Life is just zipping along! Here we are, almost at the end of February. Here's what we've been up to since my last update...
Carter and I really do have lots of quality time together. We get it on my days off between his dismissal and Ashlynn's, we get it on her violin class and violin lesson days, and we get it twice a week while Ashlynn and Eric go to soccer practice. I love my sweet (and sometimes stubborn and moody) boy.
One thing we did a few weeks ago after I picked him up from school was go to the drive thru car wash. I don't care how old you are, it is pretty fun to ride through the storm of one of those!
Here's a simple shot I took of Ashlynn to show her how green her eyes look with our green living room walls nearby.
February continued to provide us with beautiful sunrises!
Pippa continued to enjoy our new couch.
The kids had mismatch day at school, which is a particular favorite, especially with Ashlynn.
I was home with Carter, who had a cold, but Ashlynn and Eric made it to the Potato Bake and Chocolate Cake event at church.
The month was very busy with Ashlynn's all-star soccer season. There were two practices a week and often two games on most weekends. We did take advantage of a game in South El Monte to pick up some good tacos, post-game.
We celebrated Chinese New Year with our first meal at the legendary Din Tai Fung. Those were some tasty dumplings and noodles!
The weather has been really lovely, so Carter and I often stay at the school between his dismissal and Ashlynn's to get his homework done outside.
A big event of the month was Ashlynn going to Astrocamp with the school district's 5th grade GATE students.
Saying good-bye.
Fortunately, most of Ashlynn's closest school friends went on the trip too!
While the kids were gone, one of the principals who was up at the camp posted photos for us parents to see.
While older sisters were away at camp, Carter had Josiah spend the night at our house. It was the first friend sleepover for both boys. They had so much fun together.
They slept, some. 10:15pm-6:00am?
Carter and I also went out for a treat that weekend (see, lots of good times together). We used Cold Stone gift cards and then enjoyed our ice cream in Library Park by the fountain.
We also took Pippa on a walk. This totally delighted Carter, and he giggled for much of the walk as he held Pippa's leash.
Okay, we also had a silly and sweet selfie session. Here are a few:
Carter is quite the reader and now I have the "Put down the book and get going!" challenge with him too.
Ashlynn returned from Astrocamp on Valentine's Day. We were happy to see her because we missed her!
In the evening Eric made a nice dinner and I prepared the back patio for a special Valentine's Day dinner for four.
My big valentine
Pippa got some snuggles too!
After dinner we did some dancing (and lipsyncing). It was a blast!
It got a little crazy.
Some of our decorations became earrings. I told you it got crazy!
We had the day after Valentine's Day off for President's Day. We took advantage of the day off and the beautiful weather and drove out the the beach. Apparently we were not the only people with that genius idea because it was crowded!
In traffic on PCH in Santa Monica.
Lunch at Duke's in Malibu. Eric insisted we have the Kona pie.
After trying to stop at a number of beaches in the Malibu area, we finally found one with parking. We were not really dressed for anything more than beach exploring, so the kids played and we sat on a driftwood log and watched them enjoy themselves.
To end this update, I'll share two photos I took that I thought were just pretty. I hope they make you smile too.
See you in March!
