First Sled Ride

Today was a perfect winter day -- snow on the ground and a temperature at about freezing. On such a day, we just had to get outside. I bundled up the older two, and sent them out the door while I searched for something in which to dress Hunter. I don't have a snowsuit his size, so I improvised and layered him, finishing it off with some lined rain clothes that are a tad too large. At least this way his clothes wouldn't get wet in the snow.

Here is Kristen standing on a snow pile next to their play fort.

Once we were all outside, it was time to let Hunter experience his first sled ride. It is long overdue, considering the snow we have had, but better late than never.

Kristen wanted to pull Hunter....

... but she eventually got tired and lay down in the snow.

Here is AJ taking a turn pulling Hunter.

Here is Hunter in our red sled.

After giving Hunter a ride, the older two wanted to sled a little themselves. I tried to build a sledding hill for them, but it needs more work. We have the snow, but I didn't want to press my luck with Hunter sitting quietly in the snow. After all, he is a wonderful baby, but his patience only lasts so long. After a little downhill sledding, Kristen announced that she was thirsty and therefore going inside. AJ still wanted to be outside, so I put him on one sled and Hunter on another one. Then I pulled them up and down our driveway for a while until I was tired. What a fun afternoon.

A Bunch of Books

I realized today that, even though I am really behind in the school year as far as homeschooling goes, we really have read a lot of books. This does not include what we are currently reading. Some I have read to Kristen (and occasionally AJ and Hunter when they have the attention span), and some Kristen has read to me. The best part of all this reading is that not one of the books has been what I would call "junk" literature. They have all been quality books. The 23 books (one isn't in the picture) cover topics on animals, archeology, historical fiction and non-fiction, science, mysteries, Greek mythology, and some fictional stories that are just plain heartwarming. If you are looking for a good book to read to your kids, I could recommend any of these. Outside of homeschooling, we have also enjoyed several volumes of compilations of short children's stories written by authors such as Hans Christian Anderson, Robert McCloskey, and Virginia Lee Burton.

AJ has also been reading aloud, but his books thus far have been second-hand school books (kindergarten and 1st grade level) filled with short stories that are of a lesser quality. These are the best thing I have available for his current reading level. When he finishes his current book, I am going to have him read some of the easier books that Kristen has read this year. I think he will enjoy them.

Bedtime Stories

One of our nightly routines includes bedtime stories for the kids. I love to see Timothy snuggling up with the kids, reading to them. I think it is one of the most wonderful sites to behold. Here, Timothy is reading to them out of one of their favorites -- What Do People Do All Day? They are all obviously enjoying themselves immensely.

Blowing Bubbles

It's science time again. This afternoon, we played catch-up on the science experiments that we haven't done since we returned. We talked about Plimsoll lines in salt vs. fresh water, how submarines work, and surface tension. After floating a needle on water, then sinking it by adding a drop of dish detergent, it was bubble time. This was the most fun by far -- blowing bubbles through our hands. I tried to capture Kristen in action, but the bubbles pop so quickly that it was difficult to get the camera focused on the right spot. Maybe I should have used manual focus instead of relying on the auto-focus feature. Anyway, here she is.

Big Boy, but Still a Baby

Yesterday, I dressed H in jeans and a sweatshirt that was (admittedly) a little too big for him. I put the sweatshirt on over his other shirt because we were venturing out in the cold to visit the doctor for AJ and H. I wanted to make sure he was warm enough, and this sweatshirt was beckoning me. I thought he looked like such a “big” boy in the outfit, so I took a picture. He really is growing fast, but I am not ready to give up my baby, yet.

Igloo

Timothy finally finished the igloo I started last weekend. Well, it is not completely finished. I think we are going to expand it more. The tunnel is complete, and both kids can sit up in there. Timothy just came inside from shoveling snow off of the roof to use in our igloo project (provided the temperatures remain below freezing). We want to make the snow pile wider, so we can make the room inside even bigger. I will definitely post pictures if we do this.

Sitting in front of the entrance.

Inside the igloo.

Going for a Ride

Today after school, the kids were all playing nicely together while I attempted to make some gluten-free bread for our neighbors. I noticed that Hunter had crawled into his toy bin, but I didn't really give it much thought. A few minutes later, Kristen and AJ were pushing a bin full of toys and Hunter into the kitchen. It was really cute, and he was completely laid back, allowing his older siblings to have fun with him.

Matching Boys

When we were in the U.S. last, we bought the boys matching shirts. On Sunday, we dressed them for church in their matching shirts, and I tried to get some decent shots of them. Here is the best one.

Ban the Baby Bib

I don't really want to ban the bib. I just liked the alliteration of the title. The reason I am even talking about baby bibs is that Hunter doesn't really need one. People have told me that you think you know it all after having two, (especially both a boy and a girl) but the third one will surprise you. Well, I expected that in personality, but I had no idea I would have a baby who was messier with a bib than without one.
Hunter loves eating solid food. I waited to start him on solids until he was almost six months because his thighs were evidence that my milk was more than enough for him up to that time. Now that he regularly eats solids, one would think that there would be a stack of messy bibs in the laundry. Not so. He really only gets food on his bib when he decides to chew on it mid-meal. He does get a little food on his face, but that is more because he moves around so much that my aim isn't always the best. I had never seen a baby who didn't spit at least some of the food out when eating until I had Hunter. With Kristen and AJ, it was put the food in, they spit it out, scrape the food off the chin, put it in, they spit it out, scrape the chin, put it in again, and hope it finally is swallowed.
Today, when I fed Hunter his cereal, I didn't even bother putting a bib on him. I didn't regret that decision.

Snow Tunnels

This week, I dug a tunnel in one of a snow drifts around our driveway. AJ was excited to try out the tunnel, but it was a little too small in the middle. If AJ were to get through, he would have to army-crawl. Today, I will have to go out there and wriggle my way in to clear out the snow for the kids so they can fully enjoy their snow tunnel. Meanwhile, here is a picture of AJ halfway through.




Update: I fixed the tunnel, and I crawled all the way through to make sure the kids could fit through there. Here is Kristen after crawling most of the way through the tunnel. The size difference is evident from the pictures.


While I don't necessarily want it to snow more (I think we have enough on the ground), I do think it is fun having enough snow to do something like this.