Snow!

Bonnie has been asking about snow for two solid years. The last time she saw snow she was around Riser's age and doesn't remember it at all. Mom let me know they were expecting a couple inches overnight. Thankfully we had nothing pressing on the schedule so we packed up and I drove the kids up on a Friday afternoon. I didn't tell them we might see snow, in case it didn't work out. But they are always excited for Grandma's house!

They helped collect fire wood, made pizzas, and had fun playing that evening.

The next morning as soon as Bonnie saw the snow outside she got a big smile on her face and said "I've been waiting years for this!"

After breakfast we quickly layered the kids up and went outside. They both reacted exactly as I expected. Bonnie was rolling around in the snow making snow angels faster than I could even get a picture of her. And Riser hated just about every minute of it. The gloves, the hats, the layers, the cold, the wet - he wanted to be removed from the situation immediately.

We tried to get Riser into it by pulling them around in a plastic bin. I think he liked it for a minute, but didn't crack a smile so it was hard to tell. Thankfully grandma kindly brought him inside to warm up while Bonnie and I got to play for as long as her heart desired. 

We made snow angels, built snowmen, ran all around the property, 'cleaned' snow off their equipment, and wrote Bonnie's name really big in their yard. It was so much fun!

We finally came in to join the others and have lunch before it was time to go back home. A short but wonderful visit! Thank you for letting us come so spontaneously! 

Eric's birthday

Last weekend Katie and I drove up to celebrate Eric's 40th birthday! It was fun to get some quality time together without the chaos of all the kids in tow. We went to an escape room and then hibachi for dinner. It was so fun!

Thankfully we had a decent group and were able to successfully escape (with a couple needed hints). 

By the time we got to dinner we were all pretty hungry and the food did not disappoint. 

We had just enough room for cake when we got home. Eric opened a couple presents and we played a game. 

It was such a great visit. I am so thankful for my brother, and so glad I got to celebrate with him!

January extras

With the new year upon us, it has been fun to let loose and feel like we have the freedom to do whatever we want without being constrained by trying to spend so much time outside. There has still been lots of outdoor time, but also time spent at the gymnastics open gym, the library, lots of games, and preschool activities at home. 

This is Riser's class in the nursery. All boys! 

Just about every morning we go in to get the kids, this is how we find them. Bonnie dumps all the stuffed animals from their basket into Riser's bed and she climbs in.

We had a baby shower for a sweet friend of mine.

Fun with friends at church.

And we were so thankful to get a day to play with cousins when they had a couple days off school!

We had some unseasonably warm weather during the month which means we were able to go to Busch Gardens - in shorts and t-shirts!

Riser's first time on the scrambler (Le Catapult), safe to say he absolutely loved it.

And Bonnie's first time on Battering Ram - also loved it!

A good start to 2024!