February and March.
The two little rotten eggs in an otherwise palatable dozen. These months are the tough ones. Nothing to do but keep busy till spring!
The winter ping-ponged between heavy snow and mild dry days.
We found ourselves doing bike rides and park walks one afternoon.
Then sledding and building snowmen on another afternoon.
Ping. Pong.
Here we are on February 2nd. Sage is in shorts and a long sleeve tee. Not bad for early February!
And here we are on February 3rd. Now in short sleeves!
Delightful little Kale. A magical oddball, he is.
Entertaining himself while big brother is gone at school.
The 100th day of kindergarten came and went.
We made a super sparkle cape with exactly 100 dots of glitter to celebrate Sage's big milestone. It's a rather significant day in kindergarten. An assignment of top-notch importance. Each student expressed '100' in their own unique way.
Hey look at that... is this another creative celebration of the number 100? One hundred little stars in a darkly lit theater? Nope! This isn't a school function....this is one of those exceptionally rare parents-only NIGHTS OUT! We saw a concert at the Armory in Old Town.
Our night out was a most pleasant experience. Simply delightful. Very well suited to our needs!
1) A quaint historic building. 2) Affordable craft beer on tap. 3) Hot Buttered Rum. Duh! 4) A wildly entertaining opening band called Grant Farm. 5) Front row seats - for a truly immersive experience. 6) The show over before midnight. Perfect for us 30-somethings. 7) And free babysitting.
We'd both like an encore please.
It's fun to spend the night away.
But it's always nice to come home too.
I mean, who couldn't love faces like these?!?
Below - an exemplary specimen of Sage and Kale's fort-building. This is an all-year-round activity. Every season. Every month. Every week.
So. Many. Forts.
Remember when "playing" could be done on a table top, or in a quiet corner? I've never had the privilege. Playtime is full-scale, encompassing entire rooms and incorporating all moveable furniture. Sage's ideas are BIG. He is nothing short of a Master Builder. Elaborate and detailed forts, with multiple levels, and multiple rooms. And Kale is a dedicated assistant helping bring to life the artist's masterpieces.
Valentine's Day
Above: candy to give away at school.
Below: candy retrieved from school.
And a little something sweet from Illinois.
And the "big" gift from mom and dad.
Drum roll please.....
They don't stop moving.
They don't stop making noise.
They play big, and take up lots of space.
There is no limit to the mess-making.
Little engines that run on oxygen and sugar.
Send help.
Chocolate milk and coffee.
(Kale doesn't actually eat food.....)
March 1st. Siblings night out!
Another evening kid free?!?!
Sage's classmate's birthday party at the Nerf Center.
Sage's best bud - Kai.
I don't remember the details of the story. You'll have to ask Matt. But I'm pretty sure Kale entertained this snowman for a good chunk of the day. He had many conversations with him. He may have made him a snack at some point in time. They became close friends. And it was a little sad to watch him melt....
Ingredients for a backyard sledding hill:
1 porch with short staircase
1 foot of snow
1 shovel
1 inflated snow tube
1 snow sculptor (dad)
1 videographer (mom)
3 brave children
These faces say it all....
And just like that....
snow gone!
More fun at Dr. Greg's office.
We go there too often it seems.
So way way back in 2018 our mattress broke. Springs gave out and a big gaping hole (much like a little bird nest) developed on the side of our queen-sized Ikea. It was 12 years old, and had become noticeably smaller over the years (mostly due to all the co-sleeping children we kept adding to it.)
I remember driving down the highway in Arizona with the thing tied to the top of the car. Flapping violently in the wind. This was the closest to flying we've ever come. I don't recommend it. Somehow, we managed to get it back to our condo in Scottsdale without injuring ourselves or anyone else. But vowed to never do that again.
A well-loved and heavily used piece of furniture. But the time had come to say goodbye.
And since you only upgrade your mattress once every decade or so. You gotta go big - or go home.
So here it is....our brand new king sized mattress!
Delivered in a box at our doorstep.
And this is the exact kind of mattress you'd expect two old hippies to get. All organic. No flame retardant. Layers of natural latex, wool, and cotton. And tiny little compartments that dispense granola and trail mix.
(Just joking about that last part. Or am I???)
Like most children, our boys were much more excited about the box.
Another round of snow play!
Squirt bottles filled with water and food coloring and a tray filled with fresh white snow makes for GREAT ART.
Like tie-dying. But you don't have to wait 24 hours for your items to dry. And you don't get to wear it afterwards.
St. Patrick's Day.
Sage and I prepped some party food for a little gathering that afternoon.
We headed over to Timnath to meet up with the rest of the crew, where we attempted a green-themed walk/run/bike/ride around the neighborhood. But the wind and cold temperatures quickly got to us. One lap and we were done.
Our very first trip to Fort Collins' newest and most innovative park: Twin Silos.
Our first attempt at 'flow art.'
Step 1: Pour
Step 2: Flow
Step 3: Stare
Kale came down with Christmas Tree rash.
We took him in to urgent care to have him evaluated.
He was covered head to toe in spots. No other symptoms.
Not contagious. And no lasting side effects.
And now...the time you've all been waiting for.
The onset of Spring!
Let the flower farming begin!!!
We started with a big compost delivery. We wanted to get those beds nourished and ready for flowers. But the kids liked Compost Day too! Nothing quite as fun as big pile of dirt (formerly known as poop) in the driveway.
We bent hoops and created our first caterpillar tunnels.
We extracted lots of grass and tilled the dirt.
And we planted our first crops! We planted two rows of hardy annuals - the strong and durable plants that can handle frost, and thrive in cooler temps. These would be our first flowers to come in April/May.
We built a trellis system for sweet peas. Which just now (in July) are starting to bloom.
We opened up a business banking account for Bighorn Blooms
Lollipops for everyone!!!
And here and there as time allowed, we did some cooking....
A Reuben: for the meat-lover in my life.
My first made-from-scratch spanakopita!
And Matt, he made scones!
And oh yes... we did a taste test.
Golden Crisp won by a landslide!
