February Fun!

Here's what we have been up to for the past month...

We went to an Ohio State wrestling meet.

They beat the Gophers!

Brooks has officially decided that he wants to be a doctor! :)

We had a really nice day so the kids spent some time outdoors blowing bubbles.

We tried a play cafe in town called Firefly.

Kylie has stopped sucking her thumb.

As a reward, she got to pick out a toy and she chose this Sheriff Callie costume.

The kids have been spending snipets of time playing well together.

I love when they love each other.

These two love crafts...especially when paint is involved.

We had lunch at Chick Fil A!

It doesn't matter how cold it is outside, Kylie always chooses to trade her toy for an ice cream treat.

We had a discussion about getting a dog someday.

I told the kids we could get one in about 10 years.

They spent a large portion of the day researching dog breeds.

We also went to COSI which is the science museum in town.

Brooks loved the "Gadgets" area. 

He played with the balls for-ever.

Here is my official Valentine's present from Jon.

Yay! A new pair of running shoes in my favorite color!

And we had our first real (by Minnesota standards) snowfall in Columbus.

We had about 6-8 inches on a warm Saturday.

 We spent a couple of hours shoveling, snow blowing, and playing.

Brooks isn't a huge fan of the snow yet, but the rest of us had a blast!

Happy Hearts!

Happy Valentine's Day from the Barlow Family! 

We are infinitely blessed with love and sweetness!

Valentine's Day crafts!

 Writing out her Valentine cards for her friends!

Valentine's date night.

We had Jeni's ice cream (a Columbus staple) and saw American Sniper.

Opening Valentine's presents.

I love Brooks' expression!

Jon was on call on Valentine's Day so we headed over to the mall play area!

Roses and a card from my love!

A Whole Lot of Nothing...

Besides our usual routine of preschool, music class, gymnastics, and bible study, there is not much going on over here. We are stuck inside most days, and I think we are all longing for the warm, sunny days of spring and summer when we can just meander outside without coats, hats, and mittens. But they'll be here soon enough, right? Anyway, here are some pictures from our pretty boring days:

Just hanging out!

"What is your favorite bear or stuffed animal's name?"

Kylie said, "Snow."

She made that up! :)

Love this boy!

Kylie and Brooks have just recently started to play well together for short periods of time.

Above they are reading books together, and below they are coloring together.

This was the only picture I took of my birthday events, but I really did have a wonderful day/weekend!

On Friday night, I went out to dinner with some of my new girlfriends at the Wine Bistro.

On Saturday night, Jon and I went to dinner at Alana's and then to a movie.

We saw "Unbroken."

Sunday, we just took it easy, then Monday (my actual b-day), I cooked my favorite meal (corn and cheese chowder) and bought a pink Dairy Queen cake! YUM!

Browsing the West Elm catalog.

Kylie made this picture for Brooks.

Clearly she didn't put much effort into the coloring, but she did write his name for the first time.

It's actually the first time she has written anything other than her own name!

Kylie loves gymnastics and it makes my heart so happy!

V-sit.

This is another Badger quilt for another Badger baby arriving sometime this month!

And of course, we couldn't escape this winter without another round of illnesses.

Kylie has a nasty cough, fever, "tummy ache," and "eyes that hurt when she looks at things."

While I love this beautiful life, I really can't wait to enjoy it in the hot, hot sun in a few short months!