Last Bit of Winter

  I woke up to use the bathroom and was startled when I realized there were deer in the field. This was winter's last attempt at painting the world white, we hope, and it was so bright. The combination of the white ground, fog, and street lamps, made for quite the eerie scene.

Institution

The call comes in, "I'm in such and such institution." Again? Why? Nobody knows. Your father says it is because he was the youngest and always needed attention. Now, this is how he gets it. Your uncle, not the one in bed but the one that sued your father after your grandma died (but your father assures you he is an incredible brother), suggests he should live in a assisted care facility. Attention. He needs more attention; maybe if he can play a game in the community center, it'll help. Is he sick? Is mental illness just a mirage? Diagnosis. Does the doctor think he needs just a little more attention? He is an old man now: the one who told you the world was ending and he bought dog food for you to eat before 2-0-0-0 officially was rung in (he had estimated your weight and figured how much you'd need for at least a year). He loves you, this man "sick" in a bed somewhere. He took you to the movies every year right after Thanksgiving dinner. What is wrong with him? Does anyone in your family know? Or truly care? Care enough to admit there might be something in the family. Something in our very blood.

Winter

  Please, I have had enough of you. Just go. Go away with your freezing cold temperatures, bitter wind, and barren landscape. Return, oh spring, with your warm breezes, winged friends, and beautiful shades of green. I thought about trying to embrace the cold, but then I walked out to the mailbox.

Me & the Kids

Hey, Mom and Dad - it is me and the kids! Not an award-winning shot, but what a story it tells. Yes, C is dressed up as a transformer. Yes, P is shirtless. She prefers it this way, in the dead of winter. Yes, E is holding a glue stick as we were in the middle of school lessons.

Christmas Morning: Sleds

Brian and I have been keeping Christmas morning very simple, for a variety of reasons. One is our budget, another our children are still very young, and another being that we are still developing our traditions and feeling out what we want. There is so much food and activity at my in-laws that we have a simple celebration here at home on Christmas Eve, before we head out to NJ. We are thinking we might really celebrate the New Year with the kids and make that extra special: yummy food, games, maybe watch part of a movie and such? Still brainstorming...

We did get the kids a "big" gift this year: sleds! Here are a few photos from the reveal. I would have loved to get one classic wooden sled for them all to share, but could only find the cheaper plastic versions. However, since they didn't cost a lot I was able to get one for each, and as long as they hold up over time, maybe it was for the best? Oh, and we got some snow the day after Christmas, so we were able to try them out yesterday. A LOT of fun! Having grown up in Oklahoma, I actually have no memories of sledding. The little hill in our backyard that is hell to mow in the summer, has redeemed itself by being a nice sledding hill for the preschool age children.

Cows

  We do many things for a lesson. Over half the lesson is going over the calendar, a new number (we are adding a new straw to our box everyday until we reach 100), and reading and writing. Well, learning to read and learning to write. My favorite part of the lesson is when we get to our theme of the current 6 day topic study. This is also when science, history, math, and reading comprehension is "taught".  This week is all about cows. And, within that we have read a book about a dairy farm, another book on the seasons on a farm, looked in the encyclopedia about cattle, learned that as Christians we are to read God's Word as it helps us to grow spiritualy as milk helps our body to grow physically, acted out Hey Diddle, Diddle with our stuffed animals, and just today we had a dairy party using food we brainstormed yesterday were made from dairy products.

  One of the other activities this week was to learn about how butter is made from cream. So, I put on some music and we all shook a qt jar filled with some cream until it (almost) turned into butter. This took over twenty minutes! My arms were burning and I was begging the kids to shake more by the 20 minute mark (with a gentle reminder about the Little Red Hen story haha). When they and I couldn't shake anymore, I finished the process in the mixer. Yep, we totally cheated the process a bit.

Kitchen Helpers

Yes, my entries are a little backwards. I was about to say it has just been crazy here, but then, when does it not seem a little crazy?
Here are the kids helping me with the Thanksgiving feast.