Birthday Parties Galore!

We've been attending a lot of birthday parties the last month or so. I have pictures from those and from, well, just living our lives.

Here's Natalie at a party at a roller skating rink. The kids could roller skate, but they were also welcome to bring and ride anything with wheels.

Jacob also got invited to a birthday party - his first invitation! It was for a girl in his class, and it was Mickey Mouse-themed.

Mickey was, um, not a big hit. To put it mildly.

Sort of the opposite of a party (or, more of the same, depending on who you ask!), Jacob has his one-year check-up. He's doing great!

 Then we had Valentine's Day. Mike got his usual gift:

Know what pairs perfectly with cookies? Oh, you know: milk!

(No actual cookies were consumed by said milk-drinker. And he looks none too pleased about it!)

The weather has been variable - we've had some really lovely days, and some days that truly pass for cold here in Texas. Here's a shot of a cold day:

 And here's a shot of Natalie readying herself for winter in the rest of the country:

 On one pretty nice day, we hit the trails at the nature reserve with some of our friends.

 
Bringing style to the trailz:

And then it was the 100 Days Celebration. Kids these days! Now, in my day, back the good old 1980s, there was none of this 100 Days nonsense (kids, get OFF MY LAWN!!!). And, I admit, I'm still struggling to figure out if we're celebrating that we've been in school 100 days or that there are 100 days to go. I gather it's the former, but, um, the latter seems more worthy of celebration, no? Anyway, there's a dissertation worth of info in this picture (taken from the class newsletter about the 100 Days Celebration):

Also, should we ever need proof of my relationship to Natalie, I believe the above will answer any questions.

I've started a new cooking project. I'm slowly cooking my way through this book. Here's my kitchen muse, hard at work:

Here are my first two efforts (My Favorite Challah, and Czernowitzer Challah, respectively):

Luckily, I've got the best babysitter to watch the babies while I cook:

Here are some pictures from Team Day at nursery school:

It's weird because I thought that basketball dude (whoever he is) was taller than that. Oh well, live and learn.

This picture is pretty dark, but it documents the first time I've been in a movie theater since January of 2012. Awww, yeah. I took Natalie to see her first movie. We saw Frozen. She was alternately interested and bored.

Speaking of watching - or not watching - things, Mike and I might be the last two people around who have yet to watch Downton Abbey. That didn't stop me from borrowing someone else's best tea party clothes and going to a Downtown Abbey-themed tea party.

 And then it was Purim. Here's Superman and Queen Esther:

Preschool mosh pit:

And we'll conclude with a last birthday party: An ice skating party! I was a little skeptical about this, but - and I'm sort of afraid to say this, Natalie had a great time, and she was pretty decent at it, all things considered!

Stay cool, er, warm!