February...and a little bit of January

I wonder where she got the habit of biting her finger nails

A new favorite backyard game!

my precious Valentine

my other precious Valentine

Caroline's first princess party for her friend Sara Beth

Anna Laura had fun at the party too!

Loves to twirl in her princess gowns

fun with friends at the discovery center

braving the cold to spend a little time in her tree house

January and February have been very full. I feel like that has been the saying for our lives for the past couple of months....full. January passed uneventfully with the exception of play dates with friends, birthday parties,and visits from grandparents. February has been full with sickness. About mid February Caroline got the flu. Then a few days later Benji got the flu. Luckily Anna Laura and I escaped the flu(thank you God) and Caroline is fully recovered. Benji is however still feeling the effects of the flu and had return to the doctor today for more medicine. In the midst of Caroline and Benji having the flu, I managed to hurt my knee pretty badly and have been limping around since. I went to the doctor today and I have to get an mri and xray to see what is going on but the doctor expects a torn meniscus. So needless to say I am ready for February to pass and for our family to heal. We would love you to join us in prayer for healing and recovery!

Well in perfect timing with my knee injury(note sarcasm) Anna Laura has really taken off walking. She is walking most places but occasionally uses the speed crawl to get around. She loves to climb the stairs when I'm turned around and not looking. Lately she has been climbing into chairs and trying to stand up, again when I not looking. Needless to say, Anna Laura has given me a few near heart attacks lately! Anna Laura is fearless and when she falls and hits her head, she just gets right back up and keeps going. She has learned the signs for more, all done, and food and she likes to kiss herself in the mirror. She likes to be silly and to be chased.

Caroline is continuing to draw and write like crazy. She loves to practice writing her letters and is trying to draw all sort of things. A few days ago she learned how to draw a pumpkin, a flower,the sun, and her first family picture and she even gave Benji short spiky hair! She can even do very simple addition and subtraction(with manipulative's, not pen and paper!). She is learning so many new things and it is so exciting! I am trying to think through the whole homeschooling vs school thing. I'm leaning a certain way but still need to process through a few things.

I hope February has treated you better than it has us!