The first weekend of February, Chrissy and Gordon watched our kids overnight while Todd and I went to a military pre-retirement seminar. The kids had a blast with some of their "California cousins," playing games, eating good food, and having a Nerf war at the church gym. They always have a blast with their buddies, and Todd and I appreciate the feeling that our kids are being well taken care of and we don't need to worry about them.
The retirement seminar gave us a good opportunity to think of the future and prepare for upcoming changes. Todd's just a little over a year away from his 20-year mark with the Army and is experiencing a wide array of feelings about the transition to post-military life. There are things he will definitely miss and needs time to mourn the loss of, and other aspects he is glad to put behind him.
We've had an unusually cold winter this year. We even got some snow overnight that stayed on the hilltops for about a week. The kids have found ice in all sorts of places, and we've been driving to school a lot because it's often been in the 30's in the mornings. Brr!
Jack made a pineapple upside down cake for the Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet. He was pretty excited to give it a try, and we all agreed it was one of the most delicious cakes of the night.
I don't know if it's just because he hates haircuts, or if he really wants to try something new, but Jack has been insistent that he wants longer hair. It's been fun to braid his bangs during church while he lays in my lap. Too bad he wouldn't sport the style for crazy hair day at school!
Gemma shared with Jack the mustache tattoo she got in her valentines. It was pretty funny!
Todd's sister Kelsi and her familyspent some time on vacation in California and we got to share a couple of days with them. We took them to the tide pools at Moss Beach, north of Half Moon Bay, and to the Henry Cowell Redwoods near Santa Cruz. Both days were pretty chilly, but at least it wasn't raining! My kids loved the opportunity to get to know their cousins Kollyn and Daniel better. They all played together so well; it was really satisfying to see.
We spent a Saturday in San Francisco. Jack brought his kite, and we flew it at Chrissy Field. The kids enjoyed playing in the sand near the Golden Gate Bridge and watching all the sailboats on the water.
Then we headed over to Chinatown for the Chinese New Year celebration. We toured up and down the streets and tried some new foods and candy.
The highlight of the day was the Chinese New Year parade. There were plenty of floats, dancers, and fireworks to enjoy, and we used last year's experience to let ourselves feel alright with leaving before it was all over, knowing it is a loooong parade (last year lasted three hours!). It was nice to get home close to bedtime and get the kids tucked in after such a long, fun day.
The kids were invited to dress up as a favorite book character during Read Across America week. Gemma had so many options from the dress-up bin that she changed her mind many times, but she ended up going as Tiger Lily from Peter Pan. Hazel spent several days in advance working on her accessories to look like Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter. She's only just met her in, but she's already a big fan.
Jack did not want to dress up for any of the school spirit days, but he was excited about the school assembly, where he was awarded a trophy for reaching 300 AR points. He is leading the pack as far as the second graders go, and probably the third graders, too. His goal is to get to 400 points by the end of the school year, which is pretty awesome!
We have had lots and lots of rain this month, and it was starting to get me down, so it felt like a real tender mercy when some blue sky peeked out one afternoon. I definitely felt like Heavenly Father was letting me feel His love for me.
Gemma was Star of the Week in kindergarten. She got to ring the bell to come in from recess, sit in a special chair up front, and help out her teacher in other ways throughout the week. I got to come into her classroom when she was presenting her All About Me poster and read a love letter to her that I wrote. I loved seeing how happy she was, being treated so importantly. I loved that Mrs. Coon waited several months to make sure Gemma would be comfortable in front of the class and enjoy the experience, instead of feeling shy and embarrassed. She even checked with me first to make sure Gemma was at a point where she would appreciate the attention before going ahead with having it be Gemma's turn. It was really thoughtful of her.
