Good times...

I thought I'd post some random pictures of what our family is up to lately..... our winter here has been SO darn cold. Sophie doesn't have recess at school if the temp is below zero and school is canceled if the wind chill gets below -20, and both of those things have happened - yikes. We are looking forward to spring, but trying to enjoy winter still, cozying up in the house and spending time together. So here are a bunch of pictures of our life this winter..

We went out for ice cream because we finished reading the children's version of the Book of Mormon. Coming up next.... the New Testament. It is a struggle to get Nora to sit still and read with us but I guess she'll never learn unless we keep trying!

Me, Miles and Sophie

Daddy and Nora enjoying their ice cream!

Sophie's class at school celebrated Chinese New Year by doing a musical parade. I took Nora and Miles to watch. Nora was so sad that she wasn't going to be in it but when we got there Sophie's teacher let Nora carry a tambourine and she followed Sophie around completely thrilled. And I was so proud of Sophie because she was very sweet to Nora. It was fun to watch my two girls walk down the hall together as friends.

Nora loves helping whenever I make bread or rolls.... we have some small pans that Sophie got for her birthday from grandma and grandpa phillips (from Ikea) that she uses. It is so cute to watch her roll out her dough and form it into all kinds of shapes. She loves to watch it bake and eat her finished product as well!

We like to sit at the table together after Sophie gets home from school for an after school snack, and hear about each other's days.

Nora started back in pre-school last week and was very excited. She is making progress writing her letters (some of them) and is determined to learn to write her own name so she can get a library card like Sophie!

Miles is just so much fun right now. I love watching him toddle around the house, destroying everything in his path. He is letting his opinion be known and will not tolerate being treated like an infant by his sisters. He is at the age where he hits his head quite a bit - as you can see by the yellowing bruises on his noggin.

We go through a lot of play-dough at our house. Mainly because Nora can sit and play with it for at least an hour. A few of her favorites to make: eggs, snakes, birds, and ice cream.

Sophie still loves to paint, create and craft. She is writing sentences and loves to fill papers and notebooks with pictures, stories and sentences. It is so very cute. Here are a few samples of sentences I've found in her notebook:
My mom and dad rok
The flars wer bloome (the flowers were blooming)
The ducz wr hache (the ducks were hatching)
I got u welo chtre (I got a willow tree)
Mi ers hrt (my ears hurt)
Pliez gv me u viulen (please give me a violin)
It is so fun to see her learn and progress.

Sophie and Nora's favorite thing to do lately after school is to play stuffed animals together. I love hearing them do voices for their animals and the stories they make up with them.