We have been pretty low-key about Valentine’s Day this year. I only just got out decorations today and only because Eve said “I think it’s about time we decorate for Valentine’s Day.” Mostly it has been about getting the cards done. I figured they deserved a little something sweet for the day though.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
At six and eight years old I thought the kids were about due for a proper sledding hill, not the gently sloping lawn we usually sled on. Today was a beautiful day, sunny and in the 20s, so we packed up the sleds and headed to a nearby slope! It’s a place I’ve heard all about but I wasn’t quite sure where it was so we went on an adventure. Turns out it was well worth it!! The kids loved it!
Yesterday they had a ice festival there, something I’ve always thought we should attend but never quite mustered the energy for, but turns out going the day after is perfect. All the ice sculptures with none of the crowds. Probably none of the s’mores and hot chocolate either, but we survived.
It was a beautiful day!
An ice car for kids to play in.
Eve brought Empy, her new penguin, and was excited to see an ice penguin there too.
One cool castle!
Lex on the ice slide
Eve on the ice slide
There was also a big snow slide that had a double track and went under a polar bear.
I’m sitting at the top (see my boots) and Eve is way down at the bottom.
Yesterday they had ice fishing at the party. I like that the hole is in the shape of a fish. :)
One big hill!
See Lex climbing it?
We each went down this hill once, fell off the sleds, bumped our heads, and decided to try a smaller hill. Actually safety conscious mom said we had to do a smaller hill. I wanted no concussions today!
Empy the penguin came sledding with us too. Here she is safely wrapped in Eve’s hat.
This hill was better.
One happy boy!
Eve decided to do some sliding like the penguins do!
Weee!! Empy is tucked into her hood and also enjoying the slide.
One happy girl!
Action shot!
I love this one!
Look out Eve!
Overall we had a great day! No tears and no concussions. What more can I ask for. The kids want to go back again soon. Hopefully the great weather sticks around for awhile because we have a week long vacation coming up and it would be great to do some sledding!
We drove past Dartmouth campus the other day and had to stop quick when we saw this!
A giant snow throne with a snow dragon wrapped around it. Crazy college.
I search “snow day” on the blog just now and discovered that every January we’ve had our first of the year. I guess we’re a little behind this year! Today it has been snowing gently, but steadily, all day. The forecast said 5″-10″ total and I thought it was a bit silly to cancel school. All the schools in the area are closed. However, Alan went into work around 1:30 and says the roads are terrible! He says he slid several times. I think he’ll have a slow drive home tonight! I guess the administration made the right call to keep the busses off the roads this afternoon.
Back on the homefront we have been enjoying the day. I exercised and made banana bread while the kids played together. They have been getting along really well today. After awhile we went outside for round one of shoveling.
All season swing set!
I think she enjoyed this job a little too much. :)
Whew! Shoveling is hard work!
Then inside for grilled cheese and hot chocolate. Quiet time, more playing. All the fun things one does on a snow day. Now they are upstairs playing school. :) I’m going to get off the computer and get back to my to-do list, which sounds boring but really it makes me happy to have some time to finally get a few things done around the house!
Happy Snow Day!
(If you have a minute type “snow day” into the blog search. I love looking back through the years. The video at the end of this one from 2011 is cute. The kids are growing up fast!)
Lex was Star of the Week in 3rd grade last week. I meant to take pictures of something to go with a blog post, but I never did. Mostly because it all happens at school! The Star of the Week idea provides for a chance to honor each student in the class. When it is their week they bring in a bag of “artifacts” to show the class on Monday. Lex brought a project he made at Home Depot, his CHaD medal from the race, his lovey dog, and a few other things. On Tuesday they get to bring in a favorite book to share with the class. On Wednesday the parents send in a letter to the child that the teacher reads. Lex was very excited for this. I was very stressed! :) The letter is supposed to be sent to school in a sealed envelope and the student hears it for the first time with his class. Lex told me the other letters were there pages long and funny and sweet. He’s the second to last kid in class to do this so he’s heard a lot of letters so far! I ended up writing a full two pages and Eve wrote a letter as well. I talked to his teacher later and she said none of them are three pages long! :) Silly Lex! He loved his letter and that’s the most important part. Thursday was parents lunch day, so Alan picked up Panera Bread and we joined Lex for lunch with his class. I like his class and it was fun to get to see them again. As we were leaving my 5th grade class came in and I got to say hi to them as well. Friday the Star of the Week sheet says something about a special poster, but Lex said they never do that. All week the Star gets to be line leader and the teacher’s helper and more. They feel really important and special.
I am so proud of these two tonight! They were so excited to go to their first karate lesson today. The timing worked out such that we went to a 6pm class, which we won’t do often because that’s just too late for this family. However, they were amazing! Lex got a little nervous before we left and started saying he didn’t want to go, but we chatted and he remembered that he loved it on Monday, so he decided to try it again tonight. When we got there they changed and walked right out on the floor with the rest of the group. There were so many kids, yet Lex and Eve did wonderfully
The teachers were patient and kind. The kids made mistakes, got a little lost, laughed and loved it!
