A quick recap of January!

I was looking back through some of the pictures on my phone and realized that there are quite a few cute ones that should be saved! It's so easy to take pictures of the girls doing their everyday activities and some of them just get lost in the abyss of pictures!! Here are a few from January!

This is back in early January when we had a light dusting of snow...

Another slightly chilly day in January when they got all bundled up (but not too bundled up because then they can't move!) to play outside.

A few pics of Annaliese and I being silly:)

We switched Haleigh from the crib to the toddler bed mid-January. Annaliese had figured out a way to get Haleigh out by herself and, while it had worked out ok so far, we decided to switch the bed before they hurt themselves! Haleigh does pretty well in it...every once in awhile she decides she needs to join Annaliese in her bed, and she will occasionally get up. But all in all, it was a very smooth transition. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Annaliese's preschool class celebrated Valentine's Day with a class field trip to the fire station and a little party. Haleigh and I joined them at the fire station and had a mostly fun time checking out the fire engines and the fire station. This particular station has just 3 firemen and they all were part of our tour. Annaliese fell apart at one point in anticipation of loud noises (which never happened) and Haleigh started crying when one of the guys put on his whole outfit complete with the air mask. It made a little chiming noise to indicate that air was flowing and she was not a fan!! 

Getting ready to start our tour.

 Inside the fire engine.

Annaliese and her friend Keziah.

 Haleigh wasn't so sure about being in the truck.

Annaliese's classmates (plus a few siblings)

I'm pretty sure the highlight of the trip, according to Annaliese, was seeing the kitchen and coming home with her own fire hat!

After our tour was complete, we headed back to school. The kids had a break for recess and then came back to the room for a few different Valentine's events. There were 4 different stations that they rotated between: bean bag toss, cookie decorating, painting, and a 'mail-delivery' game where they had to deliver letters to the matching mailbox. Haleigh and I were in charge of the cookie-decorating (Haleigh loved it!) 

Once they had completed all the stations, they had snack time followed by story time and a few games. It is so fun to be in the classroom and watch Annaliese interact with her teachers and friends. It is also really neat to see them picking up on bits of Spanish! They do a lot of singing and Annaliese will frequently be singing different songs at home. 

 Haleigh and her friend Cole waiting for the kids to finish recess.

Annaliese checking out all her Valentine goodies after school.

Curly Toes and a Birthday Party!

Two weeks ago we took a quick trip down to Seattle. Annaliese's toes have always curled under each other and we weren't sure if it was going to become a problem down the road or if there was something we could do to correct them. Our family doc here wasn't sure either and recommended that we see a pediatric orthopedist. The nearest one is located at Seattle Children's Hospital so we made an appointment and went to see what they had to say!

I was very impressed with the whole setup there at Seattle Children's...mostly by the fact that our 1:40 appointment started at 1:40 and we were back in the car by 2:10! Kelsey works at the hospital so she came down and quick said 'hi' before the appointment. The doctor confirmed that Annaliese has what is known as Curly Toes and that it is actually quite common and, since it isn't causing her any problems, there is nothing to do about it at this point.

After a quick stop for some ice cream, we headed to Ben and Kelsey's house for the night. Grandma was already there...she had come down with us and then stayed at their house with Haleigh so we didn't have to have her at the appointment too.

 Having a little dance party 

Annaliese and Haleigh weren't quite sure what to think of Juice (the cat)

Saturday morning we celebrated Mallory's 2nd birthday! Hard to believe that she is 2 already! Kelsey had a tasty brunch and all the kiddos spent the morning playing together.

 Kelsey and a few of her friends

 Playing with the beanbag toss game we gave Mallory

 Mallory, her friend Josiah, and Haleigh hanging out in the crib

Opening birthday presents

By early afternoon, the sun was shining and we thought it would be fun to check out the zoo. Unfortunately, it started raining when we got there and it wasn't long before everyone was quite wet! We decided to call it a day and headed back to the car and drove home. Of course, about the time we got everything all packed up, it stopped raining:)

 Mallory and Elias