february here and gone

another month has flown by us! 

Zoe continues to dress up in her princess apparel on a regular basis.

and this is what happens when you have a big sister

max didn't seem to mind it though

in fact, he was hammin it up.

we had a little mops valentine's day party for our table mamas & their kiddos

zoe was soooo excited for it and even helped me with the snacks/small decorations

the kiddos had so much fun playing, and us moms were so busy talking that i didn't take one single picture once they all arrived.  oh well, great fun & good memories were made.

on valentine's day night, we had a family pizza night.  low key, family style is just what we love

silly kiddos

zoe set the table :) 

 valentine's day morning. the kiddos finding their suprises from daddy.  what a way to start the day!

and zoe got her first roses from daddy....she was in heaven!

i think she watered them 3 times a day

 enjoying valentine sweets from friends

bart & I got to go on 2 dates for v-day.  of course, i forgot to get pictures.  actually, i think i was so excited to get out of the house and eat a nice dinner, kid/mess free, that the thought didn't even cross my mind to take pics.  the first date we had was put on by our 2 mops mentor moms.  one of them hosted a very nice italian dinner at her beautiful home, and all of us mops moms and our husbands got to enjoy a delicious meal/dessert and do a fun couple game.  i know you might be thinking, that could be cheesey, but it wasn't at all. both bart and i had a great time and appreciated the mentor moms opening up their home/food to us.  what a great ministry!  the second date was a dinner date with just bart & i.  salad, steak, mashed potatoes & a roy rodgers.  best meal ever with the best husband ever.   

we took a little weekend trip to imperial.  the kids are so happy here.  zoe even asked me one night when i was tucking in her to bed if we could all just move in with mema and gpa at their farmhouse forever.  its neat to see your kids love the place where you grew up so much.

and of course they get extra attention from auntie courtney

the animals are always a highlight

]

zoe checkin on the growing babe

he's so handsome. 

after church w/mema

aunt courtney isn't the only fun one!  uncle josh and aunt cara are great too!

always fun to see sweet little camden. 

max & camden enjoying grandpa's popcorn

more fun

max asked for a cape.  and then wore it all morning.

max could live in either his diapers alone or his pjs w/snowboots. 

speaking of style preference, lately i've been letting zoe dress herself throughout the week.  i always love to see what "creations" she comes up with.  this one isn't too bad, but i do love the boots for a special touch.  oh, and manny gets dressed too! :)

anytime we get the mail when we're in the car, i let max "drive" home since the mail boxes are just down the street.  its his favorite thing to do.  daddy snagged a picture of us when we returned from our "mail drive". 

movie night.  must have been an intense moment in the show.

16ish weeks bump, this baby is growing so fast! 

on top of being preggo sick, we've had our "moments".  max's terrible twos really have been difficult for me. many days when evening hits, i'm completely exhausted. 

he is crazy and messy 24/7 and it gets very difficult when you don't feel very good.  max, i still love you and you redeem yourself often when you come up to me and ask to snuggle.  i know this is just a stage....i hope!! :) 

yes, he's biting the chair?!?!

auntie cailyn & uncle paul came to visit us too! 

zoe & cailyn dancing it out to the wii.

the kids love their family!

oh, and max's love for pjs & snowboots changed from wearing his boots to zoe's. 

we've been working on this! :)  as zoe dramatically says, "max, boys just simply don't wear pink or anything princess.  you need to remember that!" 

and this past week was our rough week.  the kiddos had the nasty "cold/croup/crap" bug, and as i type this out, i'm trying to get over what they passed on to me.  it has been awful! i'm praying bart doesn't get it. we had to miss bible study, 2 play dates, and mops this week.  i HATE missing those things!   on a happy note, today one of my dear friends was at my door stop with hot chicken noodle soup & bread from panera to help me feel better.  Lord, thank you for surrounding me with such an amazing group of ladies.  i was sooo grateful not only for her kind gesture but for the love behind it.  i hope everyone has at least 1 friend like that and is that kind of friend to others.  a good reminder to me!

how do i know max is feeling better? the tractors are back out and planting season is in full swing in max's farm world.  mema gave him a tractor when we were in imperial, and he hasn't stopped playing with it since.

if you ask max what he's going to be when he grows up, he says, "farmer with grandpa"  so cute.

and zoe's favorite thing to do besides dressing up, coloring.  all day long.  i think i get at least 3 pictures a day from her.  she always writes on the top of each picture:  mom zoe.  i love that she is starting to sound out letters and write little words on her own. 

that wraps up our month of love.  i just looked at our march calendar, and every single week/weekend is booked up.  some super exciting things are coming up this month, one of those being finding out what this little one is inside? boy or girl?  we also have a family vacation to get ready for!  the kiddos can't wait! happy march! :)