Febru-WHERE???-y

Sure, February is the shortest month of the year. But even with the extra "leap" day this year, we're not sure how it flew by without out us posting a single story on web site.

So, let's catch up...

Superbowl XLVI

February 5 was Superbowl Sunday. And it was also a retirement party for the girls' Patriots cheerleader outfit. Morgan wore it for 2 seasons, before it moved into Gwen's closet this season. She'll be way too big by the time football season rolls around again this fall. Heading into the big game, the cheerleader outfit boasted a fantastic regular season record, but only a 2-2 record in the playoffs. Sadly, it couldn't close out its career with a win.

Arts & Crafts

Whether it's drawing on the iPad or doing it the old fashioned way, Morgan has been cranking out some very creative artwork lately. Here are a few of her latest creations:

The picture above is affectionately called "Victorian Home in Marker, Post-Its and Play-Doh". Morgan likes to mix her media together. She's a true artistic trailblazer.

Speaking of mixed media, this is a tracing of Morgan's arm with a real "Dora" Band-Aid on it.

This is a portrait of Andy. (Don't say it... I know she nailed it.)

Morgan colored this picture at school (above left). Then the teacher asked her to predict what was going to happen next. Check out her answers (above right).

Valentines Day

This year, Morgan and Gwen made gift bags to show all their friends at school how much they care. Boys in Morgan's class got "Cars" pretzels, M&M's and a bouncy ball. Girls got princess pretzels, M&M's and heart necklaces. Gwen's class got pretzels and stickers.

On the morning of February 14th, Mom and Dad showed the girls how much we care. Gwen got Sesame Street figurines. Morgan got a Lite Brite. And they shared a new set of markers.

Fun & Games

Despite the mild temperatures this winter, it still wasn't nearly warm enough to play outside. So the girls spent a lot of time finding new ways to have fun inside.

When we bought a new storage system for their toys, they decided it would be a good place to hide.

Gwen discovered how much fun it is to eat corn on the cob. She picks it clean every time.

One weekend, Cabin fever finally got the best of us. So we brought out the girls' water table for some indoor water fun.

One Saturday afternoon, we spotted six wild turkeys wandering around our front yard. Hopefully this is a sign that Spring is coming soon. (Or maybe it's Thanksgiving already.)

Getting the Band Back Together

On President's Day weekend, we travelled up to Fishkill, NY to see the Chiaverinis (Lance, Lina and Lucas) and Bonsteels (Jeff, Nicole, Cooper and Cate). The kids had an impromptu jam session -- with Morgan on keyboard, Cooper on bongos, and Lucas on a bag of Valentines Day pretzels.

Then, as is tradition whenever we visit the Chiaverinis, the kids raced around the house. This is the first time the little ones were big enough to join in the fun.

Fun While It Lasted

Somehow, we managed to make it all the way to the end of February without either of the kids getting sick. Well, our luck finally ran out when Gwen caught the Coxsackie virus (also known as Hand, Foot & Mouth disease). Not surprisingly, she broke out in a rash all over her hands, feet and mouth (plus a couple other places we won't talk about). Thankfully, it all cleared up after a week or so. More than half of the kids in Gwen's class got it, too.

Seeing Stars

Sometimes, the universe has great timing. This month, Morgan learned all about the solar system at school. At the end of February, Jupiter and Venus were clearly visible in the night sky. Morgan was very excited to see the planets, even if they didn't look nearly as cool as they looked at school. (That's Jupiter in the middle of the photo above, and Venus at the bottom.)

First (and only?) Snowfall

On Saturday, January 21, we finally got our first legitimate snowfall of the season. (And, by "legitimate", we mean more than one inch of snow. Which is nothing compared to what we've been getting the last few winters... not that we're complaining.)

The forecast called for rain to wash away the snow by mid-day, so we bundled up and headed outside right after breakfast.

In only about 20 minutes, we managed to cram in an entire winter's worth of snow fun. We made a snowman. We made snow angels (sort of). And we had a snowball fight.

Morgan discovered that her snowsuit helped her shoot down the slide extra fast and splash into a pile of snow. Gwen wanted to give it a try, too.

Unfortunately, the rain came earlier than expected and our snow fun had to be cut short. The girls were disappointed... but it was nothing a little hot cocoa couldn't fix.

Climate Change

Let's be honest. It's not supposed to be sunny and 63 degrees on January 7. But when nature (or non-nature) hands you gorgeous weather in the middle of winter, you've gotta take full advantage. So last Saturday, we took the girls to the Philadelphia Zoo.

As always, the girls wanted to check out the monkeys first. The baby orangutan seemed just as excited to check out Morgan.

The lions and tigers spent the day lounging in the sun. They were so happy sunbathing, it's almost as if they didn't notice all the little kids on the other side of the glass.

By the middle of the week, the temperatures were back in the 30's. But for one day, it was fun to pretend that winter was already over.

Happy New Year 2012

2011 was a crazy year for us. So it's only appropriate the 2011 ended with an unusual New Year's Eve.

With sunny skies and temperatures in the low 60's, the girls got to race around the yard one more time this year.

Later in afternoon, Cooper and Cate came over for one final 2011 play date.

Everything started off pretty normal. The little ones took turns trying out Gwen's new chair and putting their baby dolls to sleep. Meanwhile, Morgan introduced her princess dolls to Cooper's superhero dolls. (They got along great. Cinderella and The Joker are hoping to schedule another play date soon.)

Speaking of super heroes and princesses, our day got strange again when Morgan and Cooper decided to turn New Year's Eve into Halloween. Cooper donned his Captain America outfit. Morgan dressed up in her Cinderella ball gown. Strangest of all, Gwen willingly posed for a photo for the first time in her life. (Unbelievable, right?)

Here's to a great 2012!