February Recap

February was another very busy month that flew by around here!  We spent any free moment (which wasn't many) working on interior projects including lots of trim paint work.  We are hoping to lighten up the entire interior this year but we are doing it in sections because between walls and doors and trim it is pretty time consuming work! But we are so happy with the progress and how great things are looking!

Seeing this carpet disappear made me so excited! I have been ready to tackle this part of the house for years and it is finally time! 

Potty training Ayla has continued to go great! 

Eli had his birthday

Trying to be patient waiting for some cake!

A great trip to Central Oregon to unwind a bit!

 

We came home for the Super Bowl battle! Of course they had to root for opposing teams to keep things interesting. 

Then we jumped straight into Valentine's Day! We had a sweet and simple day with the kids. Heart waffles and a few treats. Ayla was hopped up on sugar ALL day but we enjoyed the love holiday! 

 

We also cooked a ton of steaks!

 

This picture was just one of those moments where I had to snap a pic because you look across the room and just realize how many kids you have (and one wasn't even pictured)

I feel like all 4 of the big kids are growing so much right now and looking so much older, it is crazy! 

Amazingly the weather was super warm and we even had a couple days worthy of shorts!

Another big transition this month was moving Leeland to his room. I am never ready for it but he is a very light sleeper and is rolling everywhere so he couldn't really use the bassinet any longer. I know it was time and I am glad that transition is behind us now! 

Groot had his yearly check up. This requires a full afternoon of keeping him awake (he's quite lazy most days) to play or else he gets so excited to see the other dogs that he becomes a handful for Peter.  So the kids played with him all afternoon and then the vets hyped him up like crazy (he loves it and all their attention) that he comes home completely exhausted. He was so worn out that Ayla was able to walk him around the house on his leash and she loved every second of it. He followed her on the leash like a perfect gentlemen for the reward of his favorite snack, a cheese stick! 

We finally got around to that 100th day of school. We usually hit it about a month sooner but Leeland's arrival and the holidays put us a bit behind that. We have no problem with school taking us into May or June and that is part of the joy of homeschool! 

Another big project we started on was ripping up the carpet in the halls of the upstairs and putting down laminate. I had painted this area last month so now we still have to conquer all the finishing work of new door and floor trim and also updating with new doors to give it all a fresh look! 

We had even more fun tea times, which really has become a highlight of the week. With the weather being so nice we even transitioned into spring decor!

All the kids had another date night this month. Ayla was adorable because she went to the bakery and was told she could pick out any item she wanted. She requested 2 cookies which Peter indulged her with and he brought me home a cupcake.  Well, in true toddler fashion, she decided my cupcake looked more appealing than the cookies she picked out. 

Ayla loves to try and do school with her big siblings! She will be very ready for her turn by the time she starts!

 

Cooking and baking is something I really enjoy and last year was a huge struggle in this area with not feeling well through the entire pregnancy and then adjusting to 6 kids. I am loving the time I get to spend back in the kitchen and it is always nice to have helpers who enjoy cooking with me too! 

Another fun goal of mine this year was to become a grill master. We finally got the grill and I am having so much fun with it and I'm getting rave reviews so far on my grilling!

My niece (hard to believe she's a full fledged adult) has gotten her esthetician license and Sabrina and I couldn't wait to go in and get some highlights and new cuts!  

To celebrate Mardi Gras here at the tail end of the month (yes, officially Mardi Gras was in March) we had a little feast of cajun chicken and cajun shrimp fettuccini, corn fritters, and a king cake to top it all off! 

I also decided to go back and start experimenting with our sourdough again. We started our sourdough start about 2 years ago and this last year barely did anything with it. But we are back to making pancakes, crumpets, english muffins, and the fancy loaves! 

All in all it was a fun and busy month.  Peter and I both commented late last night about how good life is feeling right now. He is loving his new job and we are settling into roles and routines again. After 2 years we finally feel like life is "back to normal". The kids are getting back into all their old routines and have us running in all different directions between swim lessons, sports, homeschool science classes, and piano that we are just excited to finally feel like we can live life again!  We won't take these normal, busy days for granted anymore.  

As we look ahead into March we can't wait for spring to officially arrive! We are clearing out the freezer fruit in anticipation of fresh Oregon berry season (starting with strawberries in about a month) and the start of spring sports! It is warm enough for us to start to take the baby out to barn church and get the yard prepped for a garden and more days spent out there with the kids (and more and more bbq).  We definitely feel like we are living in "the good days" of our life and are so thankful for all that is right in our little world, even when the big world  feels heavy!