February got away from me...

it's hard to believe i'm sitting here at the end of a week when we saw 60 degrees and looking at pictures of piles of snow.

but, then again....i look out the window and the scene is pretty much the same today.  nothing like march madness in minnesota to take you from balmy and sunny to 6 inches of snow in no time flat.

anywhoos....february got away from me.

and i don't really know why.

we didn't have a lot planned.

we didn't really go anywhere.

but i guess i was just plain tired and didn't really feel like i had anything to say.

the gray days of february can do that to a girl.

but looking back on it, we had some fun....

like sledding and snow forts on days that weren't -40 degrees ;)  

and valentine's day was all kinds of fun.

we got to see firsthand the stark contrast between our first and second born when working on the valentines.

i had come up with four or five options, printed them off and had everyone choose which they wanted.

peach's vote:  valentine, let's stick together...with a stick of gum

tulip:  sip, sip hooray, it's valentine's day...with a silly straw

sparkle:  valentine, you're a smartie....with, you guessed it, smarties

J also went with the stick of gum theme for his 3rd graders.

so, i purchased the supplies and we got down to business.

firstborn peach wasted no time.

she hammered out her name and classmates' names in perfect penmanship on 18 valentines, made another 6 for the kids at daycare, used some sweet washi tape to get the gum on the back and then begged to do the 26 for J's class as well.

in that same amount of time, here was the conversation with the second born:

me:  this is so fun!  here's a marker.  pick some stickers to put on alex's valentine.

tulip:  okay

me:  alright, i'll put alex's name here and you write your name here.

tulip:  do i have to?

me:  yes, this is for your friends.  do you want to get valentine's from your friends?

tulip:  yea

me:  then you also have to put some effort into making some for them

tulip:  i'm hungry

me:  we can have a snack when we're done

tulip:  okay....writes first two letters of her name...this is HARD work

me:  sweetheart, your name has only 4 letters.  it's not hard work.  pick your favorite color marker and do your best work, okay?

tulip:  do i have to?

me:  you GET to!

tulip:  i'm thirsty...now draped over the chair in a dramatic pose with eyes closed

me:  k....tell you what - i'll get you a drink while you finish that valentine

tulip:  okay...finishes her name.  i'm done.  how many more do i have to do?

me:  well, there are 6 kids at daycare.  you made one.  we have five left.

tulip:  FIVE??!?!?!?!?  no way!!  i'm sooooo tired.

i'll spare you the rest of the dialogue.  it was pretty much the same.  it got to the point where peach had finished hers and was now asking if she could work on her sister's as well.

i stood firm and made the little pickle make all 6, but Lord, have mercy when this child starts school and has to do homework!

one of my favorite memories with my parents was making AWESOME valentine's day boxes.

like the year we did a TV, complete with rabbit ears.

or the year we did an awesome boombox with heart-shaped speakers.

or the year we had leftover fur (from the parade that my brother and i were in where we starred as wilma and fred flintstone) and we made a sweet valentine's day beaver to store all my candy stash from school!

it was always fun.  and a memory i want to continue with my kids.

however, after the drama with tulip, i had no energy left for a box

but the next day, we did come up with this handsome guy...

he had a slit on top for her valentine's from friends and she reported that she had the best box in the class

we don't always hit a home run....in fact, we don't always even try.

we don't want her to think she always has to be the best....or have the best

but, when all the stars line up just perfectly, every once in a while, it sure is fun!

  

another monumental moment...the loss of tooth number two

it wasn't even ready to come out, but she made J yank with all his might so she could get another dollar from the tooth fairy and buy a toy she'd had her eye on.

one BITTER cold day during sparkle's nap, i had the brilliant idea to take these two to see paddington bear 

at the theater.  i had the music on and was enjoying the drive, only to pull up to the theater and discover this:

apparently all children in the wacek home should have been put down for naps that day and maybe i would have gotten one, too!

the good news is that they both snapped up when i opened the doors and we really enjoyed the film.

we beat some of the cabin fever with baking...always a treat for this one and an exercise in patience for me.  

the night we went to see the boys' basketball team play, my heart went pitter patter for just a second when i saw my tribe all lined up, eating popcorn and skittles and enjoying the band.

however, soon the snacks ran out and my ooey gooey lovey moment was over as i was trying to herd these little squirrels amongst the fans.

not easy to do in the 9th month of pregnancy...

we ended up running through the locker banks, squealing every time we found one another...

having races on the track on the other side of the gym....

threats to drop baby to her impending doom...

and, finally, coloring books in the hallway while daddy finished out the first half cheering on the team

to end the month, i'll share with you what our little author came home with one day.

she was proud as punch and so was i:

so sweet it makes my teeth hurt!

glad to have the memories of this looooooong, cold month

and also glad that an early spring has greeted us and given us the chance to throw open the windows, get outside and be done with runny noses for the next 6-8 months!