40 degrees, woo hoo!

Last Wednesday it was in the 40s and you know what that means...yup, off to the park we went! Unfortunately it was super windy so we didn't stay there long, but at least we got a refreshing walk out of it! I'm starting to think Alex is a bit small for the baby swings :)

Note to Self...

While a new haircut seems like a fun idea at the time, be sure it is something easy to replicate on your own at home. It always looks so cute when the hair stylist does it, but I'm never quite able to make it look like that ever again. This morning was a disaster. Oh well, at least the knotted mess of pregnancy hair is gone and this too shall pass...

Abby has her own hair issues. Her hair continues to fall out and Brad thinks it is turning a bit reddish too. Oh, and it usually stands straight up in the air!

Early Celebration

Saturday night we celebrated Brad's birthday, albeit a few days early. We went to dinner at the Olive Garden, where I think Alex may have eaten his weight in breadsticks!! It was nice to get out and mingle with the hundreds of high schoolers who were attending a dance Saturday night.

We haven't felt so old in quite a while.

At the table next to us, all the boys sat on one side and the girls on the other. They chatted endlessly and loudly about friends, facebook, and things way over our heads. Meanwhile, we were harping on Alex to finish his macaroni and cheese!

At the end of their meal, the server brought out eight separate checks as they all were going dutch. It was an ordeal, but the server was a good sport about it all. He had to be as the ENTIRE restaurant was overrun by adolescents! They weren't sure whose mom was picking them up and argued about what would be the best option to get to the dance fashionably late. As I pushed by them in the bathroom, baby carrier in tow, the girls primped and gossiped and complained that their dinner groups had gotten too large. Their dresses were so short and Brad swears he'll never allow Abby out in a dress like that--ha, we'll see.

Seems like just yesterday we were them. Where did the time go?!?

"Her is not my best friend"

Ahh, someday they'll be friends...

She Loves Playing Dress Up

Can't you tell?

Grandpa and Patti's Visit

Grandpa Fred and Patti came to visit us in Illinois this weekend and got to meet Abby for the first time. Abby was on good behavior their whole trip and we had a really nice visit. Alex was excited to show Grandpa how to play Mario Kart and liked having two extra playmates for the weekend. Abby enjoyed having more open arms in which to sleep :) Saturday we all went out to lunch for Valentine's Day at the Crispy Waffle, yum!

Hold Me

Unlike her brother who often preferred to rock wildly in the baby swing, Miss Abby seems to think if there are arms available, she should be held for hours on end and be rocked slowly to sleep. So funny how two kids from the same parents can be so different!

Right now she is sitting in the warm sun of the dining room, in her bouncy seat, while Alex plays in the ball pit. I know that she would greatly prefer to be rocked in this rocking chair, but then who would update the blog?? This room is so nice and warm that over the weekend we moved the dining room table to the basement so we can use it as a playroom for a while. I say "we" but mean Brad and his Dad :)

A Brief Burst of Sun

Yesterday it was in the 60s. Alex played outside quite a bit of the day and Abby was content to sit in the fresh air. She quickly fell asleep once we came back inside and Alex really enjoyed getting back into his sandbox again.

Email

I am caught up on email, reading it that is. Writing back is a whole other story! Most of the time I can check email with one hand while I hold Abby here on the couch. Then I forget to write back to people as I have been putting it off until I have two available hands :) So, to those of you I owe an email, I apologize!

Happy Valentine's Day, A Little Early

Today was Alex's Valentine's musical presentation and family dance. It was a bit chaotic but the kids all looked super cute dressed up for the event. Their songs were well rehearsed but it was 2 hours long! Alex's 3 year old class went last and I think half the class was in tears from sitting still for that long! Afterwards we dined on apple juice and cookies then came home and collapsed.

What We've Been Up To

Here, Alex and I are stuffing Valentine goody bags for his school. He was very excited to take these in and pass them out. Wednesday they have a Family Valentine Dance/Party/Musical Presentation so they'll bring home all their treats then.

Alex's neighbor friends Vanessa and Emily have February birthdays and we all got together to celebrate on Friday at lunchtime. The kids had so much fun playing together all afternoon.

Today the weather was beautiful--for Chicago in February anyway. Temps in the mid-50s were a welcome change. We can even see our grass again, no more snow! Alex played outside quite a bit, even ventured over to the park for a bit with Brad. Abby and I grocery shopped and she had her first taste of playing outside. Of course I had her thoroughly bundled up (see photo above!).

1 month check up

Little Miss Abby had her one month check up on Friday. The doctor was pleased with her progress and weight gain thus far. Her weight is up to 9lbs 6oz and she is 21.5" long. We are truly blessed and loving every minute of her :)

Current Events

Alex is up on his current events. Today in line at Target, he pointed to a commemorative issue of Newsweek with Barack Obama on the cover and said "Hey Mom, there's Barack Obama". The day of the inauguration, TV shows were preempted on every channel, including PBS and Alex was really upset. I tried to explain to him that he should watch the inauguration of our new President, Barack Obama so he watched for a few minutes then went to play trains. Since then, he's been all about pointing out pictures of Obama.

Oh, we were at Target buying valentine cards for his class. Alex picked out the Disney Princess ones without skipping a beat...

Yeah, Daddy's Home, a.k.a. Our Favorite Time of Day!

Bless his heart, Brad comes home with so much energy, I don't know how he does it! He's ready to play with everyone the minute he hits the garage even after putting in long hours at work. I know he and Alex are looking forward to Spring when they can ride bikes after dinner and play outside. The bottom photo was probably taken right after Alex went to bed and Abby decided to take a pre-bedtime nap.

Yeah, Bows!

My friend Jen in Texas makes the cutest little bows for girls. She is one of my craft idols! Last week she sent a box from her and Stacey of bows and a bow holder. On my list of things to do is take photos of all the handmade gifts Abby has received because they are all darling in their own right. Here's Abby modeling some of her new bows on the baby headband.