A Little of This and That in February

Well, friends, we made it! Here we are on this final bonus day of February, right on the cusp of leaving winter behind us. We've already had a few little glimpses of spring, and I can feel my soul waking up from its winter sleep.

That said, I'm happy to say, we didn't just endure February, but really enjoyed it. This month was spent . . .

Escaping . . . the inversion. I love almost everything about living in Salt Lake except for the horribly nasty air that gets trapped in our valley during the winter months. Right around President's Day, we literally had the worst air on record. It gave me a headache, which it's never done before. I really wanted to go to San Diego again, or at least St. George, but we settled for a couple of hours in the mountains instead.

Hosting . . . book club. We discussed The Children Act by Ian McEwan, a book I didn't love but that made for one of the best discussions I've ever been to (in part because my friend, Jen, who was the discussion leader, knows how to ask really thoughtful, probing questions). I always get really nervous to host because throwing a party is not one of my strengths, but it turned out really fun (and now my turn won't come up again for awhile!).

Touring . . . the new Provo City Center Temple (formerly the Provo Tabernacle). The tickets were in high demand, so we settled for Friday morning at 7:00am. That meant we had to be out the door, dressed in our Sunday best no less, at 6:00am (oh, and did I mention that Mike had returned from a work trip at midnight the night before?). But it was so worth it. I have a tender spot in my heart for that building because I spent so much time there during my college days (including my senior recital). The craftsmanship was gorgeous and I was so humbled by the symbolic reminder that Heavenly Father can transform great tragedy into wondrous blessings.

Delighting . . . in all of Clark's new words. In the last month, he has turned into quite the little talker. It still sounds like gibberish to most people, but we in the family can understand almost everything he says. Our favorite words are, "O-tay," "Why?," "I'm fine," Nie-nie [night-night]," "tee-tee [pizza]," "That's Daddy's!," "Addie [his cousin]," "amen," "hot dog," "spidey-spidey [spider]," and "tane-too, Mommy [thank you, Mommy]."

Basking . . . in the warm, spring-like weather we've had the last few days. Max has picked up right where he left off in the fall in his search for bugs. Mike has been anxiously checking his raspberry plants that he transplanted in the fall. The soccer ball has come back out, as well as the bikes, scooters, and wiggle cars. Everyone is coming out of hibernation, and it feels like our neighborhood is alive again.

Listening . . . to Anne Bogel's new podcast What Should I Read Next. Oh my goodness, I'm obsessed. Anne asks her guests for three books they love, one book they hate, and what they're currently reading and then gives them three recommendations for what they should read next. The book talk is perfection. Her guests are well-spoken and witty, and even when they're talking about a book I know I'd never want to read, the discussion itself is just so interesting. Of course I've thought about how I'd answer those questions for myself, and man, it would be hard to decide (although I know exactly which book I'd mention for one that I hated).

Celebrating . . . Valentine's Day with chocolate waffles, origami hearts, date night, and, of course, books.

Beginning . . . a "no treats for a month" fast. I'm dying. I knew I was addicted to sugar, but it's been two weeks, and I'm still absolutely craving it. I think, according to Gretchen Rubin's definition of it, I'm an abstainer rather than a moderator, but I don't think I can give up treats long term. Nor do I want to.

Judging . . . the easy readers/early chapter books for the Cybils Award. This is definitely something I hope to participate in again in the future.

Teaching . . . joy school. More than half-way through the year, and I still think they're the cutest little group we've ever had. Plus, Bradley has a crush on Jane, which is super adorable.

Writing . . . a guest post for What Do We Do All Day. We played with our city of Lemonopolis all month, and it was so much fun.

Welcoming . . . a new niece to the family. My brother and his wife had a baby at the beginning of the month, and her two older siblings stayed with us for a couple of days. We loved having them, and I just love new babies.

Reading . . . quite the variety of books. Everything from a reread of The Happiness Project to some medieval fantasy to some nonfiction with Aaron.

Stressing . . . about school decisions for 2016-2017. There's nothing to decide yet, but that doesn't mean I don't worry about it. One thing I can tell you though, we just can't do the two schools thing again. I'll write more about it later. (And if you know me in real life, I'm sorry. It seems I can't have a normal conversation without bringing it up at some point!)

What were you up to this month?