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Davin's class has been learning about Artic and Anartic animals and they put together a special day for parents to visit so they could learn about them too. The class dressed up like a pod of Beluga whales and set up exhibits about the different animals. They learned facts about the Beluga whale and shared them with us. They even sang a couple of songs! Davin really loved learning about these animals and talks about them all the time.

The cliche line from Christmas time about little kids usually involves something about how kids love the wrapping or the box more than the gift, though this generally applies to toddlers. However, our boys have discovered the unending versatility of a piece of cardboard. In a streamlined fashion, they forgo the box concept and go straight for the single piece. This utilitarian form allows for multiple uses, namely the "putting range," the "bowling lane," the "ski jump," and on occasion, the "hurdle." The elegant piece of cardboard serves all of these roles, and despite multiple uses it still retains its elegant form. A favorite of our boys, it has received more play time than most of the items we purchased  Santa delivered at Christmas. Apparently we need to have a chat with the big man about what children really want.

Admittedly, January is usually a month that I "get through." Dreary weather, constant illness, and cabin fever all make for a less than exciting month. However, this month we have seemed to escape January's normal chilly clutches and have had a fun month. The mild weather in Charlotte helped us to get outdoors more, enjoying our new favorite park activity. The boys love sports, so we load the car with soccer balls, a football, baseball gear, etc, and make the open fields our arena.  With the boys both in school, I have been able to exercise more regularly, and in general we are enjoying good health this winter. When the boys aren't in school, we managed to find a few fun activities in the area. For Martin Luther King Jr Day, we rode the train with our friends to a couple of museums in Uptown Charlotte who were open for free in honor of Dr. King's Day. We enjoyed the museums but I think the kids loved the train ride the best.  ...