We are past cute updates on little kid doctor visits and apparently moving on to old lady doctor visits. :( I have been in pain for a week and a half. My knee started off with discomfort, but moved quickly to outright pain. I tried exercising (first time in awhile!), icing, compression, etc, but nothing worked, so finally today I tried the doctor. I woke up at 4am this morning in so much pain I couldn’t go back to sleep, so I figured it was time to get serious about fixing this problem. The doctor said I have bursitis, which, according to WebMD is “the inflammation or irritation of the bursa. The bursa is a sac filled with lubricating fluid, located between tissues such as bone, muscle, tendons, and skin, that decreases rubbing, friction, and irritation.” That makes sense and fits my pain progression accurately. The course of treatment is just what I was doing already, lots of ibuprofen and regular icing. Well, I had tried icing, but now I guess I’ll be doing it regularly for awhile. She said to rest, ice, and elevate three times a day… I said I’m a mother and kindergarten teacher. She laughed and said to try for at least mornings and evenings. We’ll see how that goes. I’ve been trying to figure out what caused it and unfortunately I think it’s my rapid weight gain and complete lack of exercise. Add in frequent kneeling in kindergarten and I think you’ve got a recipe for bursitis. Alan was complimenting me today on how well I take care of the children and the family, but I think it’s time I start taking care of myself again… if only I could add a few more hours to the day…
In an effort to get the kids more physically active this winter I signed them up for a karate introduction lesson. They both know several kids who do karate and Lex even went to a karate birthday party a few weeks ago. They were excited right up until the moment we walked in the door, then seeing all the people dressed alike and performing in unison (as much as a bunch of kids ever do), both kids shut down. They said they did not want to do it and they wanted to leave right away. I reminded them that we had made an appointment and we need to at least stay for the introduction lesson, then we could go. They grudgingly agreed and boy are they glad they did! The lesson was just the two of them and a teacher (sensi, I think, I need to study up on my karate lingo!) and they LOVED it. They were blocking and kicking and laughing. At the end they both eagerly asked if they could take lessons. So we signed them up. Uniform and all! We are encouraged to go three times a week, but I can’t see that happening in our world. We’re shooting for twice a week for starters. :)
Introduction lesson
All suited up.
Ready to go!
Eve’s class is studying penguins this month and as a special treat they have a friend named Artie who visits each student. Eve was overjoyed when she found out Artie was coming to spend the weekend with us! We had some errands to do after school, so Artie came along for the ride.
Artie came to the Co-Op with us.
Artie had fun at King Arthur Flour!
Artie and Eve built block towers together.
Artie joined us for dinner wearing a fancy hat and veil. Artie likes reading Calvin and Hobbes.
At bedtime Artie put on Pjs…
… and shared giggly secrets with Eve.
Artie enjoyed the bedtime stories Eve read him.
The next morning Artie got dressed. Eve assured me that Artie likes pink polka dot skirts and flower crowns. :) Her hair is wild in this picture!
Artie came with us to CAOS at the Ava Gallery. Turns out Artie is very creative!
Dear Mrs. Burriss. This photo was just staged and Artie came into no real contact with messy art supplies. We took the utmost care of him. :)
Later that day Artie made a few phone calls and ran up quite a phone bill! Calls to the Antarctic are expensive!
We had a movie night Saturday night, but the kids chose to watch a NOVA episode about genetics instead of a movie. Artie was fascinated!
This morning Artie joined us for a playdate and got a sneak peak at a house he’ll be visiting later this month.
Four silly kids, a cat, and a penguin. What more do you need for a great playdate!
This evening Artie put on Eve’s paint smock and did some more (pretend) painting. Artie also helped Eve with her math homework, but I wasn’t around to take a picture of that.
Artie ended the weekend cuddled up with Eve and Alan, reading bedtime stories.
Eve has very much enjoyed her visit with Artie. She was even in tears (put-upon tears) last night that she loved Artie so much and it would be just too hard to give Artie back. We had a little conversation about all the other kids in her class who hadn’t had a chance with Artie yet. She decided that seeing Artie in school each day would be enough.
Happy birthday to the big man today! We had to do some math to figure out his age this morning. He says he keeps track because he knows if it’s an even year he turns an even number. It’s good to have a system. We eliminated 36 and 40, and settled on 38. I get to call him old man for the next 10 months, then I’m right there with him. Eeek! He celebrated by taking the day off from work, exercising really hard (yes, this is how he celebrates), getting a massage, eating massive quantities of Indian food and watching five hours of TV. Then we came home with cookies and cuddles.
Birthday hugs!
Happy Birthday Alan! We’re lucky to have such an amazing hubby and daddy!