February

February was a great month.  We got out and enjoyed the outdoors a lot this month.  We had a lot of fun but I am ready for spring.  

Alex still loves to dress up in his old Halloween costumes.  He was Spiderman when he was two and he still (sort of) fits in the costume. 

And Kylo Ren.

This month I got to plan one last class party for Alex's class. I am so glad to be done with these but it was fun to see Alex in the classroom and have fun with all of his classmates. This time it was for Valentine's day and it was a lot of fun.  They ate treats, passed out valentines, played bingo and a matching game and even did some relay races.  Alex said it was fun and not boring so I will count it as a success.

We finally made it sledding this month.  Alex and even Mia got in on the fun.  

We also finally went to the Ice Castles in Midway.  I have wanted to do these for a few years.  We ended up going right before they closed for the season so we are glad we made it.  They were very cold but very cool.  Alex could have stayed all day but Mia got a little cold.  

Mia reacted just like I thought she would meeting Elsa.  She immediately started to cry and wanted nothing to do with her.  As soon as I turned her away for the picture she was ok though.

The ground was almost like sand, made up of ice and snow.  Mia had a hard time walking in it so Alex was sweet enough to help her along.

I still love sneaking pictures of her asleep.  I love that mop of hair and her sweet little face.  

With a few other couples from our neighborhood we started a couples date group.  We had our first date this month.  Each couple takes a turn planning a night.  This time our neighbors planned a "Top Chef" night.  We each drew an ingredient and a part of the meal out of a hat and we had to make something.  We got strawberries and appetizer.  We all went to the store and then met back to make the food.  Brandon and I made Bruschetta with strawberries and cream cheese on top.  All of the food turned out delicious and it was a lot of fun!

Valentines Day was on a Sunday this year.  It turned out to be the perfect day to celebrate as a family.  Alex and Mia each got a little gift.  

In Nursery we even had fun frosting sugar cookies with the kids.  

It was a lot of fun having a fancy dinner together as a family.

Alex had to give the Scripture a few weeks ago in Primary.  We read the scripture each night to prepare for it.  He ended up memorizing the scripture and recited it without any help.  I am so proud of him! 

Sadly one of our favorite shows, "Gravity Falls" was coming to an end this month.  This is a show that both Brandon and I and Alex enjoy.  We decided to send it off with a party and invited all the other fans in our family to come watch the finale with us.  We made Gravity Falls cookies, had Chipackers, drank Pitt Cola, and ate Bill Cipher chips.  It was a lot of fun!

We have been meaning to take Alex snowboarding all winter and we finally made it out this month.  The day we chose however, was not the best day.  When we got there we realized we forgot Alex's snow pants.  We ended up borrowing some from the lost and found that were a little big for him but they worked!  He looked pretty cute. 

Since it was Alex's first time we put him in a class so that he could get some real instruction.  It ended up being a very windy day however and not long after he started they closed the ski resort completely.  You can see a little bit of the debris on the runs in these pictures but it got much worse before we left.  Since we were barely there they ended up giving us a refund and we went back about a week later.   As we drove home the storm really hit and it took us about an hour and half to drive down the mountain while we slipped all over the road.  We ended up taking Alex to see Kung Fu Panda 3 since we had planned to be gone for the day already.

Our second attempt was much better.  It was a little cold but still a great day to go.  Once again we put Alex in a class and Brandon and I were able to enjoy some time on our own.

After his class we met up with Alex and did a few runs with him.  I was shocked at what a natural he is.  His teachers comments were that he "has a lot of energy" and "is a very aggressive snowboarder."  He had no fear and may already be better than me.

While Alex was off track this month we also did another round of swimming lessons.  He is finally getting more comfortable in the water and making some progress.  

This time he was in the same class as Elsie.  It is so fun to have cousins to do these with!

Jumping in with eyes closed.

After every lesson Alex would walk over to us like this.  He was so cold he would try to walk the whole way curled up in a ball.  It was pretty funny.

These two have no shortage of personality.  

Alex is honestly the best big brother.  He loves Mia and loves playing with and helping her.  This time I turned around and he was reading to her.

Alex also loves to help me with anything, even cleaning.  He insisted on helping me vacuum and wipe base boards this time.

We are so excited the nice weather is creeping back in and we can start enjoying the park again.  Now Mia is at the age where she wants to be up on the playground doing everything the other kids are doing.  I get a workout just chasing her around.

We love this crazy girl!