Why Does February Feel So LONG?

I’m ready to say good riddance to this month – I’m so glad it’s almost March! I know, we haven’t had the record snowfalls like places in the East, so I should feel glad we’ve had a more mild version this winter.

BUT…

Like nearly everyone in Chicago and other snowy places, I’m SO READY for the snow to melt and for trees and flowers to bloom. I’m ready to stop bundling my kids up in coats and hats (I’ve already stopped wearing my coat 99% of the time in stubborn denial that it is still freezing cold outside). I’m ready to stop reminding Eli to NOT tromp off the path through the snow when he’s wearing regular shoes on our walk out to the garage (since he does this 50% of the time).

Every year around this time, I usually lose my “Chicago is the best place on earth” attitude and agree with Ben that the weather here just stinks five months of the year. Thank goodness our spring/summer/fall are usually beautiful, because our eternal winter makes me a little impatient and restless. I went to my favorite full-service car wash place on Friday because my car was FILTHY. I think we had a layer of crackers an inch thick on the back seat’s floor. Two toddlers = big messes, and it’s been too cold for me to feel motivated to spend time out in that cold garage, cleaning out the car. So I splurged on the fabulous car wash/vacuum/wipe down and we can actually see that our car is black (not a salty, dusty ash gray) and the floors inside are SO clean.

Now, on to the pictures from the week that make me realize it’s not the end of the world to live in this cold, dreary place. :) I need to focus on these so I don’t let the weather get to me.

Last weekend, Ben and Eli built snowmen in our front yard. The big one was supposed to look like Ben and the small snowman is Eli.

Eli had such a great time and loved all of the details of the snowman – the carrot nose, the rocks for eyes, the pine leaves for a mouth.

Ben is a man who needs to spend outdoors, so I’m glad he is willing to face the cold to sled and build snowmen with Eli.

How could you resist playing outside (despite the cold) when this happy little boy loves it so much?

Inside that night, Charlie was ready for bed, his portly tummy and chubby legs squeezed tight in his pjs.

Eli was going crazy taking lots of pictures of me with our little camera, so I took a picture of him too :)

Work it Charlie! Look at that cute, cute round tummy. He looks like one of my 15 friends who are pregnant right now (seriously – there are that many friends having babies in the next seven or so months). Charlie loves to climb up on chairs or stools, especially the bathroom stool. Which causes quite the raucous when Eli is up on the stool brushing his teeth or washing his hands, and Charlie tries to push him off and sneak on up there. Charlie is a VERY persistent, determined child who knows how to push Eli’s buttons (and does it often).

Here are some shots from Tuesday last week, when had four inches of snow – at one point in the day, the snowflakes were HUGE! I don’t think I had ever seen snowflakes that large before. The pictures just don’t do them justice, but that’s okay.

I was getting pelted by huge snowflakes as I stood in my front doorway, trying to quickly capture the scene.

I love how the big trees in our neighborhood reach up and over the streets. We have a friend who says winter is his favorite season because he can actually see through the trees. I don’t think that’s reason enough for me to ever say winter is my favorite… but it is pretty.

And here’s a shot from today. Ben and Eli (and Eli’s dragon puppet) laughing while watching Charlie Bit Me on youtube. I’m trying to convince Eli it would be funny to reenact it (with Charlie) for our ward talent show next week. Both kids are so unpredictable that it may not work. And Ben is worried some people won’t get it or haven’t seen the video clip before. We’ll see...

Randoms from this week:

• Eli calls chex mix “checkers” and really likes the wheat chex: “Mama, here are the spicy ones… they’re kind of tasty!”
• Potty training has been so-so. The lowlight was Eli peeing on the carpeted floor at IHOP on free pancake day and then again in the car as we were leaving. The highlight was him finally pooping in the potty yesterday after not making it to the potty for that reason in more than a week. GROSS……..
• Eli had his first session with the physical therapist. She was fabulous and I’m excited to see Eli’s gross motor skills improve. She did a lot of core work (using a mini balance ball – having him sit on it, then bend down and pick up a toy… stuff like that).

If you saw these on facebook, I apologize. But here are a few more Eli quotes -

• Potty training was going so poorly that I decided to take a break on Wednesday and put him back in a diaper (and was letting it get quite full with the hope it would be uncomfortable and he would rather use the potty). Toward the end of the day, I asked how it felt to wear a diaper, and Eli said it didn’t feel very good. “It feels like it has slime in it,” Eli said with a wrinkled nose.
• Charlie was trying to climb up on the couch and having a hard time since it’s still a little too high for him. Eli said, “Charlie’s legs are SO tinnnnnnnnny” (tiny) in this funny voice.
• Eli set up his pez dispenser guys in a row on the counter and asked me, “Do you like my setup? It’s my decoration.”

Charlie calls me “Mehmy” and often whines when he’s hungry, sad, tired, etc. “Mehmmmmmmmmy” over and over. He is also very into giving huge open mouth kisses (we’re not doing the same for him). He’s had wacky naps this week and it seems like we’re definitely transitioning him from two naps to one. It is so hard to predict sometimes though.