Gabe Day (aka Valentine's Day)

We have had an awesome winter weekend playing some Valentine's Day games for school and we actually took the snowmobiles out... kind of;)  We have enough snow to make some loops on the snowmobiles around our yard, but not enough to really get on the trails from our house.  Gabe affixed the sled to the back of the snowmobile to haul the kids around the yard.... not the tote sled, which we do have, but a cheap plastic sliding sled. No one was hurt and everyone had an absolute blast!

For the first time since we have had kids, Gabe has been home with us on his birthday for the whole day!  It was actually harder than I realized to try and pull off all of the treats and surprises we usually make.  We even had to break down and buy a cake, but no one cared:)  

Great Wolf Lodge 2016

We took our "February vacation" week a week early and took advantage of lesser crowds. Originally, Gabe took this week of vacation with the intention of skiing, but due to the lack of snow and poor conditions, we are taking another approach. We visited the Great Wolf Lodge in Framingham, MA. Ironically, we had to travel through a winter storm to get there... We all had an absolute blast.  They really make it a "resort experience", in other words, they make it easy to spend your money without you realizing how much you are spending;)  There were two indoor water parks complete with a wave pool, water playground, a lazy river and lots of waterslides. There was an arcade which Gabe likened to a casino... there are lots of flashy lights and sounds, but it is impossible to tell which way is in or out;)

The best part for the kids was the ropes course.  There was a high course for the older two and a really cute smaller ropes course for the younger two who felt pretty special to be able to harness up just like the bigger kids.  Both Noah and James really had to push themselves to not be terrified of the height.  By the second day they had conquered their fear and were running all over the course. We got an awesome free upgrade for our room and loved all of the space we had for sleeping.  Gabe was especially thankful because he forgot to pack the sleeping bags for the kids... We can't wait to visit again!

100s Day!

We have made it to the 100th day of school!  I can't believe it, but only 75 more days until summer vacation!  We spent the day dealing with any and all things 100. Everyone voted finding the Hershey Kisses and filling out the 100 chart with the number stickers their favorite part.  We also made necklaces with 100 pieces of cereal, stacked (and then shot down with Nerf guns) 100 cups, made art with 100 dot stickers and enjoyed a tail mix made of 100 treats.  

Winter Fun

Now that we have entered what appears to be the "spring thaw" portion of winter, we are getting the  opportunity to explore more in the woods, have lots of snowball fights and build snowmen.  James and I found a spot in the back of our yard, last fall, that we think will be perfect for a treehouse.  Since that time, we have to visit periodically to come up with more and more extravagant plans and visions for the area.  A favorite part is this tree that is growing sideways... it is a perfect balance beam and hanging spot.  

Not to be outdone by the sunsets, the sunrises the past few weeks have been pretty incredible too.  This picture is taken through the window (since I was too much of a wimp to run outside) so the quality isn't great, but still a great way to start the day:)

Noah, James and Audrey worked hard to build this snowman all by themselves (while I cleaned out the chicken coop).  Where was Ben during all of this?  Well, he started outside with us, but lasted for a total of 5 minutes, then took up post inside the house, happily supervising from the window...