Since we don't have cable, our children haven't had much exposure to watching sports on TV. They were excited at half-time when they got Grandpa and Daddy's full attention back for awhile. :) They spotted a bingo game in Grandma's closet and so we enjoyed a few rounds of bingo with Benny calling out the numbers.
Toward the end of the game, Jake got so tuckered out (not used to skipping naps!) that he grabbed his blanket, snuggled up in front of the fireplace, and was soon fast asleep. I snapped a picture as the crowds cheered for the Seahawks win (YAY!!) and green and blue confetti was raining down. :)
Several evenings later my dad was over at our place and he got to telling some of his stories. All on her own, Abby climbed into a chair near Grandpa and listened intently to him. I loved it. It was a sweet moment for me, as I have many, many memories of sitting just like that and listening to my dad tell stories. :)
Ben and Jake are into making confetti - i.e. cutting up old magazines and catalogs into millions of strips. It's messy, but they love it...and, hey, it keeps them occupied for quite a while even if it does mean a lot of clean up for me. (you should have seen the mess a half-hour later into this cutting fest!)
Sometime in mid-February we got some snow. Not a ton, but finally enough to really play in for the first time this winter (and, from the looks of it, probably the only time!). It was fun because just a couple flakes here and there had fallen that afternoon, but when the kids woke up from their late naps it was a white world outside! They just had to play in it and who could deny them? :) So out into the dark to play in the snow they went!
The next day was Sunday and the kids ran out to play in the snow first thing again. I usually wouldn't let them do this before church, but with this being the only real snow of the year and knowing that it was supposed to be melted by the afternoon, I felt like we couldn't pass the chance up! Consequently, the morning got away from us and we missed Sunday school, but at least we made it to the main service. :) Daddy helped them build a snowman and they opted to put it right in front of the living room window, staring into the house. You don't know how many times that day I had to give a double-take, thinking there was someone standing in my yard looking in at us. :)
Abby's reading abilities have absolutely taken off since Christmas time. My mom gave her some American Girl books for Christmas, thinking I would read them to her not that she would actually read them herself right away. But that seemed to be the catalyst to inspire her to move onto the next reading level and she whipped through the books herself in no time. She spends hours a day reading now - sometimes to her brothers, but mostly to herself. Kevin and I can often be heard asking each other, "Where's Abby?" when we realize we haven't seen her for awhile, and then find her tucked away in her reading nook with a book. Totally reminds me of myself when I was little. :)
Crab season was exceptionally poor this year. Thankfully, we were coming off a really good tuna season, so we'll be okay (although Kevin has definitely been trying to figure out options to make more money between now and tuna time...perhaps even tendering in Alaska this summer!?! We'll see...). Unfortunately, not all the crab fishermen were as lucky and some were hit very hard with this awful crab season that was the worst in decades. Trying to find the positive side, this did mean Kevin has been home a lot more than usual since there are simply not enough crab out there to go fishing for very often. So, he's used the extra time to try to finish the shed in the backyard.... you know, the one he started in February 2011 in hopes of finishing that spring or summer after Jake was born. Ha! The poor man is always so busy that the project has taken much, much, much longer than expected. A few weeks ago he put in the flooring - some beautiful hardwood that we found at a garage sale for $120 and was the exact perfect amount to fit in the shed. And, yes, as you can tell, "shed" doesn't do justice to this place that is beginning to look nicer than our house. :) It will be Kevin's new office and have a little homeschool area as well. Kevin's old office will become Abby's room (and soon the baby's!) and the boys will have their own room.
On the particular day that I snapped the pictures below (the last day of February), we had an unusually warm afternoon. It was so warm that after pulling some weeds in the garden, I went and got some beach towels and the kids and I lounged outside in the sun reading books. It was sooooo perfect. The sky so blue, the grass green and fresh smelling, birds chirping in the air, warm sunshine on our skin, precious cuddling children at my sides. Spring is such a promising time of the year and it's easier to notice and appreciate every little detail. Anyway, I didn't bother even going to get the camera since I was enjoying soaking up every precious moment. But later, after I put Jake down for his nap, I brought my camera and went back out to find Abby helping her Daddy lay down the wood flooring.
And then, even later, I went to check on the progress in the shed again, I found the big two kids just enjoying the new floor with a couple books. They're so cute. And Kevin appreciates the company, even if they aren't much help most of the time. :)
1 comment:
I found all my old American Girl books. They're such a great collection. I have all the old ones... I don't know the order, but all the ones before Kit showed up.
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