Blurry Action Shots...

...are my favorite. Here's Alex and Gabey in a wipes box, post-spinning.

Happy Valentine's Day!

While I can't say that we're exactly gearing up for a super romantic Valentine's Day this year, I can say that we're definitely feeling the love a little more than we were last year. It just occurred to me this morning that last VD, we were still reeling from the news of Jeff's impending lay-off, and I was getting seriously fat and uncomfortable thanks to the Gabester. Alex, I'm sure, was mostly her chipper self. But in any case, we've got better vibes this year.

It's supposed to be a tropical heat wave of mid-40's proportions today, so I plan on taking the kids out to celebrate the thaw. My greatest temptation for today would be to show the garden my Valentine's love by shoveling off some snow so it melts faster, but I suppose snow is great insulation for when it gets below freezing again TOMORROW so I should probably just leave well enough alone. Not to mention that Gabe doesn't like it when I try to use garden tools with one hand and heave him around with the other. I speak from much experience, including a short time turning horse manure with a garden fork and a baby. Not a good idea.

I'm thinking it's almost time to start sifting through my old seeds, and perhaps finally planting some. Well, OK, I'll try and hold off for a few more weeks, and then I have to find a way to grow them all out of reach. Is it a sign of desperation that I'd take our dining room table and use it as a growing table at the back door? Probably. Clearly I should just buy a new table so we have a place to do googly-eyed crafts -and- a place to grow scarlet runner beans. Or whatever beans I have lurking in the magic box-o-seeds. Oh, yay! Malabar spinach and passion flowers, castor beans and alchemilla! Should be an interesting Spring if everyone plays along and grows for me.

And of course, speaking of growing, Gabe has been taking tentative steps. He's pretty convinced that crawling is faster, though, so I'm thinking he might just bide his time and go it the easy way for a bit longer. Well, I'm sort of half hoping that's what he'll do. And speaking of Gabe, that's a picture of him enjoying a romantic early Valentine's dinner. He had no steak, but sweet potatoes are always on his menu.

New Scarf

I spent several hours recently knitting a brand new scarf for Alex with some yarn I had left over from another project. She loves this yarn, and told me that a scarf made of this yarn would be great. So, after way too much time spent, I finished the scarf while watching the Superbowl.

Fast forward to the next morning - Alex sees the scarf draped across the arm of the living room couch. She is super excited and immediately drapes it around her neck. Runs around in her usual state of undress with the addition of the scarf for a while. Then refuses to look at how fabulous she looks in the mirror. The scarf is discarded. I assume she'll want it later, but when we decide to go play on the swings, I suggest to her that we put on the new scarf, she tells me she already wore it, and that her neck is already warm enough.

So, it looks like she's used up her scarf, and I have to find a new owner that will appreciate it more...Not sure if Diesel fits the bill, but at least her neck is now warm too.

Retiring the Saucer

So, Gabe has long been a prisoner of the exersaucer when I've wanted to do, oh, anything not involving a baby. Yesterday, he was imprisoned in the bathroom while I got a quick shower, and he had his extreme dislike face on, which never means anything but trouble. Well, miraculously, I made it through my shower, and he thought his cunning plans could wait for another day. Until I decided to *gasp* go get some clothes.

Well, that was insult added to injury for him, so Gabe did the only thing he could think of to protest his isolation in the saucer - he flung himself head-first out of the saucer and onto the bath mat. Then came crawling triumphantly out to join me in the closet.

Needless to say, I removed the saucer to the storage area, to be subsequently given to any baby without bad intentions. Pack-n-Scream, it is now up to you to contain the baby who will not be contained. And the crib mattress is getting dropped today, just in case.

Icicles

I've smashed them all now because the biggest ones were, naturally, above every doorway.

Bread Bowl Baby

With a baguette!

Really, More Snow?

We're looking at three days of snow showers here, which thankfully will conclude just before a visit from my family. But it doesn't change the fact that we're sitting in several feet of snow already, it's been arctic-ly cold (I believe the lowest wind chill yesterday was -27 degrees.) and the little ones haven't been out of the house except for the briefest of trips to the store or a friend's house. To say that we're going stir-crazy is truly an understatement.

Well, OK, I'm going stir-crazy. Alex would like some time out of the house, and Gabe doesn't care as long as he gets his Craisin fix every day, so maybe it's just me. But I really just want to see the lawn, plant some veggies, and get on with Spring. The baby garlic we've been growing in the kitchen just isn't cutting it, and no amount of begonia flowers (does that thing ever stop blooming?) will cut through the foggy, snowy, ridiculous cold! Hot chocolate schmot chocolate, I want some vodka and tonic weather! Obviously I need to find some greenhouses to take shelter in for a while, because Winter has gone on for long enough.

Yes, I know it's not even February. But the sun is clearly in the sky for, what, a whole minute or two longer every day? Isn't it time it got a wee bit warmer too? Maybe the snow could, oh, I don't know, melt? I'd give my right arm for a warm, rainy day to go puddle jumping with the kids instead of a cold, blowy day of trying not to kill myself of the sheet of ice that is our lower driveway while trying to retrieve the mail that's most likely 90% junk mail. We get it AmEx, you can give us a million different credit cards and maybe even a Caribbean vacation. If you had a permanent Spring credit card, I'd sign up, but you don't, so stop it with the recycling fodder already.

Even the neigh-bors are hiding away now. They've both donned their blankets and determined that it is literally not fit for man or beast out there, so we don't even have the pleasure of watching the horses occasionally roll around in the snow. Or ice-covered snow that's there now. *sigh* Anyway, only Diesel still thinks outside is a good idea, and I'm sure she'd change her mind if she actually escaped.

Anyhoo, it looks like another day stuck inside hoping that the snow won't need to be blown of the driveway (but with the new new super snow blower, might as well) and convincing Alex that not every drink needs to be hot chocolate. Even if we do finally have mini marshmallows. Eh, whatever. Here's Alex sledding with Daddy before we became part of the Arctic Circle.