Introducing....

February brought a new member into our family. Against my better judgement, we adopted Mr. Augie Wall-E, a 3 month old chocolate lab/German short-hair pointer mix. The boys instantly were smitten with him, even when would nibble on Caleb's ears. He absolutely love to jump around in the snow, was house trained within a few days, is eager to please us, but refuses to walk on a leash. He is slowly getting better, but is just a little nervous about the whole idea of walking along side cars, tethered to something and the big bad scary world. Good thing he is still small enough to fit in the stroller or wagon with Caleb! He is snuggly and sweet and although it will be a lot of work, we can't imagine our family without him.

The weather continued to be nice through February, with only a couple of snowstorms that melted in a few days. We took advantage of the warm weather with more hikes. We decided to try out the Farmington trail that loops around the amusement park with the Evans. Right as we were entering the trail, there was a dead deer on the side of the road do to being hit by a car. We didn't let it deter us, and we ventured onward, with a very cautious eye to not let the kiddos wander in the grass to much. We are glad we did seeing as the trail took us along some horse ranches, through some cool tunnels and the kiddos had a blast.

We also hiked our favorite, Dual Creek. I don't think we will ever tire of that trail and it's winding creek, caves, rock climbing walls and bridges. Supposedly, there is a rope swing, but we have yet to make it to the swing. One day! Luke's new favorite thing to do on hikes is to climb a big rock then excitedly say, "Mom! Take a picture of me!" I guess that means I might take a few a too many pictures...

Aunt Terri came out to visit and motivated us to paint our kitchen cabinets. The previous paint was literally peeling off the cabinets and leaving a weird, oily, paint glop all over. We got the whole project done in three days! Dallin was a pro at hanging cabinets, we rotated entertaining the kiddos and painting, with the occasional paint with a kiddo on your hip and are excited to not have disintegrating cabinets anymore.

Due to the cabinets taking up our kitchen table and it being only 40 degrees outside, we resorted to having dinner picnics on the kitchen floor. The boys thought it was so exciting every night.

We also managed to have time to make some Valentine's Day cookies. Luke and Caleb were professional decorators who were not shy about their sprinkle usage. Surprisingly, they managed to keep the creativity mess in their dishes and only shared their love-spit with half of the cookies.

Luke and I got to go on a mommy-Luke date to celebrate the Chinese New Year in Lehi. We had lunch at J-Dawgs and then went to to the outlets where they had performers, crafts and fun. Despite the wind, we had a good time. We definitely see a difference in his mood when we take the time to go on a special outing with him. We try to do this regularly seeing as Caleb gets lots of extra attention with therapies, doctor appointments and what not and Luke seems to feel left out. These little outings are good for all of our souls as a way to show him love (quality time is one of his top love languages), while just giving us a chance to reconnect with his wonderful self.

Meanwhile, Dallin and Caleb shared some popcorn and watched a movie.

The next week, Dallin took him on a date to the Lego store in Sandy. He thought he was in Disneyland and had a blast running from station to station, amazed by all the Legos and creations.

Caleb learned how to climb out of his crib, well, climb over and then drop down. We discovered this as we were settling down after putting the boys to bed and heard a bug THUMP, followed by Caleb poking his little head around the stairwell. Due to this, we decided to assemble the bunk beds and transfer him to a big boy bed. He won't stay in the bed on his own, so we kind of built a little cage, but he won't be falling four feet to the ground anymore and I think he likes the extra space. Luke is beyond excited to be sleeping on the top bunk!

Towards the end of the month, the Hogle Zoo had a free zoo day so we loaded up the boys, called dad to ask him to meet us there, put Augie in his kennel with prayers he would get used to it (which he did!), and set off for an afternoon with the animals. It was perfect weather and all the animals were out and about, putting on a show for everyone. The crowds were not bad and it was good for our souls to have an impromptu family outing.

Some other things we've been enjoying lately:

Luke is always willing to help bake or cook or create smoothies with me. He loves to put on an apron and perform his job with precision. One of his favorites is to cut the butter into the cookie dough.

We've been keeping Caleb home from nursery because he is either sick, or we just wantt o project his sweet little airways from sickness after sickness. This gives whomever goes home with him the chance to get some one on one Caleb time. One Sunday, a big storm had roller through the night before and Dallin had a good time enjoying the freshly fallen snow and sunshine with Caleb and Augie.

We've been toying with the idea of potty-training Caleb. He is showing signs of being ready and is always excited to try on Luke's underwear. One morning he came down from his bath so proud that he had on underwear.

Our new neighborhood has been so friendly and Luke has been making some great friends. It is fun to be able to walk to so many friends' houses to play and switch off playing.

That's all for February! The sky has been treating us to some amazing sunsets, the snow is melting and there are signs of Spring everywhere.