Our Fabulous February

And yet another month is gone!  Here are a few last memories we collected over the past month- enjoy!
Tori's collection is complete- she now has Belle and Prince Adam! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Allen!!!

Garrett has discovered the big ball- we love how he 'plays' with it!

Tori actually likes to give Garrett hugs now- especially before bedtime!!!

Jared and I always sing to Tori and Garrett before they go to bed.  Lately, Tori has been singing Garrett's goodnight song for us! (We love it when she adds in some dancing, too!!!)

Tori has claimed my exercise mat as her sleeping bag!

Tori and Garrett have invented a new sport!  We like to call it Couch Somersaults!!!

I don't think I will ever get tired of seeing these two walking around holding hands! And I will probably take a picture of it every chance I get- it's just so stinkin' cute!!!

Thanks for all the fun times February!  And now on to March!!!

Dress-ups Galore

Over the past couple of weeks, Tori has taken dressing up to a whole new level.  Hope you enjoy these fabulous pictures!!!
Tori has started to really accessorize!  In this stunning outfit we have her flower headband, butterfly wand, and Snow White bow being worn as a necklace!

What a girl, she never leaves anyone out- literally! One dress and two adorable princesses! (I love that Sheep has a headband on as well!)

Add a purse and the outfit is complete!

I love this picture- what a beautiful fairy princess we have!!!

I'm not exactly sure why our Cinderella was so grumpy.  It could have been because Belle was crammed in her dress- just a thought!

Tori has now figured out that she can wear one dress and her friends can wear another one!  Sheep is even wearing some butterfly wings

Tori and Sheep love their headbands!!!

Another one that makes my heart melt- so adorable!!!

Love that fantastic smile!

Another new thing- wearing her swimsuit over her clothes!

Poor Garrett- Tori has recruited his rocking horse as another princess!!!

We are thoroughly enjoying this stage with Tori!  It is so fun to see what she comes up with as she makes her numerous outfit changes throughout the day!!!

One Final Hurrah!

Since our membership to the Children's Museum will be expiring soon, we decided to make one final visit.  And it turned out even better than expected- it was an open late for members night!  Our first stop was the new Gecko exhibit.  Tori has been excited to see the geckos for months now.  And when it came down to it, she was not at all interested in them- oh well!

We did get a good picture of Garrett and Daddy checking out the geckos!

Our next stop- Playscape!  This is definitely our favorite area!  And this time around, Garrett had a fantastic time trying out new things.  It was so cute to see Garrett and Tori whipping up some yummy food in the kitchen together!

Tori did a great job letting us know what we would be eating for dinner!

Garrett's first time playing with sand- he loved it!!!

We may have a future line backer on our hands!

Both kids were in heaven playing with this awesome train table!

I think he could have played with his trains the whole time!

Oh what fun- a tractor!

Next we visited the Egypt exhibit.  In all our visits, we have never checked it out.  Tori wanted her picture with a sphinx!

In case you were wondering, this is one way we could travel if we lived in Egypt!

Our last stop was to see some dinosaurs!  Tori did a great job taking care of her eggs!

Garrett made a really cute little dino!

Garrett and Mommy had a grand time playing with all of these dinosaurs, too!

What out for those dinosaurs, Garrett, Daddy, and Tori!!!

Dear Children's Museum, thank you for an awesome and fun-filled year!  We have thoroughly enjoyed every visit!!!

Valentine's Day

Our Valentine's celebrations were a bit interesting this year.  Since Jared was on his way home from Boston this morning and then had a swim meet tonight, I knew that we wouldn't be doing anything fun as a couple today.  So my attention turned to the kids and trying to make today special.  I started with ideas for festive food.  For breakfast we were going to have pink heart-shaped pancakes.  Tori came in and told me she wanted hers to look like a cat and Garrett wanted a mouse!  Kind of killed the whole V-day vibe.  For lunch I thought we would mix it up and try something new that I was sure they would love- spaghettios! Garrett mushed his up and threw them on the floor.  Tori took a few bites and said she didn't like them- strike number two.  For dinner we ended up having oatmeal.  The kids loved it, but I don't think that earned any points for fun and festive meals!  Lest you think our day was a complete bust, there were some things that did turn out great!

I did a fun heart hair do for Tori today!  She loved it and it turned out so cute!!!

Last night I heart-attacked the kids' doors.  It was so fun seeing their reactions this morning!  Tori was thrilled to have Valentines on her door!

I honestly don't know if Garrett noticed his Valentines, but we still got a cute picture! (Thanks for the Valentine's Day outfits Grandma and Grandpa Allen- Tori and Garrett looked adorable in them!!!)

And my most favorite thing of the day- this morning I had Tori and Garrett help me hang up Jared's Valentines. (They decorated them yesterday!)  Tori picked heart-attacking the window so he could see them as soon as he got home from Boston- it was perfect!!!

So, after the kids were in bed, and Jared was still at his swim meet, I was feeling a little blah about the whole day.  And then Jared saved the day- quite literally!  He came home with these super fun flowers...

A perfect card and some yummy treats from him and the kids!!!

Thinking back over the day, it was a fabulous Valentine's day for us!  We got to spend the day with each other and throw in a few fun things along the way!!!

Boston

Jared had the awesome opportunity to go to Boston the past couple of days for a conference.  He and his fellow GK-12 teachers were able to present at the conference yesterday and then he was able to go to a few sessions.  And that our dedicated hard working teacher ditched out and went to explore a little bit of Boston! (Thanks so much for the suggestions Willie and Krista, he got to as much as he could!) Jared and a couple other teachers were able to walk some of the Freedom Trail.  I have never been to Boston, but hearing about his adventures yesterday made me so jealous!  Talk about a literal walk through American history!!! 

Here he is in front of a statue of Paul Revere!

And (holy cow) here is Jared in front of the Old North Church- so awesome!!! (They even got to go inside and check it out!)

They were also able to see the site of the Boston Massacre and Paul Revere's house- along with a bunch of other things.  Last night, Jared and two other teachers- Jacob and AJ went to Panza for some authentic Italian cuisine.

AJ and Jared in front of their restaurant!

Jared, Jacob, and AJ with their awesome Italian dinner on the North side!

And since they had some spare time, they were able to take in a Boston Celtics game (vs. the Bulls)!

Jared even wore green to support the Celtics! He was only a little excited to be there!!!

Jacob, Jared, and AJ at the game!

Jared's trip to Boston was definitely short and sweet! His only regret- Mike's Pastries was closed when he finally got there. I think that means we definitely have to go back to visit some time!!!