Febuaury

It's time to resurrect the blog and start recording our family history, it is the only genealogy work I am interested in doing. This counts as genealogy right? 

You have to start somewhere and it might as well be February, it's the shortest month of the year and it is also Black History month and Valentines Day. Although there is no mention of either holiday in our February recap I am going to forge ahead.

Matthew did have a birthday in February and we celebrated Southern Arizona style with a trip to Bisbee and surrounding areas.

TUCSON

We stopped in Tucson on our way to Bisbee and went to the San Xavier Del Bac mission it was neat I think but I was in a hot dog coma so I can't really say. The real pilgrimage was to the inspired El Guero Canelo sonoran dog stand. I love hot dogs and carbs and  free salsa bars that have pickled carrots and what I think are smoked green onions but I have no real idea. This place did not disappoint and I am unwilling to disclose how many of these oversized hot dogs we ate. not the best start to a romantic birthday weekend, but I have no regrets.

BISBEE

Bisbee is the perfect mix of charming and weird with some copper and mineral deposits mixed in, an existential delight. It's filled with art galleries and antique shops and crusty hippies with even crustier looking dogs.

Adorable right?

We took the scenic route home and headed west for Sierra Vista, along the way we made a few stops. Like to a charred hillside with an enormous angel and cross effigy. There were no plaques or information posted so I assume they just appeared there.

 of course we stopped in Beautiful Downtown Palaminas, and as advertised it WAS beautiful but we are still unclear as to where the downtown was.

It was a great trip and I have decided that the best birthday presents to give your spouse are ones that directly benefit you.

Matthew's Birthday

Matthew turned 30 in February and his long time friend Peter had the good sense to have a birthday in February as well so we had a par-tay.

We celebrated the birth of Matthew and Peter by having an amazing bbq in the Fords backyard. The meat man and co-birthday celebrator really pulled through and spent 15 hours smoking 13lbs of brisket to savory meat perfection. Lacy and I put our pinterest skillz to work and made a citrus salad, brussells sprouts, mac n cheese and bread pudding in mason jars. I like pinning recipes more than actually making them. But I like eating them most of all, unfortunately my food consumption prevented me from taking a single picture of the party and I had to steal all of these from Kayla's blog.

It was great to celebrate with good friends and even though Matthew failed to make good on his birthday promise and dunk a basketball from the the 3 point line, a good time was   had by all.

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Our Olive girl

Good news, Olive was just as great in February as she has been the prior 19 months of her existence. I have said this about every baby stage thus far but this time I mean it, THIS is my favorite age. She has all the personality (and teeth) of  a full grown woman, she is so mobile and independent and plays and gets dirty in the backyard just like a little kid but still has a few remaining baby traits like her chubby little baby hands,  sizable diaper booty, and occasional midnight feedings (not nearly as charming as the chubby hands). It's the perfect hybrid of baby/child.

She  loves to throw tantrums, but really who doesn't? Her tantrums consist of her lying face down on the ground/ carpet/ gas station floor/ gravel path and quietly cry. We have failed to parent/discipline this behavior due to how amusing we find it.

She loves to be helpful. sort of. But mostly she loves all of her cousins.

Based on her 20 month review we have decided to extend her contract for an additional 20 months as her parents.