Mealtime

Out of the blue, Nick started to throw a little fit every time I put him in the highchair. He'd squirm, flail his arms, and fling his food to the floor in a big huff. It took several attempts of this for me to realize that maybe all he wanted was to sit at the table with the rest of us. The big fat clue was when he was trying to climb into Paige's chair when I said that dinner was ready. So, I put his tray table away, scooted him in front of the table, and sure enough he started to eat without a problem. As you can see in the picture, he also wants to feed himself.

Paige wanted to make sure that I included this picture of her drinking out of a "big girl" cup.

Memory Lane

It's been almost thirteen years since I graduated from college, Chico State. I was lucky enough to attend school there with my best friend, Nicole, and we were so happy to go there this past weekend to visit her younger sister, Lisa. Lisa is a junior, living in her sorority house, and enjoying college life just as much as we did. She recently turned twenty-one, so Nicole and I took it upon ourselves to travel up there to celebrate with her. I was surprised to learn that really not much has changed in that small college town. There's still some of our favorite places to eat and drink and the campus is just as beautiful as always.

At Tres Hombres, one of our favorite Mexican restaurants.

The three of us shared the beer sampler at Sierra Nevada Brewery and I got to enjoy my most favorite beer, Sierra Nevada Wheat...only on tap in Chico.

In front of Italian Cottage where we both worked.

Rainy Day Schedule

On Monday we had lots of rain, so I had to find ways to keep my little ones busy. So I brought the art easel into the kitchen, busted out the watercolors, put on the aprons, and let them go to town. They had a great time getting creative and messy. Later that same morning, Shayne, Aidan, and Jamie came over for a playdate. I lined the kitchen table with butcher paper and supplied the fingerpaints. Nick and Aidan initially thought, "Ooh...food", until Shayne and I insisted that, no, it is in fact paint.

Nick was actually saying "cheese", very enthusiastically, in this photo.

Zoo Trip

Sunday morning we headed to the zoo bright and early. Since we got there shortly after they opened, we felt like we had the place all to ourselves. We watched orangutans playing peek-a-boo, enjoyed all the bird calling in one of the aviarys, and saw two hippos getting pretty angry with each other.

Paige gets close to a pheasant.

Nick had fun chasing this guy around.

Dinner for Two

Brian and I celebrated Valentine's Day on Friday night while the kids stayed at my parents' house. We stayed in and prepared a gourmet dinner for the two of us. We have always enjoyed cooking together, but we don't usually get a chance to do much of that anymore since the kids. I started by surfing the Food Network website and found a menu that looked great. Rack of lamb, asparagus, and gruyere potato gratin, with an apple tartin for dessert. We paired it with a cabernet from our favorite winery, Beckmen Vineyards. It reminded us that most of the time the best meals are the ones made right here at home.

Preschool Party

On Friday, Paige's teacher hosted a Valentine's Day party. It was very exciting for Nick and me because we got to stay and participate. Paige loved showing us around her classroom, spending time with her teacher, and playing with friends. But, I think she loved her chocolate cupcake with pink frosting most of all.

Paige and Miss Kimberly

Damages

I think I should post this sign on our door.

"We are not responsible for any damages to your personal belongings."

Is it a boy thing to want to break everything in sight? If Nick is ever coming over to your house, lock all your valuables in a safe place. Apparently he was born with a highly technical honing device that will locate any precious, delicate items. Some things that have needed repairing or replacing:
tv remote control - thrown on the tile floor
wooden figurine brought back from India as a gift to Brian from a co-worker - thrown, legs broke off
crayons - bites of the tips and then spits them out
board books - I have taped so many of these together
The list could go on, but I think I have some stuff to put back together.

Sweet Valentine Treat

Yesterday was the perfect day to make Valentine treats in our cozy, warm home while the rain came down. A friend of mine made these little treats for Christmas, so we put a Valentine spin on it. Put a layer of peanut butter in between two ritz crackers, dip in melted white chocolate, and sprinkle with Valentine colors. So easy, a three year old can do it!

Snow Fun

With all the rain we've gotten the past few days, we decided to drive up to the mountains to check out all the snow. Mt. Laguna was the perfect spot to try. It's only about an hour and a half from our place and we knew that there would be snow there. Little did we know that there would be TONS of fresh snow. We were also so excited when it began snowing heavily before we left. Light, fluffy snowflakes drifted down on our heads. Paige, especially, thought that was pretty cool. We didn't want to leave! We also got in some sledding on our boogieboard. Who knew that it could be so multifunctional? We'd love to go back, but first we need to figure out how to keep their gloves on.

Video of our first sledding experience:

Cheap Fun

During these tough economical times, I've been trying to find ways to cut costs. We certainly don't need any more toys in our house. We always could use more physical activity. And, we definitely need to find ways to express our creative side. What better way to do that than throw all the couch pillows and cushions and the floor and go hog wild.

Now, Brian might argue the point that this activity is in fact not reducing costs because of the following: The kids are bouncing up and down which will wear down the springs faster. If that is the case, then we might have to purchase a new couch before we intended to. So, the kids and I will keep it our little secret...until he reads this post.