Half Birthdays, Groundhog Day, and Other Funny February Traditions

On half-birthdays in the Robertson family, the half-birthday boy or girl gets to choose what we all eat for dinner. Micah turned two-and-a-half on February 5th. We had egg salad sandwiches and a delicious apple cake, courtesy of Micah's culinarily gifted mom.

And Michael turned twenty-eight-and-a-half on February [29th] - no true half-birthday for Michael this year; but we nonetheless had enchiladas (thanks to Sarah) and waffle cone ice cream (courtesy of Target's Market Pantry brand, Michael's new favorite ice cream (after Tillamook, of course)).

It's not completely family friendly (only a little dog poop in that chocolate cake), but one of Michael's long-time traditions has been to watch Groundhog Day, the Andie MacDowell movie, on February 2nd, Groundhog Day. It's a timeless movie (punny?) about redemption and finding the true meaning of life and love.

This February we also finally experienced what everyone told us winter in Colorado would be like. The weather for the first two weeks of February was gorgeous. The daytime temperature hovered between 60 and 80 degrees and the sky was a fervid blue, as if consciously compensating for the gray days we experienced through December and January. And then things suddenly changed. On a Saturday in the middle of February it snowed three or four inches, enough for church to be cancelled the next day, and it's been cold enough for the snow to mostly stick around for the last few weeks. Today the temperature finally climbed back into the 50s. We're hopeful that spring might finally be upon us, but having lived in Utah, we know that warm spring (and even summer) weather can suddenly turn into snow flurries without the slightest notice. And we wouldn't have it any other way!

In early February, while Michael spent long hours at the office, Sarah and the kids made a very special trip to the zoo -- we got to ride the carousel! Micah picked the peacock bench, which was perfect because we could all fit. Isla loved hanging out with her big bro!

And then we saw a peacock with its tail feathers up! It was so cool. One of the fun things at the Denver zoo is the roaming peacocks and peahens. They always seem to be around, but rarely with the tail feathers up.

Valentine's Day started off with some heart shaped pancakes and strawberries. In our family it seems that every holiday involves food, no matter what!

Micah and Isla in their Valentine's outfits. Isla loves to ride on Micah the horse and especially loves using his hair (what's left of it after his most recent haircut) as the reins.

On the Saturday morning before it snowed, we took a long walk around Stone House park, one of the many beautiful parks in Lakewood. The trails at this park connect up with a trail system that weaves throughout much of the Denver metro area. We have big plans for the summer: we just need to get a bike for Sarah and a trailer for the kids, and Denver will be our backyard.

There's nothing more fun than throwing sticks into a river with a two-and-a-half-year-old and watching where they float to. Every day is an adventure if you want it to be.

The kids have loved building tents in our living room lately. Thanks to Micah's friends Makai and Claire for giving us the idea!

And playing "Gorillas" in Micah's bed has become a daily "must."

I'm not sure about your kids, but our kids love toys, all kinds of toys, from musical instruments for a certain melodically inclined little girl . . . 

. . . to all kinds of building blocks for our little structural engineer.

We don't generally celebrate three-quarter-year birthdays (you have to draw the line somewhere), but we'll make an exception for extraordinary cuteness: Happy Nine Month Birthday to our rosy-cheeked Isla Grace.

In the second half of February, we finally had enough snow to make a snowman, although not enough to make a snow army. Stop hogging all the snow, Boston Robertsons!!

Isla supervised the construction from her stroller and gave her stamp (or smile) of approval to the final product.

For those of you who are wondering (the millions of members of the Isla fan club), yes, Isla finally has teeth. In fact, she has six teeth and counting. And it's never too soon to practice good dental hygiene; especially if you want to grow up to have strong, straight teeth like Mom (braces help, too).

Most of the time (MOST), Micah and Isla are great friends, and Micah is a wonderful big brother, even occasionally letting Isla play with her Peek-a-Boo Bear.

Reader's Roost

There hasn't been a lot of reading in the Robertson roost over the last month, but we've enjoyed the reading we have done. Michael finished, and loved, Understanding the Book of Mormon, by Grant Hardy. Professor Hardy examines what can be learned from a narratological approach to the Book of Mormon by examining the lives and writings (and omissions) of the Book of Mormon's three major narrators. The book is fascinating and faith-promoting. As a family, we've also been enjoying the works of Arnold Lobel (particularly Frog and Toad) and Cynthia Rylant (the Mr. Putter and Tabby series). It's not a book, but we also really enjoyed Big Hero Six, and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in the genre (light-hearted, animated, super hero / robot movies made by Disney Animation Studios).

See you next time!

Love,
The Robertsons