Coco's coming competition

We recently got our baby swing back from the last person who borrowed it (I think this swing has been used for over 10 babies), and it took Coco very little time to claim it as her new resting spot. I often find her sleeping in the baby swing, rocking gently, which made me realize we've never had a baby and a pet at the same time so this will be new territory for us. I wouldn't put it past Coco to just hop right in the swing with the baby.

Also, Charlie's presence in this picture is no coincidence.  This kid likes to spend every waking moment cuddling with Coco (who unfortunately hates to be cuddled by anyone other than Seth who is - ironically - the family member who was the least enthusiastic about getting a cat). She does a fairly good job of tolerating his affection, but he's also got his fair share of scratch and bite marks. 

They did manage to get a pretty good selfie together during one of their hang out sessions in which Charlie apparently snuck my phone. As you can see, Coco is ecstatic:

Nothing beats 3-year-olds' dance moves

Snow and sunshine!

We got about 8 more inches of snow this weekend, but unlike the previous storms this one was followed by a warm(ish) sunny day so the kids were excited to go outside and play. Getting around was a bit challenging, and I think all the kids got stuck in at least once but it just made it all more fun and adventurous. I even got stuck when I had to rescue Frankie whose boot had come off in the snow. My leg sank down half-way up my thigh (did I mention I was just wearing leggings?), and I was a little concerned for a bit as I struggled to get my foot out. After that I mostly scooted around on my bottom during my rescue efforts.

Here are a few pictures of the kids in our front yard. The best part - a whole day with almost no fights between the kids and four famished children at supper time who ate without needing a single reminder to eat their food (our kids tend to get easily distracted from the task at hand come mealtimes). We've all been getting a bit stir-crazy around here the last few months so we are anxiously anticipating warmer days ahead. And I will try to remember these days of being cooped up and just appreciate the fact that we are getting time outside when there are several square feet of mud on the floors at both the front and back entrance for the next few months. This week's forecast: rain. I'm not sure if that will be an improvement or not....

Frankisms

"Baa baa black sheep.....1 for the master, 1 for the dane, 1 for the little boy who went down the drain."

"Nexterday" - Frankie's word for anything that will happen in the future: as in, "Nexterday, I will wear underwear. Today I'm still wearing diapers." (Seth and I were both the most stubborn to potty train in our families so I guess it shouldn't be surprising how resistant Frankie is to the idea.)

This one isn't so much a phrase as a look. Frankie has learned to pull out a wink and a thumbs up as his way of saying (more or less), "I know you don't want me to do this, but trust me: I can handle it." Although sometimes he just pulls it out at random. It was hard to catch on camera, but this is sort of what it looks like (you'll just have to trust me that the other eye is open):