February Round-Up!

I can't believe Wednesday is March 1st! March already?! Where did February go?

We kicked off February with Wee Trade, which is the bi-annual highlight of my year! I consign as well as volunteer in order to shop at the pre-public sale. Scott takes the day off to be with the kids, so its kind of like my two vacation days of the year! I found some great spring/summer clothes for the kids, and sold all but 2 of my 40 consignment items.

Valentines Day was so fun this year! Jacob was really excited about his party at school. He informed me that he couldn't wait because they were going to eat juice. He had so much fun coloring Valentines for his friends. We also celebrated at home by making a heart cake, complete with a bottle of sprinkles.

Grandma and Grandaddy came to eat dinner with us that evening. They have been on a trip for the past month, so the kids were really excited to see them again!

We also got to see Papa the following weekend. We're so thankful our children get to spend so much time with their grandparents!

The most exciting news of the month is that we found out we're going to have a NIECE!!! Uncle Craig and Aunt Lori are having a baby GIRL! Before Lori's ultrasound, we all made our predictions, and our little family voted BOY.

I'm so excited for Lydia to have a little girl cousin! My cousins, Holly and Mandy, remain two of my best friends today. I hope these two girls have the same special relationship! It is so fun to see our kids play with and love on Baby Wade, and I know its going to be just as fun with Baby Girl Baden!

This month we enjoyed some playtime with our friends, Ceci, Leo, and Mrs. Julie. Jacob and Ceci are in the same class at school and play so well together. Jacob told me they got married on the playground at school. I asked him what it means to be married and he said, "Well. It means you're a grown-up."

This weekend Scott and I were able to have a brunch date while Grandma and Grandaddy played with the kids. We went to Tupelo Honey - one of our favorites! Don't these pictures of Scott's Banana Pudding Pancakes and my Fried Green Tomato Omelet make your mouth water? :)

We also celebrated Nolan's 2nd Birthday! Kason and Nolan are two of our best little buddies and we always look forward to spending time together. The cupcakes were the hit of the party!!!

This month also brought a new business opportunity to me, as I am now an Independent Distributor for LipSense. Scott and I knew that we'd have to make some financial sacrifices when I resigned from my teaching job to stay home with our kids full-time, and we've made it work. But we really don't have much room in our budget for extras, and for a while now I've been praying about a way to contribute a little bit financially. For about a year and a half I was able to make some money by keeping other children in our home, but that's hasn't been ideal since Lydia was born and now that Jacob has to be transferred back and forth to preschool during the day. So long story short, I stumbled across LipSense, fell in love with it, and have started selling it. I've never done anything like this before and while I don't see it as a long-term career, for now its earning us some extra money, its fun for me, and I'm getting a discount on a product I really love.

February has been unseasonably warm here. I'm not complaining too much, though, because we've gotten to spend lots of time outside. We've been enjoying picnics, walks on the trail in our neighborhood, sidewalk chalk, bubbles, and lots of running up and down hills! We are ready for spring!

Spring in the Middle of Winter

This post was written the week after our big snow storm (mid-January). I forgot to publish. Oops!!!

One week we were sledding and making snow angels and the next week we were enjoying gorgeous 65 degree weather! We took advantage of "spring in the middle of winter" by visiting the nature center. We haven't been in such a long time. I think the last time was right after Lydia was born. The kids loved seeing the animals and being outside in the sun.

The otters, or seals as Jacob calls them, were showing off for us while waiting for feeding time.

When Jacob was a baby he was terrified of this wolf statue. He used to cry every time we walked by it. Lydia, on the other hand, LOVED the "puppy" from the start.

Grandma and Grandaddy headed off on another adventure, but we met them for dinner before they left. Grandaddy's birthday was December 29th, and we hadn't had the chance to celebrate with him yet, so this was a great opportunity to do just that!

Jacob was really excited about the cookie cake we got from Publix!

I love that Jacob and Lydia play together (kind of)! Mostly, she just follows him around while he tells her to do things, but its still really cute. My brothers and I loved playing together and had lots of elaborate games, complete with characters and storylines. I hope our two have the same fun together as they grow up!