Picture update

Hello Tompkins family! It has been far too long since we have posted on the Blog and before I get much further behind, here is a picture slideshow of both January and February (so far). January was an exciting month for us for many reasons. After a wonderful visit with the family in Tampa, we were able to see several family members a few weeks later for the March for Life. It was our first time going as a family, and although it was a lot of work trucking the kids to and from the city via car and metro, we are really glad we did it. The kids were troopers but the huge crowd was a bit overwhelming for them in addition to the weather being bitterly cold- the pictures don't do the temperature justice! We had a blast at the Lantiguas' the following day and, as always, really enjoyed their hospitality.

February has been fun so far as we've settled into our routine again and have enjoyed many play dates for the kids as well as dates for Mommy and Daddy. In addition to last week's Valentine's Day outings, we were able to go out to the movies to see Les Miserables which we really enjoy and would highly recommend for those of you who have not seen it yet. :) Lucy was a doll and fell asleep for the first part of the movie, waking up during Fantine's song. She looked up at the screen, then looked back at me, and very slowly, her lower lip started to quiver and her face fell into the saddest face I have ever seen. She was able to keep it together and not cry when I soothed her, but I took it as a sign of her intellectual and emotional maturity. She really felt Fantine's pain and the depth of complex emotions being conveyed in her song.

In other news, Lucy had her 6 month check up last week and passed with flying colors. She is in the 75th percentile for weight, an accomplishment I can't help but feel very proud about. She continues to grow up way too fast and is now a super-roller. When we put her down on the ground she rolls around collecting the kids' toys and always seems to gets stuck in one of two places; either by the couch (where she starts sucking on the fabric) or by Daddy's Xbox (where she chews on the cords). Now that she's mobile, life sure has gotten much more interesting! Cecilia and Ryan Jr. are as wacky as ever. Cecilia has taken to using various objects as microphones while she belts out Disney songs and talking to imaginary friends (today it was Rapunzel). She also loves to read, and a few nights ago as Ryan and I were going to bed (sometime after 11 pm), we were surprised to see the light on in the kids room. Expecting to find both kids sleeping, we opened the door to discover Cecilia sitting up in her bed reading books with the entire contents of the bookshelf in piles around her. Ryan Jr. has been talking a lot more recently and has learned to count as well as spell his and his siblings' names, thanks to his Daddy's excellent teaching. Although he doesn't say much, what he does say is always amusing because it is always said in his signature, deep, deadpan voice. It's interesting to get into his mind now that he's expressing himself more, as today when he said to me "Sharks scary. Ryan scared. Ryan cry, say "WAA!" No sharks, Mommy." as well as when he looked out the window to see snow falling this morning and immediately shrieked "SANTA CLAUS COMINGGG!!" We've had to come up with some creative ways to discipline him for his naughty screaming that he's recently developed, including counting down to a spanking. As a result, he often threatens Cecilia or his friends/cousins when they are doing something he doesn't like by starting to count "1!....2!...3!...Ok, that's it! Spanking!" His favorite word, however, is "ok!"

Here are some videos of the kids. Here is Cecilia freestyling a beautiful original song for us one Sunday before Mass, and Ryan Jr.'s activity gives her some inspiration for her lyrics.

Here's one of the kids watching popcorn (or, in Ryan Jr.'s language, "kwa-corn") in the popcorn popper. They are a bit excited about it (I especially love Ryan Jr.'s enthusiasm):

This was taken tonight. The kids always get Lucy laughing, she finds them both hilarious. And yes, I am just thrilled that Ryan's sneeze is now immortalized in this video.