Looking back at February with its chilly weather and indoor activities now that we are facing warm rain and hot sun has been a fun challenge… so sit back and enjoy my extra photos!

Puzzling Puzzles

This sweater was Aunty Karyn’s when she was a young girl!

Indoor snowfight!

Talking to Grandma after her brothers were done their birthday calls!

Absolutely styling

Princess Echo

Art!

D!

We got some sweet mail from Gammie as well!

And Aunty Heather!

New hats from Gammie

IKEA trip!

Not sure WHAT the reasoning would be for guns in IKEA???

Lasagna with the Schwartz family.

Home Depot WITH FRIENDS!

Keep on reading with BOOK IT!

And our Chinese New Year

And the best combo of Chinese word and fortune ever!

Ok so I have to admit… I am hooked on the Lizzie Bennet Diaries on youTube. You can find the main vlog HERE though there are offshoots – Adorbs is a Lydia thing (she has her own vlog). They also have Twitter feeds and Facebook and of course the main page. If you liked Pride and Prejudice… well be ready to see the characters as you have never seen them before – modern and everything!!! I skipped a bunch up to be current with the ongoing drama at the time but have been sneaking back to fill in the gaps as I go… Anyway… the Adorbs…

Beauty just woken up

Strike a pose baby

And another

Playing Play Doh with Gavin

Decked out for Chinese New Year thanks to Aunty Xinny

With cookie (made by myself and Bree)

What having kids is TERRIFIC for – look I am NOT the one shoveling

Major icicles

My babies and their lucky money

With bunny

Brown eyes

You never see Emanuel out without that hat! Thanks Aunty Kat

Absorbed in the dinosaurs (Zander left)

January 10

It is officially the year of the snake! Happy Chinese New Year everyone!

Our festive table (with cookies)

With our red envelopes, homemade fortune cookies and special new shirts for the girls we had a rather amazing day… Granted it WAS a Sunday and a Sunday with a winter weather advisory so the bulk of the day was slow slow slow – sleeping in for me, tv and relaxing for Ken, Sean and the kids… BUT we did send the kids outside to enjoy the fresh white snow.

So much snow!

It was like the world was welcoming in the new year with a clean white slate. It was beautiful!

Beautiful

We had rice for dinner and Emanuel was rather courageous and gave chopsticks a try! He was rather successful. I would still love to get the training hinged sets for the kids. May have to do an eBay hunt!

Emanuel trying them out

Trinity gave up and went to stabbing

Of course I took special pictures!! Cookies and red envelopes and happy children! Perfect! I am rather proud of the fortunes in these cookies – like Clean your room and your room will be clean… or Live love laugh and hug or Smile and people will smile back…

All in red… Echo’s shirt is a special Chinese one, a gift from Xinny for Trinity years ago. Trinity’s is a new shirt (the new clothing tradition), a Christmas present not yet worn by Trinity from Gammie.

Lucky MONEY!!

She absolutely ADORED this shirt. Sadly it is not going to fit past this year. I am going to have to find more of these. Minnesota is just not the mecca for all things traditional Chinese. At least I have not found a place yet.

Special hugs with proud big brother looking on

Happy Chinese New Year!!

With her homemade (thanks Bree!) fortune cookie