A very late Valentine Post

I can't believe I have neglected the blog for this long. Things have been a little crazy around here. We have been wanting to move into a bigger house for about four years now. We tried to sell this place for a while and that never worked out since the housing market here is doing so terrible. We decided to rent our current house and buy a new one. We found renters (YEA!) and they move in at the beginning of April. Being landlords will be a new adventure for us. We found an amazing house and we are waiting to see if our loan is approved. 

 I love Valentine's Day. I think it's such a sweet day. We invited over some of our favorite friends for a special lunch. The kids (well mostly I) made them Valentines. They are little pots with some seeds in them. We also made some rings (hershey kisses instead of diamonds).

 For the dessert I made heart shaped sugar cookies. I put some pink food coloring in the cool whip. The kids had fun decorating with that and then they put fruit on top.

It's 80 degrees here today so I am going to join Asher in the sunshine outside!

Building a better brain

Asher and Piper's relationship is complex. They fight a lot. Asher loves to annoy her. He growls at her, and chases her. He takes her toys and teases her. At just about the time I think they will kill each other they have one of these moments. I will catch them playing together nicely without me prompting them. 

 They wanted to share a seat and color together.

 I guess I'll keep them for a little bit longer.

 I now refer to this one as Dex the Destroyer. He lives up to his new name.

Asher loves to ask me what activities are going to help him have a better brain. Puzzles are on that list and he is really into them lately. We have two bigs ones (this one and a space one) that he loves to do on his own. He is currently saving his money to get the underwater one.

Mess Free Finger Paints

Today we did a fun activity. I got out ziplock bags and put two globs of paint in each of them. I laid each bag on top of a white sheet of paper and then took paint tape and taped them to the table. This was a fun way to do finger paints without the mess.

Asher and Piper played with them for a while.

 We got cars and ran them over the paints to make tracks. We also worked on making letters in the paints. Asher is getting really good at doing his name.

 Dexter got to eat mangos for the first time and was a big fan.

 This is Piper expressing her disappointment that her colors wouldn't make pink.

Sickness

The last few weeks around here have not been pleasant. All three kids had the stomach flu. It was awful. I'll spare the details, but it involved lots and lots of laundry. Dexter decided he hadn't seen enough of the doctor's office so he woke up with a nasty cough this morning. Of corse he picked a day where the other two didn't have school and everyone else has sick kids, so I brought them all with me. He has RSV, so we'll be at home for the next few days. On the way to pick up some medicine Asher informed me that he wants to be a doctor when he grows up. I asked him what kind of a doctor and he said "A wrist doctor". Piper chimed in and said "I want to be a pink doctor".

Wonderful Winter

We are having the best winter right now. Yesterday was 70 degrees. After I picked the kids up from school we got a pizza and headed to the park with Jada and Bennett.

 Dexter loves soaking in some Vitamin D while eating cheerios.

 Asher isn't a big fan of going on the play areas. Piper is the one who could go up and down the slide for hours.

 Asher spent most of the time riding his scooter. He spent the rest of the time crying when I made his share.

He is definitely a southern boy.

Tea Party

Yesterday while the kids were at school I set up a tea party. Piper loves to have her stuffed animals at the breakfast table and feed them, so I invited a few of their favorite friends.

 I made PB and honey sandwiches cut up like butterflies. We also had cheese, crackers, grapes, and a cake for dessert. Asher really likes to pour the tea (apple juice) into the cups.

 Dexter had to be contained in the bumbo seat so he didn't destroy the party. He was fine as long as Piper kept feeding him crackers.

Dex Mex

I know I talk a lot about Asher and Piper and the things they are up to. Faithful readers I know you need some Dexter updates as well.

 I don't know what to say other than Dexter is a joy to have. He is so laid back and easy. I can put him down and he'll play on the floor for hours. He is highly content just watching the craziness of his brother and sister. He is a master of the army crawl and has followed his siblings in their love of dog food.

 He still has just the two bottom teeth, which he loves to use on my face. If you get to close he grabs your face and tries to bite your chin. Sometimes if I'm at the table he'll crawl under it and bite my toes.

This is what I refer to as his Sexy Dexy pose. He saves it for all his lady friends.