February

February was a short month but it was packed!  First Grandpa Wybenga came and visited with us for a couple of days.  A couple days after he left, Mimi came and visited with us for a couple days.  A couple days after Mimi left we celebrated Valentine's day and a couple days after that we celebrated Haley's Birthday.  From Haley's Birthday until the end of the month it was pretty slow, but we needed the time to recover from the first part.  Grandpa Wybenga came the first week of February.  I felt bad because it was pretty cold, so much for an escape from Michigan weather!  He taught Haley how to play Angry Birds on his Ipad although I usually overheard them calling it 'crazy birds.'  Mimi's visit was from February 8th until the 12th.  It was especially wonderful because she stayed with the girls on one of the nights that she was here and David and I went and had babymoon in the city of Jefferson.  Jefferson is really only forty-five minutes away but it is a cute little town with a lot of history and David and I had each only been there once and we had never been there together.  We ate in Shreveport, LA, which I thought was the highlight of the time.  They had a pianist and stand-up bass player doing live music and our table was in the best part of the room to listen and see.  We stayed the night at a little bed and breakfast, something else we'd never done before.  Mimi said the girls were pretty good for her and I feel like I can tell why because when we got back she had bought them all kinds of new toys and had put streamers and balloons up for Haley's Birthday.  I think the girls weren't ready for us to get home.  Emily did not even look up at us when we came home, thanks Emily.  The Tuesday that Mimi was here she helped me put together a little tea party to celebrate Haley's Birthday with some of her friends.  David didn't have to work so he put on a suit and served the tea, Haley acted like he always does that.  I'm going to let the pictures do the rest of the talking, there are a lot of them! 

Hanging out with Grandpa

Haley opening gifts, looks like Mimi fell asleep.  I guess it wasn't a very exciting party. :)

Haley and her friends from left to right:  Addie (turned 3 in December), Lucy (turned 3 in November), Evelyn (Lucy's older sister, she turns 5 in June - cousin Kelsey's age), and Haley

Daddy serving tea at the party

Blowing out her cupcake cake

Mimi got her this purse and tiara 

It is fun to sign-language for more,

She loved the crown, princess dress, and shoes she received from Mimi and Pops

A friend hug

A couple days prior to Haley's Birthday I found Haley and Emily in the guest room where they had discovered one of Haley's future Birthday presents:  megablocks.  I ended up just letting them play with them and then I put them away when they went down for naps.  I guess I didn't hide them well enough.

Lowe's had a workshop sometime in February.

Haley refuses to wear the apron so Emily wears it

I gave Emily random things to hammer while Haley and Daddy did the real work

Haley preferred to use the big hammer

On Valentine's day David took the girls for a wagon ride while I made dinner

David brought the girls and I roses.  We had steak, twice baked potatoes, asparagus, and heart-shaped biscuits for dinner

Emily broke her flower almost immediately but Haley loved her's and wouldn't let me put it with the rest of mine.

I got them a little something for Valentine's Day, Christmas toy clearance from Target :)

We had chocolate fondue for dessert with angel food cake, marshmallows, strawberries, and pineapple to dip 

As you can see, Haley changed her dress halfway through the evening

Oh quick look, a pregnant picture of me!

Haley's Birthday fell on a Monday but it was president's day so a lot of schools were out.  I invited a bunch of people from church to come to the park over lunch to play.  Those who came packed lunches and I brought cupcakes for dessert.  Haley was thrilled because some of the kids that came were older (usually in school) but she really admires them so she was excited that they were there.  David's flight landed early so he came straight from the airport to the park, Haley was pretty excited to see him too.  After the park we came home and put the girls down for naps while David and I wrapped Haley's presents!  We went to Smasburger for dinner and afterwards celebrated with Birthday cake.  

Haley told us she wanted chicken and french fries for her Birthday dinner so we took her to Smashburger (they do serve chicken too).  It was a beautiful day so we ate outside.  Both of the girls especially liked their fries, they are more of a shoe string size so I think that's why they liked them.

Daddy and the girls

When we got home from Smashburger we let Haley open her big presents:  a markerboard and a car.  The markerboard won, haha.  Someone had given us the car a LONG time ago but it was broken.  David fixed it and we gave it to Haley on her Birthday but she's kind of scared to drive it.

The other side is a chalkboard but I didn't even get any chalk for it because I'd rather her use the marker side anyways, chalk is such a mess...

Emily loved the Birthday cake.  Haley requested blue frosting because it is like her blue princess dress.

At one point she was eating it like a dog

  

Haley's Birthday cake

Haleyism:

When Haley woke up from her nap on her Birthday her first words to me were: "Mommy, can my Birthday not be over yet?"  I assured her it had only been a nap and we were going to keep on celebrating.  Thanks to all of her aunts who sent Birthday gifts a little late; she loved that she could continue to celebrate after her Birthday was over!

Emilyism:

Haley is scared of the car she got for her Birthday but Emily loves it.  She's not strong enough to push the gas down enough for her to go forward but I think that might be a good thing.