February

love, love, love

happy valentine's day!

Mark Birthday Recap

Waiting for the birthday boy, everyone crams into Sen's room (and our bedroom hallway)

Then we surprise the birthday boy, who thinks he is coming home to a quiet evening and home-cooked pizza. Instead, I tell him to go check up on Sen because he was in a time-out and he gets scared half-to-death and then fed a few slices of Amy's Organic Frozen Pizza (sorry Mark, couldn't really pull of the homemade pizza AND the surprise party now could I?) Good thing: It was definitely a surprise, Bad thing: It was DEFINITELY a surprise - the initial look on his face was more of horror and fright than surprise I'm sad to say, but at least it quickly gave way to the smile you see in the picture above. Next it was on to...

the birthday cake!

...which gets presented to the birthday with the traditional birthday song.


(Do those kids look like they want cake or is it just me?)

Later there is...

Partying, of course...

also kissing,

snuggling,

(with a very beautiful baby, might I add!).

...horsing around (apparently!),

and of course a nice, warm bonfire

where guests hung out

and Mark and his circus friends got to play around with some new juggling toys.

Happy 28th Birthday Mark!

lullaby

golden slumbers fill your eyes

smiles awake you when you rise

sleep pretty darlings do not cry
and I will sing a lullaby

this morning

(if you look closely you can see Emi's little head peeking out. Did you find her?)

Mark wakes up, cooks breakfast, feeds Sen.
Emi and I wake up in time to say bye to Sen.
Mark takes Sen to the Hazelwood House (his preschool).
I get to eat oatmeal and enjoy watching the snow fall outside the window.

Didn't stick but still pretty exciting.

(can't see the snow in this picture)


(but you can in this one)

Meanwhile, Emi makes general adorable mischief.

Pretty sweet morning!

Surprise!

the Aya's have it.

On December 6th of last year my very own big sister turned the
big 3-0



in commemoration of that event I made her a special little doll ...




and tucked it in a basket
of small treasures...

Aya had a lovely, toasty fireside birthday at her house with wine and chocolate
cake, which is pretty much all any adult woman really needs...

Aya opens her gift:

(thanks for acting happy aya!)

I would have liked to have shown everyone many more pictures of this most special occasion
but alas, all candle blowing and cake eating happened when I had to run back to our house to pick up the diaper bag that we had forgotten.

Which also explains why I didn't rush home to post about it (that and the general antics involved with having two small children) and have just now put out in cyberspace this happy birthday song.

This one's for you Aya.

Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you,
Happy 30th birthday dear Aya,
In 3 years I'll be thirty too.

(thanks for climbing over the hill first big sister)

Love you Aya!

male bonding

Today Mark and Sen had some nice father-son time.
Mark worked on patching a hole in the wall with Sen as his trusty side-kick.

Sen made sure Mark was doing everything by the book.

Of course, Sen didn't want to share the book.
(Babies can't work!)



Later, Mark filled me in on the sweet, heartfelt conversation that they had while working together:

"Daddy?"
"Yes, Sen?"

"Is the wall a piece of shit?"

"...no Sen, why do you think that?"

"Because it kind of looks like one."