snow fun

Last weekend we packed up our family and headed to Donner Lake for some snow fun!



Peter was not so sure about the snow our first day there, so while the rest of us played in it, shoveled a path up to the cabin and got the heat turned on - he was content to hang out in the car and "drive".

He finally warmed up to the snow over the course of the weekend and was  loving it by Sunday!

 

this is Peter's happy, excited "yeah" pose

Matt had promised Hannah that he would take her up to the snow to make a snowman this winter (which turned out to be a hard promise to keep this dry winter) but here is the large, wonderful snowman we made! 

(For some reason she is making a sad face in this picture, not sure I can explain it other than that she is three.)

We had snowball fights.

And did lots of sledding.
 Matt built us a sled run in the driveway and it was pretty awesome.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

after dinner, night time was good for about two sled runs!

Matt also shoveled out some big caves in the snow on the deck to "hide" in.

Where's Peter?

There he is!

Even Toby got in on the snow fun!
For a fair weather dog who dislike the rain and cold - he did extremely well in the snow!

Can't wait to go back!

i'll catch you

As I was attempting to make dinner tonight,
both kids were taking turns on our kitchen stool "scrubbing" dirty dishes.



Hannah was watching out for Peter and as she saw him try to climb on the top bar of the stool
(have I mentioned before that he is a little monkey),

she grabbed him from behind and said,

"Don't fall Peter, but if you fall I'll catch you."

Awww, I love their sibling love. 

rainy day fun

Last week was filled with many days of glorious rain!

In fact, Hannah bounded into my room this morning begging for more days of rain.

I know this may sound odd because usually rainy days = being stuck inside grumbling.

But we had lots of fun!
(It may be because we have had so few other rainy days this year and this mommy had lots of fun ideas saved up.)




We made puppets

and put on puppet shows.

 

Even Peter was entrusted with a puppet.

or two.

We created "clean slime" from glue, borax, food coloring and water.

Hannah sat and played with it

for over an hour!!

Peter experimented by sticking his head in it 

and Hannah was very curious what it would do with all different types of spoons.

And then, of course, we went out in the rain

and jumped in puddles

puddles,

puddles,

until we were soaking wet.

It was grand!

And I truly look forward to more rainy days with these creative, silly kids that make me laugh!!



just in case you want to make some clean slime for your kids or yourself,
here's the recipe!
(from www.ourbestbites.com)

Homemade Slime aka GAK

1 teaspoon borax powder

1 1/2 C water, divided

4 oz (1/2 C)  Elmer’s glue, clear or white

food coloring

Add borax powder to 1 cup of water and stir to dissolve.  Set aside.  Pour glue into a medium mixing bowl and add 1/2 C water. Add a few drops of food coloring until desired color is reached and then stir to mix glue solution until smooth.  Pour the borax mixture into the glue mixture and watch the solids start to form.  Stir for a few moments and then use your hands to gather the mass.  The mixture will be very soft and wet.  Keep kneading until it firms up and feels dry.  Discard excess liquid in bowl. The more you knead and play with the slime the firmer it will become.  Store in a ziplock bag or air tight container and the slime will keep indefinitely.

a kid at heart

Ever wondered what the term "a kid at heart" means?

I'm pretty sure it includes the following:

contagious laughter



sticking your tongue out just because it's fun

making hats out of every day household items like mommy's french press cozy

and dresses out of paper bags from the hardware store

rocking out on your guitar

showing off the chewed up food in your mouth because really who wouldn't want to see that?

jumping as high as you can and yelling at the same time with your eyes closed

Anything else you would add?

hairstyles

As hair grows, hairstyles seem to change around here.

Mommy has fun seeing what she can do with it.

Peter's hair is fun to slick up into a mohawk (not sure how much he likes it).




And Hannah is delighted when I take the time to french braid her hair.

Now if I only had enough time to do my own hair.

school days

Hannah loves school.

I realize I haven't said very much about her school experience. So here is a taste of it

This morning she woke me up incredibly excited because today was "Green Eggs and Ham" day at school.  It is currently her favorite book and she really wanted to bring it with her to school.

The Cat in the Hat met her at the gate into the school yard. They had green eggs and ham for snack (which ironically, she didn't even taste).  And of course, read the book.

Peter assisted Hannah in carrying her book home

Hannah also loves the days where I come to school with her.  Last Thursday was Pajama Day and since it was my workday,  I got roped into also wearing my pajamas to school.  While I felt a bit silly on the way there, Hannah assured me "It's okay mommy." 

I think the funniest part of the school day is "snack bar" where they can come stand around a short island and eat handfuls of cheerios to get them through circle time and onto the official snack time.  I'm pretty sure Hannah never passes up an opportunity for snack bar.

Here's a picture of the inside of the classroom.  

(Although it doesn't usually look this crowded - this was our special Thanksgiving Feast with friends and family.)

Hannah sits at the green table for snack time and I can generally count on hearing what they've eaten for snack everyday.

Outside she loves riding the double tree swing or the horses or bikes with her friends.

And friends are definitely the best part of the school experience.  Every night she prays and thanks God for Stephanie and Saillee (two of her buddies).

I can't believe it's time to register her for next year.

(By the way can you see how much she's grown up?  The pictures at the top of the post are from today and the ones at the bottom are from the Fall.)