February...Short & Sweet

February passed so quickly that not only am I behind in writing our blog, I also can't recall what we did! Therefore, I will keep this entry 'short & sweet' - just like the month itself.

Mid-February, the Fulbright administration took all the Fulbrighters (and their families) to the Skeikampen ski resort, nestled in the mountains near Lillehammer. Although we did not ski, we had a great time socializing with the fellow Fulbrighters and participing in the indoor activities (pool, playroom, magic shows, buffet). The sun shone the entire weekend, which made us realize how long it's been since we've seen real sun. (I could literally feel my body soaking in the vitamin D!) The highlight of our weekend was an evening sleigh ride through the snowy forest. I could not help but think of the song line 'Over the river and through the woods....' I should mention though that is was approximately -30 degrees celcius (-22 fahrenheit) during this ride! The fur-skin blankets could barely keep us warm.

On February 25th, our little boy turned 3! We celebrated by having a 'pirate' sledding party behind the flat. The intent was to sled and eat lunch outside, and after an hour go inside for cake. The clouds had other plans though, and it snowed so much, that the tables of food were covered in wet, white fluff! (I've heard of parties being 'rained out', but never 'snowed out'!) All was well though once inside, and everyone stayed for a fun five hours! Surprisingly, the seven boys (between 2-5 years) got along smashingly, and the adults were able to sip coffee and chat. (NOTE: I have to give kudos to my dear friend, Julie, for helping me make the chocolate pirate ship cake. It was both delicious & cute!)

Evie Anne is such a delight and is always smiling. She can now stand (on her own) with ease and occasionally takes a step. She's holding with six teeth, but we can tell that others are moving in. We love the stage she is in and wish it would last longer. Amazingly, she turns one in less than a month.

David is traveling a lot in March, so the kids and I are escaping to England for ten days to visit family friends. We realize our overseas adventure will soon come to a close, so we are making the most of it! (NOTE: We scheduled our flight to return to PA/NJ on May 31. We will arrive in Greenville around June 13 and return to Columbia July 1.)