Tim couldn't resist catching this video of Joseph and Rosalie all dressed up for dance time today!

Rosalie had her very first haircut the day before her birthday, but with everything else that was going on that week, I didn't get a chance to take any hair-specific pictures until today. Here it is wet...

and here's how it looks when it's dry. Her stylist, Elva, has curly hair herself, and showed me a few tips for daily styling and even for minor trims. It isn't terribly different, just a bit cleaned up, which is exactly what I wanted! I think it looks fantastic!

My Granni passed away three weeks ago today in Houston, TX, and her funeral was just over a week later here at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio. Things were so hectic keeping the kids well-behaved, we didn't get a chance to take any pictures, but the services were beautiful and fitting reminders of Granni's life and legacy. We weren't allowed to stay in the cemetery to watch the actual interment, so we made a trip today to bring some flowers and see the site where Granni was buried right next to Grandpa Hugh.

Of course, the kids don't understand the solemnity of the situation, but they love their Grandma Susan.

It's really such a hopeful thing to see their little bodies flitting through the gravestones.

Tim and Dad have been preparing all week to re-insulate our attic, and here they are at work! Well, it's actually too dark in the attic to catch a good picture of Tim, so here's Dad, anyway, filling the blower with bags of insulation. We're so grateful for all the ways my parents have helped us during their visit, including this!

Rosalie is three today! All week she has been asking "Is it my birthday?" and I was happy to tell her this morning that indeed it is! Here she is with Joseph after breakfast now, getting the day going with a celebratory twirling session. I think Joseph is just as excited that it's Rosalie's birthday as she is!







Now that Tim is home and dinner is over, it's time for presents and cupcakes! Here she is opening some special gifts Joseph made for her throughout the week. One card says "You are a good dancer" and the other has 10's and 8's on it, as those are Joseph and Rosalie's favorite numbers. What a thoughtful gift-giver!

Her reactions to every present are so gratifying, with lots of oohs and aahs, thank-yous, and excited queries like "What's that?!" She is also taking the time to examine and play with every item before moving on to the next. Just look at that surprised and happy face!







There are lots of presents to open!



Here are Rosalie and Joseph making pretend sandwiches together while we prepare to eat...

and now it's time to sing and blow out that big candle! Rosalie specifically requested cupcakes, so Grandma Gedlaman whipped some up using Grandma Allison's famous chocolate cake recipe. I'm sure they will be delicious! What great end to a great birthday for our dear Rosalie!

In honor of Rosalie's upcoming birthday, we're here at the Magik Theater in downtown San Antonio to see a staged production of "If You Give a Pig a Party" by Laura Numeroff. We saw a similar adaptation of "If You Give a Moose a Muffin" just over a year ago, and the kids both really loved it, so we're excited to be here today!

Sure enough, the show was a hit, and here we are in the lobby after the fact seeing and saying hello to the cast!

Remembering these big antlers from the last show, Joseph was especially excited to meet the Moose!

Rosalie and Joseph both agreed the Pig was their favorite character, and she was kind enough to step out of line for a quick photo op. She did a great job and we all had a great time!

It's a great day to play in the backyard! Here in TX we get more leaf fall in the Spring than in Autumn itself, so there is plenty for these big trucks to scoop, dump, and haul around.

Grandpa Lloyd is out here as well, single-handedly replacing our eastern fence. Grandma and Grandpa always help us so much when they come to visit!





Here are Joseph and Rosalie doing their best to help as well!

Grandma Susan and Grandpa Lloyd are joining us for a game of Chicken Cha Cha Cha tonight. Rosalie is actually better than I am at remembering where the tiles are, and that girl is out to win!

Joseph's Doggy Song: Doggies are everywhere, doggies are playing with balls, and doggies are driving cars!

Rosalie spinning and spinning and spinning...

and spinning!

Here's something else that has been keeping the kids busy lately: singing along to their favorite tunes together. It's amazing how much of our days revolve around books and music!

A day wouldn't be complete around here lately without daily dance time with the keyboard. Today they are preparing a special dance for Valentine Day's!

One of Rosalie's favorite things to do lately is put puzzles together. She's getting quite good at it, and can even do these big ones by herself!

The weather is back up above freezing and it's the perfect afternoon for a family walk and bike ride!

The evidence that it did indeed snow in Texas while we were sleeping last night!

This morning the kids are making worm cupcakes, a project entirely of their own invention. Here they are at work!

The recipe looks fairly normal, really, except for those 10 cups of worms!

It's my thirtieth birthday, and here's my first picture wearing my new contacts!



Here I am opening presents a little later tonight. It's been a great day!

The kids are busy reading books together again this morning!

Sorting all the tub numbers and letters by color...

and knocking them back down as fast as possible!

These kids love to read!

Tim and I spent a good portion of our time in Payson sorting through the Playmobil toys his parents had saved since their kids were young. They literally had dozens of sets and hundreds of people, but since Tim's mom had also saved many of the pictures and instructions, we were able to reconstruct most of the sets almost completely! It was a lot of work, but a lot of fun, too! Tim's parents generously offered to divide the sets among their kids, and here are Tim and the kids playing with some we brought home this afternoon. We all love Playmobil!