Ellen is reading!

Ellen has started reading and we are VERY proud of her. According to her teacher, she has learned very quickly and is whipping through her workbook. It is a very exciting time in our house!

Grandpa Dave and Aunt Susie

My sister, Susan drove out to visit for a couple weeks before starting back at massage school. She picked up my dad in Kentucky and after a full day in the car with him listening to his opinions on politics, they arrived to enjoy the chaos at our house. It was a fun 3 weeks with lots to do. Thanks for coming!!!

Guess the sibling

Even though Nicolas is Dylan's twin, he looks very much like Ellen. When he put this green bowl on his head I had a flashback of Ellen doing the same thing at about the same age and couldn't resist comparing the 2 photos.

The Stomach Bug strikes

Dylan got a pretty gnarly stomach bug - about a week after Shawn was stricken. The little guy had a couple pretty rough days but is now back to 100%

Valentine's Day

Shawn gave the girls valentine chocolates which made them very happy. I also received a big box of chocolate that I polished off in about 4 days. Delish!

Warm Day

In typical Delaware weather patterns, just a week after "heavy" snow, we had 60+ degree weather where I enjoyed a long run in shorts and we spent some time at the local park with the kids.

Snow Day

We had a little bit of snow - and a lot of ice - so school was cancelled and I had the 4 kids for the day. Having grown up in Northern Wisc where a snow day meant piles of fresh white snow several feet deep I figured the kids were in for some fun making snowmen, snow angels, etc. So I bundled the kids up in their snow pants, mittens, hats and boots and off we went. Anais, being wise beyond her 3 years, opted to stay inside and watch Barbie and the Island Princess. I pushed the other 3 out the door only to find about 6 inches of slush on the driveway, a steady misting of freezing rain and about 3 inches of crunchy ice coated snow. Needless to say, Dylan was not happy! I ended up carrying him most of the 10 minutes we were out. Nicolas and Ellen, however, enjoyed themselves. Poor Nic was a bit overwhelmed by his coat and pants. He would bend over to pick up a "chunk" of snow/ice and would end up headfirst in the snow. It was very cute and thankfully did not put him off. In fact I helped him back up to standing several times.

Moonbounce

The girls' friend, Jacob, had a birthday party at the local moonbounce place. It took a while for all 4 kids to get their nerves up to enjoy the play structures but eventually they entered the "toddler" moonbounce with Shawn and really enjoyed themselves.