The End

As much as I have enjoyed having and sharing this blog, I'm feeling like it is coming to an end.  Without the internet at home, our lives are much richer, but using the internet at the library is not fun or enjoyable when I spend a full hour doing my blog while my kids sit here playing cards and waiting for me.  Our library outing used to be together time and is now not what I want it to be.  I'm not sure how I will go about sharing photos and stories in the future, but until then, this is goodbye.  It's been fun!

p.s.  Please don't be mad at me.  Call me instead and we'll talk!

Together

I know they will be friends forever.  They love to do everything together, from cramming in front of a window for hours to watch the neighbor's yard get dug up to all their made-up games (like the one above featuring Cube-ee Rapunzel and storm troopers), I can't imagine a better relationship. 

Evan's Drawings

Dad on Quick Sand Hill

 

The last time Todd went on an off-road adventure, he brought back videos.  The kids, especially Evan, really liked watching it all.  There were so many big built-up Jeeps and Todd's was pretty much the smallest one there.  But he did great and the other guys were amazingly helpful.

Evan was drawing a lot last summer (the boy who used to say he didn't enjoy art) and I stumbled on these images of the trip in his journal just recently.  I love that in Evan's last picture his dad is rocking the super lifted giant Jeep -- the dream of someday.

Cuddles

These kids love to cuddle.  They especially love hanging out right on top of their dad when he's been busy and finally settles down.  Todd spent last weekend advertising his business at the local home and garden show so we didn't see him much here at home.  Worst of all, bedtime cuddling routines got interrupted and the kids missed those long evening snuggle times.  We really value that physical connection all day long but especially at night.  Luckily Todd never minds them making up for lost time by sitting with him, on him, or near him all day long.  He needed to rest!

The Last of Winter

The snow drifts are officially gone at the time of my posting here but these pictures show the end of the melt-off.  The kids loved being able to sink in up to their knees all over the yard.  Then there was the added bonus of being able to climb right into trees that are normally way out of reach.

 

Now that the snow is almost completely gone we await the warm-up....

Wrestling

Just your everyday wrestling session between a big brother and a little sister. 

So Much Color

When this girl colors a picture, she uses every color of the rainbow.  She completed both those designs by early afternoon. Evan is inspired by Chloe's love of color.  He admires her work and always compliments her.  They love to sit together, sharing the pencils, talking to each other or listening to audiobooks.  All the color they use gives them hope that we will be seeing spring flowers soon!

Evan Indoors :: Evan Outdoors

Chloe Indoors :: Chloe Outdoors

Sledding and the Great Melt

When we heard the that the weather forecast included a stretch of temperatures above freezing, Todd took the kids sledding.  They started out at Asbury Park and then drove to Frontier instead. Todd said the wind was so chilly he opted not to take more photos at the second stop.  He did take a video though.  (Find it here.  It took too long for me to wait for vimeo to have it ready so if you click around on my video page hopefully you can find it.  It's called Sledding on the Big Hill)

It's a really good thing they went the day they did, because the weathermen were right!  Snow is melting and dripping and puddling everywhere.  We are amazed at how truly deep the snow has been -- over four feet on plow drifts like the one Chloe is on here.

We've been looking at this white world for two straight months and it's finally dwindling!!

There are literal rivers cascading down our street that never gets plowed.  Evan and Chloe played in the water like it was spring.  They were saturated, not to mention disappointed every time a car came down the street.

We are loving the sunshine and warm-ish wind.  Winter's almost over....

(I was able to schedule this and 3 other short posts to come up until next week)

Outside Without Me

February was so cold.  One warm-ish eighteen degree day the kids were out playing (without me).  They actually went out quite a few times, but this episode I caught out the front window was so cute, and I didn't have to go outside to get pictures.

They love to go around the block together too.  There is a 'snow ramp' by a driveway that they play on .  It's one of those special things the two of them will remember doing when they are all grown up.  I do wish I could be out there with them but I am such a wimp. 

Our New Normal

It will always be weeks between posts.  Using the internet at the library is purposely inconvenient for us, but annoyingly inconvenient for those who want new posts here.  As much as I love writing about the kids and their growth, it's just going to have to be few and far between for a while.  I'm going to try to put up scheduled posts while I'm using my designated hour of time, but with how slow the connection is, it might not happen often.  With that explanation out of the way, here are the latest things with the kids.

** Bracelet-making has been taken up again by Chloe.  She loves making up her own designs and has actually come up with a few that worked well.  (She also lost a side front tooth two days ago but I have no new photos of that.)

** This toy (Perplexus Epic) is Evan's daily love and hate.  It is a spheric marble maze and he just can't put it down, until he puts. it. down. 

** Ruby is especially rotund and bored out of her mind.  There are at least 5 inches of ice on our driveway and street with a 24 inch layer of snow on top of that.   And it's been that way for over a month with not a single melt-off.  So they are as house-bound as we are.

** The plus side to their boredom is that they sleep a lot too and are fairly tolerant of cuddles.

** Evan (who prefers not to have his picture taken) is building legos quite often. He designs his own vehicles all the time now instead of following the instructions.  He has dozens of others (that are way more complex) but he would only let me take this one photo as it was.

**Spirograph madness continues....  It morphed into a crabby drawing fest as well.  This thrilled me since it was a better use of paper.

** Still perplexing....



 

 

**  Still sleeping..... 

 

Weeks Indoors

Too cold to play outside, so we are finding things to do to stay busy.  While the Narnia audiobooks are on in our background constantly, we are hanging out in this tiny house together.


Here are a few peeks into our days.

Pipe cleaners everywhere... bags and bags of them.  Piles of creations are taking over the house.  Lately it's hermit crabs -- pipe cleaner crabs have moved into all of our spare shells in this little set-up.  Chloe even made pipe cleaner moss. (I know none of this makes sense if you aren't hermit crab obsessed like these two.)

Spirograph is always good for a few days in a row of morning-to-night hunching on the floor.  They are both getting really artistic with their patterns.

New play-doh!  We haven't bought this stuff in years so it was a pretty special treat to have some again.  The 'tiny dinos' were having a costume party one morning (and all the way up to lunch time).

Also, we refilled the rice box for the first time in years.  Evan was just as excited as Chloe.  This is where you can find them on any given day.  The tiny dinos live in the box, repurposing my empty tea boxes as their condos.  What a life :-)

Even though the audio books are on constant repeat (we are nearly through the series for the second time), Evan loves to read his own copies.  He has pretty much moved on from the phase where he would sit down with a stack of picture books.  Now it's one book with a bookmark in it that he brings everywhere.

Chloe will spend hours doing puzzles.  She has this crazy method of doing them one on top of the other. I have no idea how her brain can conceive of what is going on there.  Visual overload for me, but a party for her.



Well, hopefully the weather will turn soon and we'll be back to playing outside.

Bits & Pieces :: January

** Trampoline madness daily

** It's a tough call which one Evan likes more -- cuddling up with his very old fuzzy blanket or with the kitty.

** Always seeking out bright light.  This cushion pile in the corner had all kinds of configurations this month after the Christmas tree came down.  It's a nice place to do art.

** Art happens anywhere really.  The kids are working like mad on their 'crabby stories.' Chloe recently finished one that was 200 pages long.  I know it's just a comic strip but it's still quite an accomplishment.

 

 

** Painting with watercolors nearly daily.  Evan was enjoying himself with the paints too, much to his own surprise.