Dad Goes to Dancing Class

Marc was out of school for a week for the mid-winter break. Luckily we had a make-up dance class that Thursday so Marc could watch Harper gallop and jump around. Heather the dance teacher asked Marc to come and play some live (and lively) music for the dancers.

Parents can't sit in the room to watch the dancing but we can spy through a window to see what's going on. I usually don't pay too much attention to what's going on in there. But for posterity's sake I hung out at the window for most of the class.

Dr. Harper the Artist

A spotted dog. With at least eight legs.

The doctor getting ready to give the squirrel a needle.

The squirrel is quietly recovering in his bed.

BBG is Free

On Margo's birthday we drove out to Brooklyn and visited the Botanic Garden. It was raining. It was free. It was deserted. It was great.

There is a terrific little bonsai exhibit right now. We all wanted our picture taken with one of the cute trees and cute Margo.

And cute Harper.

Pancakes and Cake

Harper requested pink and purple pancakes for Margo's birthday breakfast. Luckily we had some strawberries and whipping cream in the refrigerator to add that extra special touch for a birthday girl and her hungry family.

We ended the day with a purple cake and a candle. Margo grabbed that candle while it was on fire. It took a second for us to realize what was happening and another second to blow it out. In those two seconds Margo was not burned. Thankfully.

And Now She Is One!

One reason to love Margo: she is the cutest sweetest smiliest nicest best baby.

*Marc says she walks. I say she takes a step or two now and then.
*She wants to drink from the big glass
*Now that the weather is a little nicer Margo is so happy to be back in the swing at the park
*She has strong opinions about things
*I say she says "Hi." Marc doesn't say that.
*We all think she's wonderful

I Love a Man and a Girl with Dishpan Hands

My mom has a sign hanging in her kitchen that says "I Love A Man With Dishpan Hands." I also love a man with dishpan hands. And now he is teaching Harper to help with the dishes. And so far she thinks it's fun. And so far I wish they were in charge of the dishes every night.

For CATW

Margo modeling her tutu.

And again.

Valentine's Day

Some of the things we did to celebrate Valentine's Day:

We painted each other's toenails. Whenever I looked at mine I thought of low-budget horror films. Harper barely has toenails anymore since she has taken to chewing them. For the record: She also chews her fingernails.

Harper wore her heart turtleneck which she wears every day it is not dirty. She added mismatched socks which has become her signature style these days. Sometimes we all wear mismatched socks at her request.

Making happy Valentine faces.

Another happy Valentine face. Harper's tongue looks like a heart. Which I think is so cute.

Owl Be Yours

Girls in Drawers

Recently Margo discovered how much fun she can have in her bottom drawer.

Not one to miss out on the fun, Harper climbed into her drawer as well. And modeled these stylish sunglasses.

Mom & Baby

Harper loves being a mom. She wakes up every day and asks me to play Mom & Baby. She calls me Baby all day long. And I have to call her Mom all day long. We take a ride in the car to the campsite or the hotel on our way to see Granny and Grandpa or Grandma and Grandpa. The couch is the car and it is covered with all the things we will need for our outing. Like Lego, wooden blocks, giant books, play food, a stool, dolls, blankets, dancing shoes, balls, an enormous inflatable lion, paper bags, tutus, and the flag.

Here is a bad picture of the car.

Here is a picture of the driver turning the steering wheel in just the same way that I remember pretending to turn a wheel when I was a little driver.

Here is a picture of her taking care of her other baby.

Me and Girls

Cheese Snacks

A Mongolian Treat

Udval and Zula came over one night and made us a special treat. Potato perogies. The dough was just flour and enough water to make it doughy. And some pepper. The filling was potatoes and onions cooked and mashed together. They rolled the dough into little circles, put a dab of the potato mixture on one side and cinched them shut, then fried them until they were brown. We ate them with mayo mixed with Sriracha hot chili sauce. Delicious. They reminded me of the perogies the ladies at church made as a fundraiser for our branch many years ago.

More Face Time for the Cutest Baby Face at Our House

Time Out in New York

This is the time-out chair. Unless Harper chooses a different chair on which to endure her punishment. This old chair belonged to Marc's Grandpa West, is at least as old as we are, and has special reclining features that Marc always advertises when anyone gets near it. Harper, and now Margo, love to play behind it, which says more about the secret space back there than how cool the chair is.

Wall Flowers

For Christmas I received a Lotta Jansdotter book. She inspired us to do some stenciling the other day. After the paint dried we added some other things to create a proper springtime scene. If only it were like this outside today.

Harper cut the sun, the moon, and most of the grass all by herself. She stenciled the flowers and painted the butterflies. I cut the stencils and the butterflies. We found the ants in my stash and Harper glued them on. She also glued on the leafy top of her strawberry. It's supposed to be a lily pad.

Every flower needed a smiley face.

Getting Ready for Valentine's Day

With only a few days until the 14th we are very busy around here crafting special surprises for our Valentines.