Just some stuff....

Every once in a while it is good to do a 'bulleted point' list like this so, when we look back in years to come, we can see what we were up to in, say, February of '13. So....some random thoughts....

*Maira continues to LOVE baking with Amanda...it has become somewhat of a tradition that on Tuesdays and Thursdays, when Callum is at school, Amanda and Maira bake cookies or cupcakes. Today, for Valentine's Day, they made cupcakes and Senor Andresen's amazing ginger cookies...

*Callum and Maira continue to be clinically obsessed with Calliou DVDs, watching them almost exclusively. Whenever anything is about Christmas at all, Maira says Christmas "Lights." For example, the Elmo Save Christmas DVD is called, by Maira, "Elmo Christmas Lights"

*the snow we got is quickly melting. Obviously. This always happens. We need more. It has been in the 40s all week. Sucks. Bring on the arctic chills!!!

*We actually spent all afternoon today outside with the kids, running, riding bikes, and building snow fort things....today was the first day that Maira, I would say, was actually a legit 'runner.' The little girl is good! She seems to have the running bug as well!

*Amanda is getting ready to take her first "solo" trip (since the kids have been born) tomorrow....she is heading down to Rochester to visit with Andrea....so it will just be the kids and yours truly.

*Feb vacation starts after school tomorrow....one thing Amanda and I will do NEXT weekend is go away overnight--without kids--up on Mt Desert or something....THANKS MEE MEE AND GRAMPY for watching the kids! A trip away is awesome because........

*I am starting to get the house in order for my surgery coming up on the 26th--the MRI I had showed that I tore my labrum (shoulder) and I am gonna get surgery to have it fixed. Feeling kind of down about this....gonna be rough: sling for 8 weeks....very very limited activity....lots of PT....etc. I am wondering how I am going to drive to school when I go back--both of our cars are standards. Also,I am worried about how I am going to pick up the kids from daycare, etc. So I have a lot of firewood stuff to do next week so Amanda is all set to take care of things!

*Callum continues to love school more and more each time he goes...today he was ECSTATIC because they had a Valentine's party...he came home with his huge bag of valentines from his friends.

*Callum also has his first "best friend," a little boy named Daniel. Callum's whole world lately is "Daniel" this and "Daniel" that....

*Reading a pretty good book called "All the tea in China," and it is a nonfiction piece about how England stole the tea plant from China to make money....very interesting stuff actually...and some of the toughest vocab I have ever read in a book....seriously....

*On this Valentine's day, I am grateful to experience all the different types of love that exist in the world: I have the romantic love of a stellar wife. I have the paternal love for my two beautiful children. I have the love of my church and my faith. And I have the fraternal love my friends and I share. And soon, with those wonderful friends, I will experience 'wing-ly' love as well....