Monday, February 28, 2022

life in february

First lunch date of the year!  Brooke recently told me that it's sometimes embarrassing to hold hands walking into the school in the morning (we've discontinued that), so when she grabbed my hand as we walked into the cafeteria, my heart melted. She was so happy that I surprised her for lunch and it was definitely the highlight of my week. 
First lunch date with Colby Boy!  He was not surprised because a friend told him that he saw me in the cafeteria, but he was still excited.  Towards the end he said, "Remember when you told me that another day I could buy a treat?  Well, it's been a while."  So he enjoyed a popsicle on this freezing February day!
Brooke chose the planet Uranus for her space project, and was quite pleased with how it turned out :)
Colby selfies I found on my phone, haha. 
Late afternoon shadows with Colby.  He wanted to rollerblade around the neighborhood, and as he grabbed my hand he said, "I'm not holding your hand to help me stay up, I'm just doing it because it feels nice."  I really needed to hear that because my patience was wearing thin with my little people.  It was a good reminder that he just needed a bit of one-on-one time.  
Brooke also planned to join us, but after we waited for 10 minutes for her to get all her gear on, she decided that she didn't want to go anymore.  I was super frustrated and told her that she needed to join us, but she was adamant that she didn't want to go and the more I told her that she needed to come since we made that plan together, the more she refused.  I was incredibly frustrated and so was she.  She started crying, which just frustrated me more that she would be crying over her brand new rollerblades.  I couldn't understand why she wouldn't just join us to go around the block, but eventually I just told her to go inside and work on her homework.  I had never left her at home by herself, but I didn't think it was fair for Colby to miss out just because Brooke changed her mind, so I took him around the neighborhood anyway while Brooke was inside.  I talked to her once we were inside and we worked everything out, but it wasn't the best afternoon we've ever had.

