We are now through the second month of 2014--this year is flying by! It was a COLD February, but we had a really good month despite the frigid temps :) Along with the obvious warm feelings associated with Valentine's Day, we were excited to learn that the boys will be having a cousin arriving in late October--congrats Steven and Becky! I've been enjoying my pursuit of biblical counseling, and I'm pleased to report that I lost 11 pounds in February! And....proud Mommy moment here...Tommy learned how to read this month!! Here's a little clip of him reading a book at the beginning of his series, but I think he's now up to over 40 books that he has read all by himself!
We have also made the decision to have Tommy (and, consequently Ethan) enroll in the Transition Class at Woodhaven as 5 year olds, rather than beginning Kindergarten (a popular option now known as "red-shirting"). While I don't feel like we "need" to explain our decision, I kind of want to because there seems to be some confusion and/or erroneous conclusions that are automatically assumed about why people might choose this path. The truth is, there are many different reasons why people choose this path, and while it very well might be strictly for academic reasons, based on our research it rarely is. As for us, we could not be more thrilled with Woodhaven and the progress the boys have made there in one short year! Our decision was not based in any way on "academics"--in fact, that is the very area that both boys excel in! That said, we felt like having another year to hone their fine motor and social skills would only benefit them. A couple of other factors for us were the "Common Core" curriculum currently being taught in NC public schools, the fact that both boys still take 2-3 hour naps each day, and also that we're hoping to get Track 1, which starts in early July, rather than September.
Well, enough explanations--time for the good stuff--PICTURES!
A little Super Bowl party with our close friends, the Griffin clan!
"Baby Riley" was definitely more entertaining than the football game!! Tommy was SOOOOOOO adorable with her <3
"Got your nose!"
How cute are they?!?!
You can't fight against a tickle attack from Daddy!
Aunt Sarah and Uncle Scotty getting their turn to hold Riley :)
I really thought Riley was going to take her first steps that night, but she still loves holding Daddy's hand too much!
A new month means.......NEW window clings at Grandma's house!
And, baking is now a requirement according to the boys!
Here we see the boys building a tower together. Now, it is their habit to take turns knocking it over and rebuilding it again. While that is a fine agreement between the two of them, Ethan might have gotten the wrong impression that everyone is okay with him knocking over their hard work! He received his first "bad note" home a few days ago for knocking over his friend's sand castle on purpose (in addition to simply not acting like himself that day). So, Tommy being Tommy, decides to pray the following prayer a couple of days after said incident: "Dear God, Help us love everybody, bless this food to our bodies, and please help us not knock over our friend's sand castles and towers...Amen."
A little early Valentine's Day gift for my Mom :)
The boys were all ready for snowstorm Pax with their snowflake sweaters and "snowman hats" ;)
So cute!
And COOL in their shades!!
Sure enough, the snow came down HARD and FAST! No school today!!
Look at this cutie pie just hanging on Mommy's arm!
He can be a little stinker, but he's so darn adorable!
Snowed in again! Let's make some Valentine's muffins!
Ethan STUFFED his pancakes into his mouth so he could come help--I might have some future chefs on my hands after all (although, they'll need to expand their food palates quite a bit!).
:D
Patiently waiting......
Yay!! They're done!
My three funny Valentines!!! ;) <3
What's a snow day without a special "rest time" in the guest bed...They always claim they won't fall asleep, but they always do!
We did attempt to go outside, but it was NASTY out there--as evidenced by Ethan's face!!
That would be sleet coming down on us!
The boys were more than happy to snuggle up together in their warm pj's!
I love these two goobers!
Happy Valentine's Day!!! Look at this cute Valentine that my big guy made for me all by himself! He did all of the cutting and writing totally solo (although, he had help spelling "love")...I love that he picked his favorite color, orange to make his heart <3
And, look at this cute little guy that Ethan made at school (pretty sure he had some help!)
And, of course, I couldn't forget my little guys!! They were so thankful for their little treats, especially the balloons and the Reese's!
I love you!!
After our Valentine's breakfast and treats, we went outside to discover ice thick enough to hold all of us without breaking through in many spots!
Ethan walking on our little "pond" (a spot in our yard that doesn't drain very well!)
The snow/ice wasn't nearly as much fun to play in this time....but, at least I caught this picture of these guys hugging!
Let it gooooooooooooo...Let it gooooooooooooo....Good riddance, snow!!
This was the sweetest little present from Davey...he made me a heart out of snow, and came and knocked on the window <3 I married the sweetest man on the planet!!
A lovely surprise after the snow melted--Valentines from Granny!!
Tommy really loves getting mail these days--he was so excited to open it himself!
Thanks, Granny!!
Tommy led the charge upstairs to the piggy banks!
Well, it was FINALLY time to go back to school again, and finally time to give out Valentines :) The boys were so excited to hand out their little treats to their friends and the chocolates to their teachers!
Who wouldn't want to receive a Valentine from these two studs?!
After school, Tommy came home with this "Valentine" from his best friend, Patrick :)
How adorable is this hershey kiss they made at school!?
Well, as you can see from his outfit, less than a week after the snow, it was in the 70's!! My good friend and running mate throughout all sports in high school, Staci Pleasant Hicks, sent Ethan this AMAZING shirt in preparation for St. Patrick's Day! Is it not absolutely PERFECT for my little ginger?! I mean, look at that mischievous little face!!
Thanks, Staci!!
Not to be left out, Tommy ran upstairs to get his own "special shirt", came downstairs, and demanded that he have his picture taken too in his shirt!!
Who me?!
GO STATE!!
Do you know a good veterinarian, because these pythons are sick!!
It finally is warm enough to play outside for a while!
The guys all stretching it out before they take their marks!
GOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
Oh nooooo--Daddy Dragon has made an appearance!!
E says it's his turn to be the Dragon!
Daddy wins again!
Rescued by Big Bro!
Happy camper :D
So happy that Wendy is back in town to stay, AND that I finally got to meet this little guy, Dean Christopher--and, bring him that cute little State beenie :)
First time for Natalie (Wendy's daughter) at Monkey Joe's!
Time for a pizza break!!
Getting some work in with the Carter girls!!
And, some play of course!!
Cameron, our little tom-boy!!
Ethan is finally wanting to start writing!
That little goose wrote 1-10 with his left hand, and 11-20 with his right--pick a side little buddy!!
Work hard + Play hard = Movie and rest time!!
The LONG-awaited Pajama Day at school!! Spiderman and Teddy were absolute necessities!
Tommy was sooooooo excited--we literally heard about this every day of February!
To finish up, here's a little look at some of what the boys have been learning about in school. I think it was both of their favorite units, although they were each on different topics!
Ethan's class did a big unit on the circus! Ethan LOVES animals, so it was right up his ally! This was a really cool craft, because you can take the animals in and out of the train!
And, as you can see from the state of this picture, he loved playing with his clown and balloon!
As for Tommy, I think we have found a new future job--Astronaut!! He has LOVED this unit on space, and I have been so impressed with how much he has learned and retained! If you point at any of these planets, he can actually tell you which one it is!!
These have gotten a lot of playing time too recently...his astronaut on the moon, 3D rocket ship, and telescope!
So, that was our February! I hope you all were able to stay warm during this chilly month--here's looking towards a fabulous March!!
