Valentine's, Dry Bedtimes,and Other Accomplishments

The weather has been all over the map (pun intended) lately. Warm and springy one day, wet and rainy the next, then cold and snowy. We've not received the snow that many areas of the country have but the general consensus around here is that it is TIME FOR SPRING!!

Caleb received his bike for his birthday but hasn't had much of a chance to ride it, unless you count going around and around in circles in the garage. One nice day, he and Dad took it out for a spin. So far, the tricky part is that, unlike the trikes at school, these pedals don't go backward. On this bike, if you push back, you brake. Frustrating to him, funny to us :)


The snow started coming down one afternoon and just kept coming and coming. Very pretty. There were lots of birds flying around and Caleb was worried that they wouldn't have any food so we put out some pieces of bread. The birds were not impressed. That, or they didn't want to come near the crazy howling beagles that were running around the backyard. Because I only have a point and shoot (like I'd have a clue how to use anything fancier!), this photo didn't come out like I'd hoped, but can you see the cardinal hanging out in the tree?

In true "good mom" fashion, I found a recipe for snow ice cream and Caleb and I made it. It was very yummy, and, of course, we had to add a few drops of green food coloring.


Harper didn't "harvest" the snow with us, but she did enjoy the feel and texture of it.


Since Aaron didn't get to play in the snow with Caleb when it was on the ground at Christmas, this recent snowfall was all about the boys playing in the backyard. It took forever to get bundled up and Caleb didn't have his "real" mittens because they were at school, so we improvised, wearing some fleece ones that are too big for Harper and putting Ziplocs secured by rubber bands over them.


Dad helped stake Caleb's claim on the fence. We are working on identifying letters. So far, Caleb prefers non-vowels as he says his name is spelled "CLB"

I'm not sure who had more fun, Caleb or the dogs.


What better way to warm up than with some hot (or in Caleb's case lukewarm) chocolate?

I noticed a few weeks ago that Caleb had a dark spot on his tooth. We scheduled an appointment with a dentist. Despite his nervousness, Caleb did a great job letting the hygienist count his teeth then polish and floss them. The dentist said he did have a cavity and referred us to a pediatric dentist. We visited her this week and, based on the dental work he needs done, you would think I gave him Coke in his bottle when he was a baby or something. Lovely. This office does recommend putting kids Caleb's age completely under with an anesthesiologist. So that is scheduled for later this spring. I think I'll start taking Harper Grace now, if we're gonna have these sorts of dental troubles.


In late January, Caleb mentioned one night that he didn't want to wear Pull-Ups to bed. Aaron and I exchanged looks like "We soooo don't want to be changing sheets in the middle of the night" but we gave it a try. He was a pro! We gave some incentive the next night, saying if he could keep his underwear dry for 7 nights in a row, we would go to Incredible Pizza. I personally thought it would take forever to make it happen. Nope, he has not had one accident in the bed and it has been almost a month. Way to go, buddy! Incredible Pizza was very fun (and very crowded) on the night we went. Grandma and G-Dad joined us and they spent time with Harper Grace as we helped Caleb with his games.


Get those Gators!


Harper is into everything, exploring and nearly giving me a heart attack on a daily basis. She has no fear and tends to not watch where's she's going. She, like her brother, can get very focused and intent on figuring how things work.

She loves the stairs, so we're always on guard to make sure the baby gate is closed.

When I first downloaded these videos, these were a pretty accurate representation of Harper Grace's walking ability. It is fun to see how far she's come in a few short days.

Have I ever mentioned that Harper Gracie loves to eat? With the exception of mushrooms, we've yet to find a food she won't inhale. Not only does she out-eat Caleb, she out-paces him too. At a recent school meeting, Harper ate two pieces of pizza. Caleb ate 1 1/2 and was still eating when it was time to go.

For Valentine's Day, we made some cupcakes for our family. Caleb was a big helper in the making and in the decorating...and in the swiping of frosting off the top of cupcakes. Now you know why they were for family only, too many germs to share with anyone else.


For our Valentine's date, Aaron and I got a sitter and went mattress shopping. My mom did point out that there was a connection between Valentine's Day and mattresses but I quickly changed the subject. We upgraded to a king (and will never go back!!!) and were so pleased with the products and customer service at Mattress King, which sells Sealy and Stearns and Foster. It has come in handy lately as, more often than not, at least one kiddos winds up in our bed by mid-morning.

I am continuing to run, talking two good friends from school into running the OKC 1/2 marathon in April. We are training with Fleet Feet and LOVE it. I swear that I never never never thought I'd be running like this and actually enjoying it. We run several short runs throughout the week then a long training run at 7am on Saturdays. Two weeks ago was the Sweetheart Run 10k (6.2 miles). Alissa and I finished at about a 10:54/min pace. Not too shabby. It was very very cold, as in so cold that the iced-down beer at the finish line was actually about the same temperature as my hands.

To end this blog, let me just share a special little excerpt from a day in the life of our family. Anyone wanna join in our craziness??