i surveyed the disaster zone that is my living room (and bedroom..and hallway...) last night. it feels hopeless to pick things up when it will return to this tornado state tomorrow too. among the mess is our easel with a banana pudding finger paint masterpiece drying. among the mess is sage's suitcase + six other purses, packed to the brim of any odds and ends she could find. "i'm ready for the airplane!" she declared in preparation for our spring break trip. among the mess are stacks of library books--they both stress me out (due dates!) and make me so happy. it may take a lifetime for me to learn the balance between play and everything in it's place. but among the mess, i am thankful we have an easel, thankful we can travel, and thankful for our little library that we frequent.

nora's behavior resembles an ewok these days. she toddles around everywhere, growling, grunting, and tilting her little head to the side with a smile.

sage eats, sleeps, and plays with this sparkly crown on lately. and insists on choosing her own outfits...can you tell? i love how her brain works. "mom! i have polkadots and polkadots. perfect match!"

 marjorie hinckley sums up home nicely:
“home is where you are loved the most and act the worst.”
oh, so true.

the month of love...and sickness

february has been a bit of a doozy over here. we got some sort of plague (fevers, rashes, colds, coughs) and have laid low. i don't even know where my makeup bag is right now, and i can't remember the last time i put on real pants that are not leggings or sweats. on top of that, we've had a slew of snow days and some icy cold weather. all the more reason to camp out at home!

despite all that, nate took sage out on a little valentine's date. she was bubbling over with excitement and could hardly wait to show us the outfit she picked out, crown and all. they went to her favorite fancy restaurant (chipotle), and came back with chocolate covered strawberries and a nordstrom balloon.


before the sickness, we hosted a little valentine tea party. sage loves these sweet friends and they were all pretty stoked to decorate cupcakes and do some painting.


our very pregnant friend watched the girls for us to grab a valentine's dinner at sitta , but we came home to a pitch dark neighborhood and house. i felt so bad j had been sitting in a dark, cold house!

and poor nora, she's been the most sick. i tried to take a few photos, but she was quite offended when i took that sucker away.

the month of love is just another excuse to leave up my christmas card banner--i get a little dose of happy every time i glance up at all those faces we love. maybe i'll take it down when we move.