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.)