Currently February

Here are at the half-way point of one of my least favorite months of the year. Hooray! This winter hasn't been that bad all in all but even a good winter can feel long when it starts in November and can last until April! But the end of daylight savings is just around the corner so we'll have more evening daylight soon which will really help! Here's what is currently going on in my world!

Reading: Truth and Beauty by Ann Patchett which is a memoir about a friendship she formed with a fellow writer when they attended the Iowa writer's workshop. This is my 3rd Patchett book of the year so will count towards the 'read 3 books by the same author' category of my reading challenge. I think I might become a Patchett completist as her work is so so good!

Loving: this winter hat that I bought Paul upon the suggestion of our daycare. He HATES winter hats so so much and will pull them off. So when our daycare suggested this style of hat, I decided to give it a try. It's been the best winter purchase. It's really warm and gives him more coverage than other hats we've tried. Check out the comparison below! The other hat is fine when it's milder outside but it's rarely mild here during the winter so I am glad we have a super warm hat that he can't pull off!

Feeling: proud of how well Paul has done with swimming lessons. We've been going for most of the last year and he has become way more comfortable with the weather. He loves to sit on the side of the pool and jump into my hangs and will also stand on the lily pad (while holding onto my hand and the teacher's hand) and jump into the water. My parents have a lake home so being comfortable with the water is super important!

Anticipating: our trip to Florida this week! I feel like I've been anticipating this trip for sooo long! The weather looks like it will be pretty good while we are down there. It looks like it might be cooler (60s) and windy on Friday but there is an aquarium fairly close by that we could hit up if we need something to do. Paul loves animals so I think he'd love the aquarium! I'm hoping the flights to/from FL go well. We ended up buying toddler-sized headphones for Paul so he could watch some shows during the flight. We practiced using them on Sunday and he loved them!

Struggling: with my RA. I've had a string of flares this winter and have been on prednisone more than I would like. I don't know if it's the swing in temperatures or what is going on but I've had flare after flare and have to take a break from doing HIIT-style workouts while my joints heal.

Grateful: for the bonus I'll receive at the end of the month. It's all going towards the mortgage, which isn't exactly "fun" but it will feel good to have our mortgage paid off soon!

Working: on selecting a paint color for the walls of our main and upper level. I bought 3 different gray/greige color samples on Friday and painted 12+ different areas that get different levels of light exposure of our main and upper levels. Since we are painting such a huge area, I'm leaning toward the lightest color (the color on the bottom in the vertical stack/the color that is furthest to the right in the horizontal stack). I've been told that gray is a challenging color as it can take on purple or blue hues in different light exposures so that's why I'm leaning toward the lightest color as it seems to have the least amount of under tones and is the most neutral of the 3. Next I need to decide on a color for our master bedroom and bathroom. We won't paint until May or June when we can open up the windows to ventilate the space so I have a lot of time to stew over this decision!

Listening: to Taylor Swift's newest album. I watched her Netflix documentary "Miss Americana" over the weekend and decided to use an Apple gift card I won in a Christmas Eve dice game to purchase her album. I have been a big Taylor Swift fan for a long time but stopped listening to music when I got into podcasts several years ago. But seeing her song-writing process inspired me to buy it. It's a fun album!

Watching: The Americans on Amazon Prime. We are on season 5 of 6. It took a season for us to get into the show but then we were hooked. I don't LOVE season 5 but it's still a really good show. I'm also watching "This is Us" on Hulu when Phil isn't around (he doesn't care for the show and finds it overly dramatic).

Wishing: for an early spring! Please please please! When it's too cold to go outside with a toddler, it can make for the longest weekends!!

Bonus pics!

Ok, he doesn't always love wearing his hat. He's saying "no quiere" in this photo which is how he says "no want" in Spanish

I saw Brandi Carlile last week and she was AMAZING!! 

Yawn! We had a string of early wake-ups and short naps earlier this month.

I've been playing the piano more now that it's in our living room (it was tucked away in our office in our last house). Paul will sometimes sit on my lap while I play but he was afraid to touch the keys - until recently! Now he likes to crawl up on the bench and play. I'm so glad he'll grow up in a house with a piano!

What are you reading, anticipating, and grateful for?