school.  Kudos to Miss Renee for the photo.