Happy Family Day!

In one week, it's Valentine's Day, Family Day, Chinese New Year, and daddy's birthday! That can only mean one thing: lots of food, with family! 

Tyler made his first Valentine's Day mailbox, out of a (kids') size 6 shoebox, and gave and received class Valentine's cards. He received his very first report card, and we had a parent-teacher interview three days later. We are fortunate to enjoy a good rapport with his teachers, with mutual trust and open communications. We respond to the forms and requests from school, and they keep us in the loop. 

We visited my maternal grandmother on Valentine's Day, and it must be that not many small children visit, as ours were rare specimens, butterflies flitting among the wheelchairs. We had a snack and some photos in the family room, where a light blue budgie sidestepped nervously on a stick in a small cage. 

We are looking ahead to spring by going to the fishing and boating show, and you can almost feel the winter thaw approaching. We are still waiting for that perfect, powdery weekend for toboggans and making snow friends. 

Meanwhile, Tyler, at 4, is having some physical growth spurts. There are times when we can't feed him enough. Ashley, at 2, is becoming more and more sophisticated in language - she already has pre-reading skills. 

These two kids make a surprising amount of noise, but they anchor this bustling home, this family of 5. Happy Family Day to you and yours!