This week: January 3-10

This week was so cold!  High temps for several days were double digit NEGATIVE temps!  Crazy!  School was closed for two days, which meant I got a bonus two extra days off tutoring :) (Well, almost...one crazy student still wanted to come!) :)

Anyway, it has been a relatively slow week because we have been at home so much, but it has been so fun!  We had almost a whole week of not-rushing-to-get-somewhere mornings- which are the best--as well as lots of playtime, talk time, reading time, game time, preschool/tot school time, etc! 

We have been playing a lot in Colton's "big boy room"--we are turning our spare bedroom into Colton's big boy room (to open up the nursery for baby #3) and he LOVES it!  We are decorating the whole room in a transportation theme, and all his toys go right with the theme ;).  We have his new bed set up and all his toys moved into his new room.  He still sleeps in the nursery, but we spend a lot of time playing in his big boy room, practicing sitting/lying down on his big boy twin bed (but not standing or jumping), and talking about how Colton will get to sleep in here soon.  EVERY night Colton asks to sleep in his big boy bed and we tell him pretty soon... (Paul is going to paint the room this weekend and then we can hang the final decor on the walls)...and every morning and after nap he asks to go play in "Colton's big boy room".  It is adorable!  It is also so fun to watch Summer get SO EXCITED for her little brother (she might even be more excited than him if that is possible???).  I love it!  I will post pictures of his room once we paint.  We hope to move him in for sleeping sometime next week.

We also got to have several playdates this week, due to our friends' preschools being closed due to cold, holiday craziness being over, and most people are now healthy again after quite the December of sickness!  That was a lot of fun to catch up with quite a few friends, as well as meet the new kiddo of my friend Kaity, baby Lincoln.  So fun!

All bundled up for the short walk to our neighbors' house for a playdate (temp = -15 degrees)

Doing a lot of hot lunches this cold week...this day's lunch was spaghetti....can you tell?

Summer sporting her new warm-up from Grandma T before heading off to gymnastics-- she is looking so old!

Addison and Summer took turns doing each other's hair in Summer's beauty salon during a playdate this week.

Today it finally started to warm up to low 30's :).  We had so much fun going to the zoo!  Over the past two months I have been consistently and painfully ;) working a TON with Colton on learning how to hold Mommy's hand when we are walking in a store/parking lot/library/ect (he unlike Summer at his age, would pull and scream to walk "by himself", and run wherever he wanted!).  We are also learning how to "stay close" to Mommy, "wait" for Mommy, "not to touch" in stores, and to "stay with Summer".  Today, our hard work paid off!  HE DID AWESOME!!!! I was so proud of him.  I brought along the stroller in case he disobeyed or ran off (immediate buckle-in-the-stroller punishment) but he didn't need it at all.  He walked the whole time, stayed close, and obeyed every time I said to wait, slow down, or walk with Summer.  He is starting to feel so big!!  This was such a fun trip to the zoo for all of us...big eyes taking it all in...and especially room to move around after being cooped up in the house for so long!!

I was so proud of Colton how well he stayed close with Mommy and Summer. at the zoo..he got the privilege of walking on his own (which he loved) because he was so obedient.

Watching the monkeys

Near one of their favorite tunnels to run through in the tropics trail

I absolutely love these two kiddos and am so thankful for them!!!