Papa's on his way home!

As I type, my dad is heading on a plane west.  We had such an incredible 40+ hours together.  The kiddos couldn't get enough of him!

Papa and Micah doing one of his favorite pass-times - Legos!!

Here's Joy still warming up to Papa while he took a snapshot.  What really broke the ice is what she's holding in her hands - Papa let her hold the deodorant he had just bought at Target.  Before you knew it, she was handing it back to him and then climbing all over him.

One of Micah's famous lines while dad was here was, "Papa, would you pick me upside down just one more time?" I lost track of how many times I saw Micah being carried this way.  The last "upside down" was curbside at the airport - right after his goodbye hug when we dropped him off!

"Uncle" Luke is up for a quick couple days visit too, so that's been nice!

Papa reading Joy one of her favorite books.

This morning Papa treated us to DELICIOUS homemade omelets.  We had considered going out to breakfast, but I'm so glad we opted to stay home instead.  It was fun to sidle up next to dear old dad and cook with him (I handled some of the sides). :-)

Breakfast!

See any resemblance?

Miss you already, dad!

Papa from California

My dad's here for a quick weekend trip, and we're all just loving it!  Joy can't take his eyes off of him and Micah was talking his ear off all night long...

Wheels

God has given us AMAZING weather this week - 70+!  The kids and I are loving it.  I seriously think Micah has spent more awake hours outside than inside since Wednesday.  With the outdoor play came lots of wheel time - riding a bike, driving a jeep, taking walks with the stroller, scooting around in a "go-cart" (Joy's walker) and charging up a handful of remote controlled vehicles to race around the yard.  It has been a real nice way to pass the time, as Scotty has been away at a conference for 5 days...we will be glad to have him home again tonight!

Joy sitting in her stroller chomping down on a baby-sized green pancake for St. Patrick's Day (thanks Miss Jen!) at a breakfast wrapping up the Girls' Club overnighter at my church.

Staying hydrated while getting ready for a walk in the stroller.

Here's Micah taking a spin on his old 12" bike for kicks...

...but really enjoying riding around on his new 18" bike (thanks Papa and Mama)!

Joy watching from her bedroom window while big brother drove his jeep around in the backyard.

Enjoying the great outdoors in a "go-cart" (thanks for lending it to us, grandma)!

A Kid's Wonderland!

Last night I took the kiddos to the children's museum and we all had so much fun!  We didn't have enough time to hit all the different play/learning stations, so Micah informed me when we left that it's fine with him if we come back sometime. :-)

A little brown box from a big brown truck

The familiar sound of the UPS truck came rumbling down our street and then I heard a quick knock on our side door.  It could only mean one thing - a package!  I opened the door to find a brown box filled with birthday presents for Joy (thanks grandpa and grandma Sovilla)!

"Reading" to Joy

Micah has been "reading" to Joy  this week - reciting the board books he's had for years.  It's really kind of cute, and both kiddos enjoy it. :-)

Lions and tigers and a Joy-Bear - oh my!

Goodness, I have blinked and February has simply flown by! The month started out with a successful and fun fundraising breakfast for Boys/Girls Club at church (thank you, Lord, and thank you volunteers)! The month continued to trek along with homeschooling, BraviBit business, BSF and GEMS. Before we knew it, we were celebrating Joy's 1st birthday. Along the way we've been having family adventures in the winter snow and the winter sun (funny how these past few months of weather have panned out). Before February comes to a close, I wanted to get some photos posted.  Here's a sampling of just some animals we enjoyed seeing at the zoo this past weekend.  I was surprised at how many were out, even in the snow.  We all had a great time!

I pointed out to Micah that these fish in the sea anemone looked like the car wash we drive through.  He then dubbed this the "Fish Wash" :-)