Is it Spring yet?

This has definitely been the best winter as far as weather goes that I've seen in the last 10 years, due to the fact that we no longer live in Chicago, but it's the end of February, and I'm just ready for spring to be here. I am ready for trips to the park, and for the boys to be able to play outside. I am ready to be done with coats, and snow shovels, and all the other things that go along with winter. But I guess March is just a few days away, and that just SOUNDS better than February, doesn't it? Hopefully the weather will cooperate and we can enjoy some nice weather. We have had some pretty days recently though. Today it is probably about 40 degrees. We went to the store and left the coats in the car, so that was nice. Just having the sun out makes a big difference.

So here are some recent pics of our lives. This first picture of Cooper is just a very common sight around here. He loves to eat and he has been feeding himself for about a year now. He does a good job most of the time, but some days he gets so extremely messy. This night we had had chili, and as you can see, he liked it just a little. It's so hard to believe that he will be two in just a few weeks. Time has flown so fast.
The next one is of a "house" that my boys made. I swear not a day goes by where my couch cushions actually stay on the couch, but they're having fun and being creative, so I guess that's what matters, right? The next two pics are (obviously) Matt and the boys shoveling the driveway. When it snows on the weekend, the boys love to get all bundled up and go help daddy shovel. TJ can actually do a decent job shoveling, and at least Cooper thinks he's helping, so I guess he's getting used to the idea, right? :-)

A few weeks ago we celebrated Pancake Tuesday. This is something that I have been doing for the past 13 years. It's the day before Ash Wednesday, and it's also known as Fat Tuesday. I know I'm not Catholic and I don't do the whole Lent thing, but any reason to celebrate is a good one for me. :-) We had a big pancake party and had about 30 people over for pancakes. I was hoping for a lot more than that, but it was the same night as the Blue and Gold banquet (a huge scout thing) in my ward, so only two people from my whole neighborhood came, but it was fun regardless. I have a ton of pancake stuff left though, so I am thinking of hosting a pancake party another night for those in my ward who couldn't make it the first night. In this picture are our friends Dave and Ariel Witt. Ariel was moving back to Chicago a few days after our party, so we're glad we were able to send her off with a full stomach so to speak. :-)

Some days I just look around and am amazed at how blessed I am; a wonderful husband, two beautiful, healthy kids, a house to live in, and so much more. There is so much to be grateful for!