Here are some of the fun things that the Leslies did in February.
I've been trying to take Leah to the "Van Gogh to Play Dough" program at the BYU Museum of Art. It is very hard though because it is a popular program and spots fill up very quickly each month. So we usually only get in every other month. Each month they focus on a different piece of art. They walk to the piece of art in the museum and talk about it. Then do fun activities that go along with the art piece. Afterwards the the kids go to a classroom and work on some different art projects of their own. Leah loves doing arts and crafts, so she loves being able to go whenever we can.
In February, they were focusing on some cowboy art. So Leah got to dress up as a cowgirl, sing some cowboy songs, feel some of the materials that are used to saddle a horse, play pin the horseshoe on the horse and pretend to milk a cow with a glove balloon.
Back up in the classroom, they had a real saddle that the kids could try sitting on. Too bad there wasn't a real horse. For art projects they got to decorate paper bag vests, make a collage, and make a marbled looking picture using milk, food coloring and dish soap. It is such a fun class for her to go to. I just wish it wasn't so hard to reserve a spot.
I try to send out a picture valentine card to grandparents and great-grandparents each year. So one afternoon I got both kids dressed and cleaned up so I could get some pictures with my camera. Oh boy, was that an experience! Leah was pretty good. I was able to get pictures of her done quickly. As you'll see, she was more than willing to smile for the camera. These were my favorite pictures of her.
Then I tried to get pictures of the two of them together. That was a different story. Corbin was completely uncooperative. He did NOT want to sit by Leah or have her hold on to him. So these three pictures were what I had to choose from. Luckily the middle one turned out pretty cute.
Trying to get pictures of just Corbin wasn't much easier. He refused to sit still, didn't want to look at the camera, and rarely gave me a smile without his tongue hanging out. I even tried taking a break and giving him something to eat to see if he would be happier and more cooperative with me. I'm not sure it helped though. So these pictures were the best I had to choose from for him. (And I took a lot of pictures...).
After some cropping I did end up with a pretty cute valentine. And those who got them thought they were great. So in the end, all the frustration of taking their pictures was worth it.
Ross and I have decided that going out on a date on the actual Valentine's Day is too crazy. We don't like waiting forever to eat somewhere. So we always find another night to go out that is a few days before or after Valentine's Day. This year we did a babysitting trade with Ross's sister, Norma. After dropping the kids off at her house, we went out to eat at "The Wild Mustang Grill and Bakery." It was a first time for both of us at that restaurant, but we were both pleasantly pleased. It had a typical steakhouse feel to it, and it was really tasty. Hardly anyone was there the night we went, so we were in and out very quickly. And the best part was that we could enjoy a nice quiet evening of talking and reconnecting without little ones interrupting all the time. So nice!!
On Valentine's Day, we took the kids and went out for pizza as a family. It was just to 5 Buck Pizza, but it was tasty and Leah had a great time. She loved playing with the pool table after she was done eating. Afterwards, we went to Wal-Mart to let each of the kids get a little Valentine gift. Leah choose some Doc McStuffins puzzles and Corbin got a little Tonka garbage truck. Then we went to visit the Millers for bit. Nothing too exciting, but it was fun to spend the evening together as a family. I like including our kids in our Valentine's Day outings, after all I want them to know how much I love them too.
On February 24th Ross's mom was released from her mission. She had been serving for the past year as a Family History Records Preservation Specialist in the New York, New York Mission. She and her companion (her friend, Sister Laycock) had been helping prepare records for scanning in the county courthouse in Goshen, NY (a small town northwest of New York City). On their release day they left their mission and drove across the country to come home. Well, technically they both rode across country while Sister Laycock's son drove them home.
So in honor of her return, Leah helped me make some decorations to welcome her home. Then I took the kids up to her house and we spent the afternoon decorating to surprise her and help her feel loved when she got home. She later told me she loved seeing them and kept them up for a while. (By the way, you can't really tell in this picture, but each of the hearts on the wall has the names of each of her children and grandchildren.)
The last Wednesday of the month was free day at the zoo. So for Leah's preschool class they talked about "Z is for Zoo." They made little books with pictures of the animals they could see at the zoo and safari glasses to help them spot the animals. Then each of the moms decided to take their kids to the zoo. Leah was so excited.
However, the weather that day was AMAZING! Now normally that is a great thing at the end of February. But great weather plus free admission at the zoo meant that the huge crowds of people flocking to the zoo was insane!! I knew it would be busy, but I didn't realize just how bad it would be until we were almost there. Parking was a joke. I finally decided we would just go to a nearby park and eat some lunch while we waited for people to leave. By then more people were leaving than coming so we found somewhere to park.
The crowds inside were still pretty bad and we only got to see one of the families from her preschool group. But Leah still had fun seeing what animals we could. I spent so much time maneuvering through people that I didn't get many pictures. So here's the few I did get: Leah spotting animals with her safari glasses and checking out the eagle's nest.
After the zoo, Leah wanted go to her Grandpa's house. So we stopped there for a visit and had some dinner and then went to visit my Grandma Putnam. She had recently fallen and broke her arm and fractured her hip. So she was staying in a rehabilitation center. It made for a long day, but it was still fun and I'm glad we went.
So there's "Life with the Leslies" in February of 2014. The day to day stuff might seem dull at times but when I look back I realize that life keeps us pretty busy with some fun times. And it doesn't slow down either. I'm already way behind on March's posts. Oh well, such is life I guess.
