February iPhone Pics

• Super Bowl Sunday!  Had to wear my new shirt that Ryan and Shannon got me at the Oakland Raiders game ... in LONDON.

• Kansas was COLD in February. 

I'm talking so cold that my mood ring was BLACK!  

I didn't even know that was a color the mood ring registered!

• I went to dinner at Tony and Christa's one night, and Christa pulled THIS out of the oven:

My brother and I were dying.  Christa was all, "Grow up, you two."  But she eventually laughed a little too.  

Come on...how hilarious is that!?  It's some sort of squash I guess.  But wow...too much. ;)

• The snow and cold temps made for some good pictures!  I took this from my kitchen window one morning before work.

• Cristo Rey Lady Pumas Basketball was in full swing in February.  This was Senior Night:

• I don't remember why I took this, but I think it was because I was just SO excited there was actually some warm sun early in the morning for once.  It's been so cold and dark all winter...

And my hair is outta control  #INeedAHairCut

• Started planning a little trip to Africa for next month...

I think I should have been a travel agent.  Researching and planning trips is seriously one of my all-time favorite things to do...outside of actually going on the trips. :)

• I bought these really expensive (and really interesting looking) boots made of reindeer skin when I was in Sweden.  I couldn't remember how they were supposed to be tied, so I asked my friend in Sweden.  He sent me this picture:

So I sent him these back:

I'm not crazy about them now that I have them home, but they're definitely unique (which I love) and will always remind me of Sweden. 

• Shannon got me this cool pine cone candle...to appease my obsession with Tahoe pine cones.

• Speaking of Shannon, I got to see her a couple of times this month!  Here we are eating dinner with the biggest slab of ribs ever made.  

(We didn't even put a dent in that plate...)

• February was really cold...but we did have one weekend of just glorious weather.  60's and sunny in February is pretty much unheard of.  I definitely soaked up those warm temps at the park with my niece and nephew...and let the wind blow through my hair in the car. 

• Kansas.  Sunset.  Enough said.

(From my front porch)

• I took Hunter a Valentine's Day necklace that my mom had sent up for him.

I'm not sure...but I think he liked it.  Hahaha ;)

• There is officially one more CrossFitter in the world :)

It's a challenge and I'm loving it!

• I had Presidents Day off work, so I took Hadley and Hunter for a little play date.  

They are the worst air hockey players I've ever seen. ;)

On the way home, Hadley said, "I'm just going to shut my eyes for a second."

And about a second later, her poor head was bobbing all over the place.

Don't mind me while I snap pictures while driving.

(JUST KIDDING!  Only at stop lights.)

• I'm trying to eat healthy (more paleo-ish) and found a couple of recipes to try on Instagram. 

We'll see how long it lasts, but this was my kale, quinoa and salmon for lunch!

• Christa put this cool braid in my hair, and I liked it so much, I couldn't take it out.

Here is day 1 and day 2 with the braid.  

• And Day 3 with the braid.  3 workouts down and it's still hanging in there...kind of.  

Messy is in, right?

• Hunter asked me to play CandyLand with him.  When I asked him about the rules and how to play it (because he was cheating) he promptly got out the instructions and started "reading" them to me.  He's 3.  And can't read a word...

• This recipe has a great story to go along with it:

I saw this recipe on Facebook and decided to make these healthy muffins.  

Easy enough, right?

Well, not when you miss the last step and DON'T PUT ANY MILK IN!!

Haha - I can't even make that up.  That's why I just stick to smoothies in the kitchen.

I'm hopeless.

• GPAC CONFERENCE CHAMPS!!  (For the 2nd year in a row.)

So proud of my girls!!

Valentine's Day

I'm not a big fan of Valentine's Day.  Never have been.

But this year, some cool friends came through with some cool gifts...

So maybe I DO like Valentine's Day.  A little.  But only this year. ;)

I always say I don't like flowers because they just die and are a waste of money.

But really.  What girl could not like getting these at work?? 

Lillies (my favorite) and roses that smell like they're straight from heaven ^^

And on top of the flowers, I got an awesome lunch box that suits me quite well, and an air plant with purple grass.  I mean, come on.  My people know me too well.  :)

The air plant came in the mail (in a box) on Friday.  It was a really solid mail day:

Got a sweet card from my momma:

AND I got my February Birchbox!

That's about as exciting of a mail day you can get around here!

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We got off work early on Friday, so I went to see Fifty Shades of Grey before all the masses of people went that night/weekend.  I didn't read the books, so wasn't sure what to expect, but I wasn't impressed with the movie at all.  In fact, I laughed out loud at a couple parts, like, "Are you serious!?" 

On Saturday, actual Valentine's Day, I went to a workout class early in the morning, then had basketball practice like I do every Saturday during the winter, and then went to CrossFit, and THEN went to watch my niece play volleyball in a tournament.  I'm crazy, I know. 

No shower after all of that working out = not smelling (or looking) so great.  But it was great to watch Allie play.  Her team did way better than I was expecting, and she is quite the setter!

While driving home from the tournament...I got this Snapchat from her:

Hahaha - she kills me.  She asks me at least once a week if I am taking her to the SOLD OUT Taylor Swift show -- in September.  That girl...

So as if the day wasn't crazy enough, I then went straight down to my brothers to watch my niece and nephew for the night.  

I've never ventured out with both of them (4 and 1), but hey, there's a first time for everything.

I decided to take them to a local play place - kind of like Chuckee Cheese but bigger - at their suggestion.

It started out all smiles:

And I was all, "I've totally got this.  You guys go have fun.  I CAN DO THIS."

HA!

That lasted all of literally 10 minutes.  First of all, it was freezing, and trying to get the kids int he door with diaper bags and coats and NOT letting them get run over in the parking lot was hard enough.

And then Hudson instantly started crying at the big clown, the one game Hadley wanted to play.

Then Hadley got lost or stuck or something up in the big play gym.  And what am I supposed to do?  I can't fit in there with Hudson...and I can't just leave him hanging out...

Oh I could go on and on with the stories...  Hadley cut her finger on a game.  "IS IT GOING TO BLOOD ON ME!?  IS IT BLOODED!?!?" with big tears.  

Hudson melting down ... just because he's 1 and can do that.

Lordy Lordy.  We were outta there...

The only thing that stopped the tears was the promise of a cupcake.

We then attempted to go to dinner.  Like, at a restaurant.

I know, I know.  What was I thinking!?

It actually went okay...for a little bit.  But Hudson had just HAD it and totally melted down.  It was so bad - and I was clearly so frazzled - the people around me felt bad and were helping me out, haha.

I shoved a couple of bites of food in and walked out with out Hudson's coat (negative degrees outside) ... and he had ONE shoe on.  And I sent HADLEY back inside for it all.  No joke.

Babysitter of the year, right here.

The one saving grace from the night:  This sunset on the way home from dinner :)

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Oh, and these pictures...

This was Hunter painting my Valentine's Day present.  

The cuteness.  It kills me.

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So, yeah, Valentin'es Day isn't so bad when you get flowers and lunch boxes and cards and paintings...

...but I'll work on being just a little more prepared for the kid time next year.