Lucky Seven: A Very California February

February in the East Bay is amazing...beautiful, green, sunglasses and a light jacket amazing...I wish it could last forever. Maybe with another rainfall or two, March will stay the same. In the meantime, we are savoring every minute of outdoor greenness before we retreat to our air-conditioned abode (or the pool!).

This month Joshua finished up his basketball season. It was an interesting experience being half-part of a team. The team practiced only on Sundays, so Joshua only participated in the games. He did well, considering he never practiced with the team and it was his first basketball experience, and liked his teammates, but we felt very much like outsiders.

(And HOLY COW the contrast between this muffy, white-collar, organic snacks only basketball league and our blue-collar "you're gonna git strucken' out!" baseball league...is there no happy medium?!)

On the last day of basketball, Joshua also had baseball tryouts. He was invited to play on a local travel team, which made us sooooo proud. But having come from the "half" basketball season, we knew that being a half part of a tournament ball team wouldn't feel right. As willing as the coach was to make Sunday allowances for us, we just couldn't do it. So he is playing on a regular old team, and loving it. Baseball in February! Go Giants!

Matthew turned 4 months! I know you can't see it in the picture, but his onesie says, "You are here", by the red dot. Get it?! Huge shout out to my brother in law, Nate, for being the brains behind it!

We finally drove across the Golden Gate Bridge. It was our first family outing in the Gold Digger--complete with crying, complaining, goldfish getting crushed into the seats, and a wild side of the road potty stop.

Sam lost a tooth! I think she is the youngest to lose one...through sheer force of will, I believe!

Basketball awards dinner!

Benjamin turned 9!! He got a new bike and a lot of science stuff. He is taller than Joshua, skinnier than EmJ, and still smart as a whip.

We took advantage of free yogurt day. Yum!

This will have to pass as his three-month photo. Poor seventh child.

We had a fun Valentine's Day and even got heart-attacked.

Young Women volleyball was a complete and utter success....not that we doubted...champions again!

February brought lots of exploring local parks and trails...soaking up every bit of outdoor time!

Maybe this can be his 3-month picture.

And this is his 4-month photo...loving the swing!

Luke left me for a week of working and playing (Aerosmith concert? Meeting the "Sharks"?) in Vegas. The kids let me go to the temple while they made spectacles of themselves on the temple lawn, and then we went to see "Meet the Mormons"...Wow! I admit to resisting because I thought it was going to be suuupppper cheesy and awful. But I have repented and would like to see it again and again and again. It was great.