I can't even remember the details about this picture, except that I was cracking up when Kevin put on his cozy pajama pants with all the other plaid he was already wearing.  Standing there on the busy tiled floor, he just looked hilarious. 
Spring School Pictures :) I know this is shocking, but I forgot to take a picture of the kids before we left for school, so parking lot pics had to suffice.  But I did love that sun on my sweet girl's face. 
And Colby was too cold to take off his sweatshirt, so I was definitely just taking what I could get. 
Brooke's new expander was cemented in, so we were crossing our fingers that it would be a better experience than the first time.  That thing fell out like 3 times and was ultimately deemed to be "faulty", so we had to wait for a new one and essentially start the process all over again. 
We celebrated the 100th day of school! They grow up too quickly, haha. 100 days older and wiser...
Cutest old guy I've ever seen.  His shirt was too tight, the wig was too itchy, and apparently I threw out the walking stick he planned on taking, but I solved it all by sawing off the bottom of a different stick and distracting him with a sanding block.  Gotta love dress-up days, right? Actually, I was pretty excited because I adore the suspenders and thought the wig was hilarious. 
I used nearly a whole bottle of dry shampoo and still couldn't get even coverage on Brooke's hair, but she loved the look of the white hair and was especially excited that I restrung the beads for her glasses.  Such a classy granny!!
Walking them into school and listening to all the comments about how awesome they looked made the stress of the morning worth it!  
Stopped by to visit my friend Kiley and her beautiful new baby girl, Landry.  We were just chatting at the door, but I had to take this picture because she just looked so beautiful there with her new baby. 
Another lunch date with my littles...
Kevin recently bought a new truck and told Brooke that it will be the perfect hand-me-down when she turns 16.  Ever since then, she'll talk about how she gets a truck "in only 8 years."  I just love her enthusiasm and hope those years don't pass as quickly as the last 8. 
Saturday's project: clean and organize the garage!  It required one trip to Costco for racking, and a stop at In-N-Out for survival cheeseburgers :)
When your in-laws offer to come hang out with the kids so you can go on a date, you accept!  Win for everyone!!  We enjoyed a yummy dinner at Mi Cocina, visited a few shops in the Southlake Towne Square, then stopped for caramel apple cider on the way home.  It was freezing yesterday, but such a fun outing!
Valentine's Day was almost here and I was excited to twin with my girl in our black/white with pink lipstick.  Not sure what I was thinking with my hair, but I adore Brooke's smile and the way she wrapped me in her little arms.  Second pic is her pose of choice, haha, which was even more special since Colby was the photographer. 
When you show up at church in essentially the same outfit as your friend Katie, you have to take the picture! Must be a Katie thing :)
Valentine's Day for the littles...
Brooke stayed home from school one day because she wasn't feeling great.  We've all been dealing with allergy issues, but I knew she was mostly over-worried that she had Covid, despite a negative test.  So I made her take little naps throughout the day and at one point, she put everything from her bed inside her tiny princess tent. 
The perk of staying home from school was that she had plenty of time to also finish her Serena Williams poster for Black History Month.  She was thrilled with how it turned out, so we took a pic despite the crazy winds that morning. 
Second to last piano lesson with Sister Duff, and we were all SO sad about it.  She's moving to be closer to her granddaughter, but we are gonna miss her like crazy.  I've told her that she is a piano angel and I seriously mean it.  Her patience is amazing and she's done wonders with my kids.  Now it's up to me to teach them, which feels kind of daunting. 
When you find a coupon for free ice skating and you tell your friends about it!  Such a fun night for all involved. 
Logan Funderburk and Colby...
Evie Funderburk and Brooke...
Abby Harrison, Evie, and Brooke. These two older girls were so patient, sweet, and encouraging to Abby as this was her first time ice skating.
Abby and her mom, Liz :)
Loved skating around with my girl and especially love her little pose :)
The hour passed quickly, but it was fun while it lasted.
Our friends hosted the funniest couple's Winter Olympics and we came home with the overall gold!!  We represented Greece and events included hockey, speed skating, skeleton, biathlon, curling, and trivia.  I haven't laughed that hard in a long time and even though I had bruises from riding on my stomach (event: skeleton) around their kitchen on a tiny furniture dolly, it was all worth it.  Such a fun night!!
Before we went to bed that night, Kevin had the funny idea of posing with his medal and posting a goodnight message to all the other participants.  I'm sure you had to be there in the moment, but we thought we were hysterical. 
I attended the most beautiful Stake RS training which was uplifting and nourishing, both body and spirit. 
We attended Brandt Sturgill's baptism, which was beautiful.  It's so nice to be there for these important events, but I just can't believe how quickly they are all growing up. 
Small moments I loved from this random Sunday: Styling Brooke's hair for church while she looked through my makeup drawer and found the two lipsticks she wanted to mix together, snuggling Colby at church (the whole Sacrament meeting, he didn't even ask for a single activity, just snuggled my arm), and watching Brooke read the assigned scripture in Primary and then help Colby give a short talk. I feel like I've been impatient recently, but I felt so grateful for my kids that day and tried to just soak those sweet moments in. 
Sunday selfies, turned crazy!  It looks like Colby is flipping off the camera, but I just accidentally cut off his peace sign.  Oops!!
While Colby was at a play date, Brooke and I enjoyed some girl time.  Stopped at Academy for new cleats and shin guards, had some lunch (but started with dessert) at Panera, and made a brief stop at Michael's for some craft supplies.  Love time with this girl.
To celebrate 2-22-22, Kindergarten had a special "Ties and Tutus" dress-up day.  Colby didn't want to wear a bow-tie, but asked that I tie ribbons to his wrists instead.
We weren't planning on going to the Spring Creek Spirit Night, but Colby begged and begged to go see his teacher handing out the rolls.  I wish I would've captured the huge hug Colby gave her, but this picture is sweet as well.  He loves Mrs. Salinas SO very much. 
The kids had their last piano lessons and I most definitely cried as we left.  Sister Duff has provided such a beautiful gift for our family and we're forever grateful!  She made the whole learning process so positive for them and I am gonna really try to carry that forward. 
The boys had a Father/Son campout, so while they were away, Brooke and I grabbed dinner, shopped, ate Ben and Jerry's straight from the pint as we watched Princess Diaries 2, and slumber-partied together in my bed. Brooke said it was the best day ever!!
The boys had a blast at their campout, and I adore that they packed the essentials: Peanut M & M's and a football :)
Colby came home with holes in his ski pants, but according to Kevin, he "played hard" with his friends and Kevin wanted him to stay warm.  I'm sure he consumed way too much junk, but he was excited to tell me about roasting a starburst and peanut butter cup. 
Kevin sent this pic with a text that said, "Goodnight Mom and Brooke, we love you." It was in the 30's that night, but these two managed to stay warm.  Kevin hardly slept between checking on Colby, teenagers talking, and Ryan Hawkin's truck alarm going off, but he said they had a good time. 
Kevin tried to teach Brooke to play chords on her ukulele one afternoon.  If you look closely, you'll even notice her press-on nails that she purchased with her own money on Girl's Night. I trimmed them down and even glued them for her, so she was feeling pretty legit. 
We visited Grandma the night before her tongue surgery with cards and extra hugs!
The evening ended in a cousin dog pile, haha.  These kids are the best!
And that's a wrap on February! We packed a lot into a short month, haha.