Some Valentine's Day pictures showing off the necklaces Grammy Mary made for them:
I love this picture of Gabi (and Maya actually has a normal/not cheesy smile):
Gabi wore this outfit on Valentine's Day 2 years ago and Joe had her in the same upside down pose:
Gio & Marco came over last Friday night, so they decorated heart cookies for everyone around here. It was a fun time!
Our friends, Chris & Tracy, had a baby girl named Tessa. Gabi & Maya have really been into playing with babies lately, so it is a special treat for them when we see Tessa. She is a cutie!
I don't know how the swim goggles ended up in the dress-up box, but they are always good for a laugh. I bought Gabi a new swim suit the other day and she wants to wear it all the time! She had it on one day last week when it was a high of -10 or something ridiculous like that! Crazy girl!
Love bugs:
It feels like sledding & snowshoing have become regular pastimes around here. That's Joe making a snow angel after taking Maya for a ride down the hill :).
Maya really likes stacking things, puzzles, putting things through holes, etc. She has very good fine motor skills. She has been talking a little more lately and I even got her to say "I love you" tonight (fitting for Valentine's Day!) However, she is very stubborn and doesn't talk unless she is good and ready. :) Here she is stacking a set of blocks that my Grandma Dorothy and Grandpa Larry made for me when I was her age.
Finally, some scenic pictures from the ranch...the first is a Sun Dog from last week when it was really cold. Beautiful!
In other news, we have received all of the bids back from potential contractors and hope to select one to build our house by the end of this week. Sounds like it will get going in March sometime and take anywhere from 4-6 months to complete. It is an exciting process, but also full of hard decisions.
Joe is doing well with his new office. He worked with a great group of people in Golden, so I think he gets kind of lonesome working by himself. He does get fequent visits from friends and family, so that is good! He has been very busy lately on new projects around here and helping/fixing projects from the Golden office.
The girls and I have a routine down pretty good. On Mondays and Wednesdays, they play at the Y for an hour while I do my run. Thursdays is story/craft/treat time at the library, and Gabi has gymnastics on Friday. She loves it (it would be hard not to since it is a huge space filled with trampolines, zip lines, and all kinds of other fun gymnastics equipment.) Her teachers always comment on how strong (and tall) she is for her age. On Tuesdays we hang close to the house and I try to do a lot of baking to keep healthy breakfasts and snacks close at hand. I'm loving being home with my girls.
Lots of love to you all!
Joe, Tara, Gabi, & Maya
