February part one

There is a lot going on this month, just as every month and so in order not to get overwhelmed with  getting everything done AND documenting it, I'll do February in two parts.

School is going well for our little first grader (in fact today we have parent/teacher conference). And so are her extra-curricular activities. I love that she's making great progress at piano.  Drawing is of course one of her big hobbies and talents but not one that she's taking any special classes for, she loves it nonetheless. Here are some of her latest creations:

Her 2013 Resolve List made at school:

Work is busy for both of us but that's a good thing. In today's economy, there is absolutely nothing to complain about. The more work I get, the happier I am as it only means that I'm valued and trusted to do a good job. Hrishi is enjoying his new role and working hard and long, traveling more often, but growing and making the most of the offered opportunities. I am so happy for him, for getting the breakthrough he has been preparing and working so hard for these past few years. 

 Friends from church:

Her favorite accessory, ha-ha!

Sweetheart

This was a lovely Sunday after church a couple of weeks ago.

The Family fun night at school that I missed :

Chocolate roses!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is huge-- Premium Chocolatiers is now making these, all nut, dairy, and gluten-free. She was in heaven when she saw it! The chocolate tastes amazing, you wouldn't think there's no milk involved. I am so grateful for businesses like these that cater to food-allergy families like us.

 We got this and we're hopeful we'll get some yummy strawberries:

Hrishi re-potted our plants this past weekend. Thank you, honey!!

Ella's tinkering with InstaFrames on my iphone.

Some after-church posing again:

Cooking with daddy, making pohe (rice flakes, onion, peas, potato, and freshly grated coconut, YUM!!)

This past Sunday Ella setup a Valentine's assembly line. This year we went with these cute store bought 3-D cards + fruit snack baggies.

I'm trying to stay focused and committed to my last two weeks of marathon training. It's not easy as physical fatigue seemed to have hit, and mentally I have a hard time with running less and less before March 2nd. I'm trusting the experts and cutting down the mileage but keeping intensity high. Not on the same topic of running, but of fitness in general and strength training in particular, I've been reading "The Female Body Breakthrough" by Rachel Cosgrove and I love it. She's got the answers I was looking for these past few months on how (long distance/endurance) running is impacting my inability to continue to lose fat, get more definition, and all that good stuff I'm after. She's also got a great program which I look forward to start after my race.

 

And finally, I got re-introduced to Latin squares via Ella's math club. These things are fun but some are hard. Like this one below which I spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out. It was driving me crazy... finally I realized it was wrong!! They misplaced one of the 2's. I found it online in the correct version and solved it, whew!

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. Red-velvet cake, heart-shaped brownies, and heart-shaped pizza on the menu.