We introduced Lauren and Maya to the Pacific Science Center today! Bubbles, flying balls, and butterflies continue to be Meryl’s favorites.

 I don’t think I’ll ever lose that surprise and delight feeling while watching Holmes drink from a bottle, with others especially! Our Wild Things:)

Holmes and I visited our friend, Pam, today, caught up, and talked shop in her shop! Couldn’t resist sharing this picture she took:)

Xanna’s here! She arrived just in time for dinner a la Frank (lamb chops, roasted broccoli, and saffron rice), and we FaceTimed with Grandpa too.

And what a month it’s been! He moved to his crib, he got a nap schedule, we discovered torticollis and pediatric speech and physical therapies, he started drinking from the bottle with ease from ANYONE (still reminding us that he likes warm milk best), he’s ‘just’ starting to sleep for longer stints at night (thank you naps and drinking more milk volume by day), and best of all, he’s smiling LOTS! Go Holmes! (Go us!)

Lummi and I are so lucky! Meryl picked out a special outfit for today, with her baby sweater (knit by Allison, now a bolero) and her baby leg warmers (now 1/2 leg warmers, Jazzercise style). And well, I couldn’t pass up Frank and Holmes:)

We’ve survived-ish. Five days of true winter weather swept through Seattle, leaving grocery store shelves bare (revenues last week were higher than Thanksgiving week), schools closed, and people trapped in their houses with their very own families. But, there was SNOW! A lot of it. (Schools are closed yet again tomorrow. Parents everywhere are groaning and questioning the meaning of life. We love Baylie!)

Yesterday, Meryl and I joined the neighborhood outside for one last play in the snow. We co-built a snowman, and five hours later it was melting in the rain. Dare I say I miss the snow?

Breaking out of the house today was...therapeutic.

And just like that, he drinks from the bottle! While we still have some things to work on therapy wise, we’re over the bottle hating to bottle loving hump. Well, bottle loving IF the milk is warmed juuust right:) Holmes has acquired Frank’s fervor for food and is sure to let us know if the temperature detracts from what should be an optimal milk drinking experience. (I’ll have you know we won’t be a slave to the bottle warmer forever; but for now, it sure does align all the stars!) Also, Laurel stopped by to visit! And then she had a mad dash to the airport in our impending snow storm, boarding the plane to San Diego without any minutes to spare.

Last night, Meryl donned her gown and headed downtown with Frank to their second Father Daughter Dance at the WAC! She sipped Shirley Temples, dined on delectable party food, and ate FIVE butter balls (two from her bread plate, one from Frank’s, and two that she stole from her friend, Catherine, sitting beside her). She ran circles on the dance floor and in between walls of curtains, and then stopped in the middle of the scene to stare at the big girls dancing - making sure to take off her party shoes too, because that’s what big girls do. Our little butter ball.

Well, it seemed that Meryl threw back one too many Shirley Temples as all that sweetness came back up late into the night. Surprising and scary as it was for her, it also meant that we got to watch the ‘pillowcase jig’ while Frank helped to change all her bed sheets:) (Now, why is it that us parents feel like we’re the ones with the hangover?)

Another snow day! Luckily, Baylie made it up the hill so that she, Meryl and Maya got to play outside together (cabin fever averted!). Holmes conked out early after PT, and Frank and I are celebrating Lunar New Year (as well as both kids in bed) with orange beef. Gong Xi Fa Cai!

For real, it did actually snow! (Oh, when snow days were quiet days to telecommute and make soup. Not with kids!) Meryl threw snowballs, attempted a snow angel, romped with Lummi, and feigned despair when a neighbor took our picture. We’ll see how the weather holds and if cabin fever strolls into the house tomorrow:)

When we weren’t outside, Meryl decided to take all her toys out without any intention of putting them away. And she got away with it!

 It snowed! We also braved the elements and headed to Costco during the game. And while it was less busy than normal, it was not the vacant warehouse of my dreams. Costco.

 The next installment of Meryl’s cooking, learning how to make rice! Washing the rice first is critical, so is using a rice maker!

Seattle Children’s Museum for the win! Meryl literally skipped and sprinted from exhibit to exhibit, where she decided that summer sausage is a grocery shopping staple, learned about optometry, tried out being a short order cook, and swam through kelp like a sea otter. We’ll be back for more!