February

February, 2016

 Anna's first finger-painting. Why did I wait so long??

 This stuff is pretty great...

And this is my sweet happy little arteeest. Can anyone find some cuteness anywhere under that paint?

On facebook, I posted this:

Paleo chocolate donuts. With paleo chocolate icing. Classic Tom Martin. 

‪#‎justdontaskaboutthesprinkles‬

Here is Anna, poring over Da in Da's new bed, and sneaking back into her own. 

No, she can't (or doesn't) climb out yet. It's a snag she hits. 

 Peter and some of his motor skills toys; little girl blue with her smoothie

On a very welcome warm winter day. 

 What else did we do during the long cold days? We sorted beans...

 ...took goofy selfies on the kitchen floor

 Anna and her "Hedge-Hug" quilt that just came in the mail from Grandma. I think she likes it. 

Anna is my faithful kitchen assistant. Here she is putting cut kale into the salad spinner. She did her best to cut with the table knife she's allowed. She loves to "Watch! Do Cooking!" and desperately drags her kitchen chair over if she suspects I might be trying to do something culinary without her. She stirs, dumps measuring cups, chops (with a table knife) and sorts my clean silverware.
And once in a while Peter tries to get in on the action, though she's not a fan of sharing her cooking chair. 

Here's a thing: Peter painstakingly pushing slightly-too-big crayons down through the bottom of a funnel, shaving each one as it goes. Few things ever hold his attention as long as this one did. 

Rice play.     And a poor girl who just wants a ride. 

A rare shot of my sleeping angel

The clementine veil

So I'm doing laundry or whatever, and become aware of something refreshingly peaceful happening in the other room. 

(Anna "beep, beep, beep!"-ing like the horn on the bus)

Apparently the good folks at Eastern Kabob use ultra black ink in their icing. 

Hard at work in the local train museum caboose on a rainy day with our buddies the Changs

Anna Frances (extra lean from being sick?) and spunkycute as ever. 

Peter's emphatic non-participation in singing day at pre-school. 

Peter and I have both grown over the last few months in understanding how best to handle his utter aversion to performance in a setting like this, and still come out with an affirmed (vs. unraveled) little boy. Besides, there are worse character traits than a preference to avoid the spotlight!

Back in the comfort zone:

Don't be too impressed. I think he was punitively cleaning off some spit. 

We'll end with this classic morning snapshot as Peter and I answer Anna's morning call. 

I love them so. 

And that was February!