Our Tree

I love how our magnolia tree explodes every March, practically overnight. (I just hope the beautiful blossoms survive this snowy cold spell!)

Birthdays!

We've had a lot of birthday celebrations around here lately:

Grandma Nora's (when she and Grandpa came to visit in February),

Luke's birthday #1 (with his parents),

fun at Chuck E. Cheese's for Abby's school friend Zach,

bouncing in the jumping castle at next-door neighbor Owen's party,

and Daddy's birthday--#2 (on the actual day).

Whew!

Good-Bye Winter?

The crocus is definitely one of my favorite flowers, mostly by virtue of its impeccable timing. Just when you think the dreary winter will drag on indefinitely, the crocus pops up its cheerful head as if to say, "Hang in there! Spring is on its way."
(Here are some of the few that Alex hasn't stomped on, that {adorable} little turkey!)

Katie's 4th Birthday

Katie turned 4 years-old last week! Here she is with her best friend, her puppy Rosie.
Never wanting to be predictable, she asked for an "Ariel-zebra cake." So . . . that's what she got!

Katie frosted it by herself (with help from Mom on the lettering.)

For entertainment at her party, we watched a DVD that Abby had compiled showing pictures of Katie set to fun music. (That's right, 6-year-old Abby made it! She's amazing with the computer.)

At age four, Katie is:

spunky . . . she loves to ride her bike, jump up and down, and climb on the treadmill.

responsible . . . she is thrilled to finally have her own chore chart and dutifully checks off each chore as she completes it each day.

opinionated . . . she knows what she likes and doesn't like, and that's that (especially with clothes!).

nurturing . . . she is constantly tending to the needs of her baby dolls, stuffed animals, and Calico Critters. She really misses Jane the Gerbil, who passed away a few weeks ago. Katie took very good care of her.

beautiful . . . those big, blue eyes just melt your heart.

smart . . . she writes all her letters and can spell all of our family members' names.

fun . . . she and Alex can entertain each other for hours by chasing each other around the house giggling.

Happy Birthday, Katie!

A White St. Louis Christmas

We stayed in St. Louis for Christmas this year. It was sad to miss seeing our relatives and friends, but we had a great time here. (And we sure didn't miss the craziness of holiday travel with young kids!) We enjoyed the coziness of our home and the companionship of good friends.
Christmas Eve brought the best layer of snow we've seen yet here, so of course we had to build some snowmen!

(Katie, Alex, and Luke with some cute neighbor friends)

Christmas Eve and Christmas morning:

Alex immediately fell in love with his musical train from Santa and snuggled up by it for most of the day. (He had no interest in opening any other gifts!)
This was one of my favorite Christmas moments, when I looked over and saw all three kids playing together (harmoniously!). Definitely a Kodak moment. :)