little brother

I'm not sure who took these pictures. I just found them on the camera. It was either Adam or Rory.

trains

Rory made this track the other day and asked me to take a picture of it and show everyone.

maple syrup

We're currently reading the Little House on the Prairie books. While we were snowed in on Monday, we read about making maple syrup and about the maple syrup candy they made in the snow. So we decided to make some of our own.

Here is the syrup ready to boil. There is actually a cup of it in the pan even though it doesn't look like it.

Getting plates of snow ready.

Ready to pour.

I need to perfect my pouring technique. I think we need thicker snow and to also pour the syrup a little thicker (which I couldn't do since the snow wasn't thick enough and the syrup was melting through).

Eating it. Everyone loved it - especially Gage. He wanted me to make more when it was gone and has asked many times if we can do it again. Piper would only eat it after I got all the snow off for her.

This is what it looks like. It's soft, but not really like anything else I can think of to compare it to. It's also very sticky.

more snow

Rory left this bucket of water outside. She plans to go back out and dump out an ice castle.

This is about when Piper had all the snow she could handle and came back inside. Crosby had stayed inside with me and could hear everyone else playing outside. He kept crawling to the door and trying to figure out how to get out.

snow day

We've lived here for six years, and every year I buy the kids all snow pants and snow boots. And every year they sit unused in the closet because there is never enough snow to use them. I don't think Piper has ever played in snow before. Last year I don't think we had more than half an inch of snow for more than a couple hours. And the temperature rarely even went down below freezing. So this year I didn't buy snow gear. I figured they could wear two pairs of pants and rain boots for the 20 minutes of snow play they might get. We've had tons of snow this year - and the temperature has rarely been above twenty for weeks and we have 1 pair of boots and 2 pairs of snow pants and 4 kids. And since 2 pairs of pants and rain boots don't do so well when the high is 18 degrees, no one played in the snow - until Monday. We got 4 or 5 inches of snow and the temperature was in the thirties and everyone finally got to play in snow - even Piper who insists she hates snow. She doesn't even like to walk to the van in it because it gets on her shoes. (I think it has more to do with her beingmessyaphobia than anything actually about the snow.)

There used to be a driveway somewhere here.

the baby who loved to wave

Crosby spends about fifty percent of his time waving to people - any people who will wave back (and even some who won't)- parents, siblings, strangers in the grocery store. Every time he is nursing he takes a few breaks to wave at me. When I'm holding him and we're two inches apart he waves at me. When he's just fallen asleep and his eyes are closed he opens them and waves at me. These videos are all slightly odd - all of the side of Crosby since I made them while he was in the baby carrier. The kids and I just watched them and Crosby sat on my lap and squealed and was so excited that his whole body shook and then he waved to himself. Then the video would start again and he would do the whole thing over again.

frosty walk

We took a walk on Sunday when it was finally above 12 degrees outside - above freezing even. 

Nap time.

Piper with her snowball. 

We spent a long time trying to throw rocks through the ice. No matter how big the rock was or where we threw we couldn't get one through. I think the kids wanted to throw every rock around the pond out onto the ice until one made it.

Still sleeping.

Standing on ice.

Rory is very proud of this all brown outfit for some reason.  She was very excited about it - especially since Crosby was also dressed entirely in brown. 

Running with sticks.

Trying to steal the camera.

A cold playground.