Happy Leap Day!

37 Finally Came...

I got to sleep in on my birthday!  The kids were downstairs with Jeff and I heard some kid talk involving making breakfast for Mom.  "Stay in bed, Mom!" was yelled up the stairs, as a tray with coffee was delivered by Grace, just a little sloshing making the mug just a little sticky.  Egg-on-toast came up next, and G'ma Trudy and Papa LeRoy called to sing Happy Birthday to me.  

And when I came downstairs, this made me laugh: "Open your present, Mom!" shouted by two boys who were tearing into a present on the table.  They were *a smidge* excited for my birthday.  Jeff had picked out a very cute outfit from Maurices for me, and it was wrapped in the only paper we had on hand:  Christmas paper.

 My only request for the day was ice cream from The Scoop on the south hill.  So we went for a drive and ended up eating ice cream FOR LUNCH.  Yes, that was a gift!  Banoffee Pie ice cream really is heavenly.

Cute kids!  Josh ran too fast to the car...but he's cute, too.

The night ended with date night with the Van Sickles!  We ate at Blackbird, a restaurant that just opened on Wall downtown.  Great food and fun conversation...and the Zags game on TV!  On the way home, Heidi asked us to stop for my present that she had for me.  I walked into their house to a HUGE box, wrapped in the middle of their kitchen.  I was having horrific thoughts of a puppy in the box, so I was unprepared for helium balloons and Kai and Kalei jumping out of the box, scaring the bajeeeeeeebies out of me!  Ha!  The box was loved at our house too:

 

It was a great day (week?  month?) and I felt completely blessed to have so many dear people that love me!

I especially love the last tri-fold card that came home with Josh the week AFTER my birthday. A little late, but worth the wait!  Ha!  (And I wonder if this will be similar to the belated card I get when he's in college...!?!)

Good Kitty...

Grace's Basketball Friday Nights

Grace played basketball this year!  The same team as last year, but a new game location:  The Warehouse!  Games were Friday nights, which worked out just fine with us...we love leaving our weekends open!  :)  Micah loved the Centennial Trail that crossed over Nevada St.  He made a run for it every time we walked into the gym from the parking lot.

And I of course, didn't EVER get tired of hearing this little voice sing this song to me over a month's timeframe...sweet boy!

Restless Spring Farmers

Mom sends us pictures of Ben's latest farm adventures now and then.  She sent this picture of the three tractors lined up, ready to go, as soon as the fields dried out.  On their mark, and set...

The top picture was found on Ben's Facebook page, and Micah kept asking to see it, so I downloaded it to my phone.  Micah races around the room with my phone, asking people to look at Uncle Ben's tractor.  This boy!

inspired.

One Monday in February

February was filled with keeping track of reading minutes!  If the kids read 600 minutes in the month of February, they earn a Silverwood ticket.  This was the first year that Josh got to participate, and he was quite obsessed with recording his reading minutes!  He was reading in every spare minute, yelling things like, "Mom! I'm reading! Start my time!"  He got so into keeping track of his minutes that he continued to do so, even after he'd earned his ticket.  He's totally a Lochhead--statistician at heart!  Gracie is completely into the Thea Stilton books, as you can see, and was known to devour one in two days this month!  Daddy and I are very proud of our reading kids!

Herbie and Micah were both glad that we were back to filling the bird feeder now that the snow was gone.  He is our favorite family pet!

On this particular morning home with Micah, I lost him for a few minutes and in the quiet, I wondered where he went.  I found him just staring into the washing machine on his stool, lost in awe.

Grace asked if we could come do lunch one day, and this was the day!  We just snacked with her because we had just found out that Auntie Julie was in town visiting her brother, so...

 ...the kindergarten boys and their moms met for a playdate with Auntie and little Cali, her niece.  It was such a great time to visit while the kids played...although there were two upset girls when they found out they missed out on an Auntie visit...  Kalei had been home sick for a few days and was so desperate for entertainment that she agreed to come along to lunch!

I just had to send Jeff, at work, a picture of a kid of ours eating chicken nuggets.  This was a first for us, even though he's our third.  Micah the Meat-Eater!  (Or whatever you call the protein found inside of Chicken McNuggets...)

Bible Study Nights

Our Sundays have been joyfully spent with our growth group friends.   And though there are flip flops in this picture, know that there are frozen toes, too.  We are ALL itching for spring!

O-D-E-N. four letters, four years

Happy Birthday, Oden Thomas!  This boy is one of our favorite boys in the whole world.  We love to listen to whatever he chooses to share with us.  This year (and not just limited to this year, I suppose) he's into the Cars guys.  He's been wanting PINECONE to add to his collection, and his birthday probably could've ended after he opened him!  It's hard to not be won over by this boy's adoration of anything that GOES.  Happy fourth birthday, Odie-O.  Time is going by way too fast.

BIG(foot)LOVE

Linnea sent us Valentines Day love from Portland--in the form of BIGFOOT!  She knows us so well...

Sharing (Stealing?) Salad

We love Taco Tuesday with Gi-gi!  Always snap this pic of Micah sharing/stealing her salad.  Bonding takes all forms...

3-Day Farm Weekend!

Valentine's Day weekend also fell on President's Day Weekend this year (and we know all the best people were born in February, right Papa Bob?) so we decided to spend the weekend at the farm...and we slipped in an early birthday party for ME!  (Birthday MONTH, people!)

This boy was so tired at lunch on Saturday that his ramen was barely able to make it to his mouth.

Wrestle time!  Three against one.  Totally fair.  No, wait!  FOUR against one!  Millie got in there, too.

Uncle Ben's tractor!!!  Micah was very excited to climb up...with Mom and then he talked Dad into going with him.

And in case you didn't know, this month I turned another year older...37 feels great!  Of COURSE I requested meatloaf and mashed potatoes...

Our Loves.

Happy Valentine's Day!  I love to craft with these faces.

One Week in February

 I love that Gracie can read to Micah now.

 Auntie Heidi and I went for a walk around Whitworth one day...our winter seems to be ending! (Cross fingers, cross fingers...)  These snowmen were made out of the many trees that fell in the November wind storm.

Josh and I love our kindergarten half-day afternoons!  During Micah's nap, he and I get special time together.  Games are our favorite.  He's really good at Splendor!

Construction (of neighborhood roads, I think!) started in the field by Midway.  Micah and I sometimes sit on the curb of the school parking lot after we drop off the kids in the morning--he watches the diggers and I organize my crazy just-got-the-kids-out-of-the-house thoughts.

 One of our many Van Sickle adventures...was this a Lent Bible Study night?

 

And Grace got to decorate her very own mailbox for her Valentines.  G'ma Joan suggested we make animals out of hearts like I used to do when I was little, and it proved to be a great suggestion.  Butterfly, snail, caterpillar, and ladybug...all made of hearts.  Grace and I love to craft together!