Winter Fun

The winters in Maine are so incredibly long! But, we find plenty of winter fun activities to fill the snowy, cold, 5-6 months. Sledding parties with friends, snow forts, ice skating, hiking, and playing on the frozen lakes are just a few of our favorites.

Jeremie spent all afternoon digging this hole. He was so excited, and I was so proud of his diligence! It became a the perfect spot for many creative endeavors!!!

We were blessed to have these massive snow forts built for us by a teen center gal! This one was complete with stairs and a slide!

Oh the fun things to do with snow, but I do think I am ready for spring. Yesterday was warm enough to go out without jackets, and we ventured to the road to play with sidewalk chalk. Yes, spring is coming!

A Time To Celebrate Old Traditions in a New Way

As winter slowly melts away, spring becomes quite the buzz in our house. And with talk of Spring comes talk of Easter. And this year, our Easter conversations became a springboard for Ash Wednesday and Lent. It was Kaylynn who noticed Ash Wednesday on the calendar and asked us about it. So, off we went to research. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, and Lent is the 40 (or 46 depending on the culture) days leading up to Easter. Lent is traditionally a time of prayer, fasting, and alms-giving. God's people would, and still do, fast in various ways. They would use their time during Lent to give more time to prayer and giving. Often, the fast was from food entirely, eating during certain hours of the day, or certain types of food. They would take the money they would have spent on the food and give it to the poor. Lent also included a fast from all festivities as it was meant to be a time of grieving Christ's sacrifice, concluding with a large celebration in honor of His resurrection. We have never "celebrated" Lent but look forward to it this year both as a homeschool lesson and as a time to reflect on the purpose of Christ's life and what He has for us. After a quite lengthy discussion and many goofy ideas, we came up with some practical things to fast (as a family). We kept them simple so we could do this together. We will be fasting all media which includes internet, movies, and computer games. This will not be too terribly difficult because we do not own a TV and only watch movies as family time; we don't spend a large amount of time online, and we do not play too many computer games (the kids do have a favorite building game, but they are willing to put that on pause for the next month). Now, having said that, we will make internet allowances for work (Alan needs this) and for school (I need this). We will also be fasting all dairy products (which I am already doing because of Cami's allergy, but the kids wanted to try it). I look forward to the extra time in prayer and giving as a family and the extra focus on Christ. I feel like this is a good time to refresh and spend extra time meditating on scripture and allowing Christ to pour into us so that we may pour into those around us.

DisneyWorld

Well, we are home and finally back into a routine after our AMAZING one week trip to Disney World with some very cool people. We have been planning this trip with the Ungren family for almost 2 years now, and it was so exciting to have it here finally. There are way too many pictures to share all of them so please check out the slide show at the bottom of the blog (just scroll all the way down). I will post some of our favorite videos here. So much happened that I can hardly remember it all. I have to say that the most fun was watching our kids enjoy all the magic of Disney....although keeping track of 8 children was at times a bit stressful. So many times saying, "AGAIN, CAN WE PLEASE DO THAT AGAIN?!" And all the shows....the kids were so impressed. Kalli even had "water eyes" while watching Beauty and the Beast. Late nights watching parades and fireworks, early mornings, HUGE bags of packed sandwiches for lunch, and many fond memories. Jeremie lost his first tooth in Animal Kingdom. Kaylynn was our thrill seeker going on anything fast, dark, and wild. Cami got her first major owie (falling over backwards onto the concrete made a rush for the first aid station). We had dinner with the princesses which was quite exciting for the kids....to eat in a "real" castle. Alan and I were busy entertaining Cami as she was throwing everything on the floor and screaming at every chance she got. Then back and forth trips to the bathroom with Kalli who had a belly ache. And Jeremie and the Ungren boys sword fighting in the middle of all of this made for an unforgettable evening. If you do look at the slide show, you might see John and Jolene snuggling during dinner in their quiet little corner which made it even more fun! We had a vacation full of laughter and fun and were sad to leave our good friends but also happy to be home again.

Celebrating 30!!!!

My 30th birthday was just like any other birthday...a day to feel honored by my wonderful husband and children and a time to celebrate with family and friends. I have always loved birthdays, my own included. I really love any excuse to celebrate, but birthdays have always been extra special for me. My husband knows exactly what I need to feel honored, and I am so thankful. He completely surprised me this year (which he has tried in the past but has not always been successful). We woke up late which instantly stressed me out. "Honey, get up, you have to be at work right now!!!" I jumped out of bed, slipped my boots on and started shoveling because we had also woken up to a very large snow storm. I only got him halfway shoveled out before the snow plow guy generously plowed us out. All this time, I am thinking that Alan is inside getting ready for work. Well, he came out all dressed and ready for work. I gave him a kiss goodbye, waved as he drove down the road, and snuggled myself back into bed (taking advantage of the time change from the west coast and the fact that all the kids were still sleeping). I woke up to the most wonderful breakfast smells (at 10:00). I was so nervous, I started climbing out of bed, but then my entire family came in singing Happy Birthday! Alan had taken the day off to shower me with love, gifts, and attention. He had planned a party for the evening which had to be re-scheduled due to the weather. (As I recall, my 16th birthday party had to be re-scheduled as well because of an ice storm). So, we spent the day playing in the snow, playing board games, receiving many phone calls from lots of loved ones, and relaxing by the fire which was so inviting after a day out in the snow. All of this after my sister showered me with beautiful, intentional gifts and love while we were visiting Washington. My favorite being the homemade mustard yellow hat that she crocheted for me! She took such great time and effort making it for me. I will post a picture of the hat later. Oh yes, then the party with so many wonderful people, complete with a pinata!!!! (We let the kids hit is as well hehe) Thanks to all of you who made my 30th so wonderfully special!!!!


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Hockey

Jeremie has been wanting to do hockey for the past couple of years, and it finally worked out this year. He has had so much fun with it, and it has definitely improved his skating. He is actually controlled in his skating now whereas before he was full throttle all the way until he crashed. There are no games at his age which is nice...just learning the basics and some drills. We do not plan to continue with this in the future (as hockey can get very expensive), but for now it is a great activity for him!

Ice Skating

We have this great outdoor ice rink right close to the house. We just walk through the woods and there we are. This year, Alan and I actually get to skate as well because Kalli LOVES to pull Cami around in the sled, and Cami loves to be pulled. woohoo! Alan and I also got to hold hands while we walked to the rink because all the kids were pulling the sleds. What wonderful little helpers we have!

Washington

There are far too many pictures to post of our very fabulous trip out West for my brother's wedding and Christmas! After our long flight out there (which the kids did great!) I never know what to expect, but I prayed for days leading up to our departure, and the kids had a wonderful flight and were so excited to see Grandpa Tom and new Aunt Maggie at the airport! We enjoyed grandparent snuggles, late night movies, wrestling with Uncle Will, crafting with Grandma Lynn, a trip to the children's museum with Aunt Lacey, David, and Nathen, play time with the Ungrens, visiting with the Hamblets, playing with the Goodrich cousins, meeting all of our new family members, and a beautiful wedding. Jeremie, Kaylynn, and Kalli were all in the wedding, but of course Kalli refused to walk in right at the last minute. She looked cute anyway. We had a great time and miss all of you terribly, but we are so happy to be home with Alan. We will never again travel for two weeks without him. We missed him way too much!

A Walk in the Woods

There is a little trail not far from the house that we enjoy walking, Ordway Grove. We can use it to walk right to the lake. There are some huge boulders here that the kids love to climb on.

Kaylynn Creates

In November, Kaylynn was the guest of honor to a birthday part tea. She even received a formal invitation in the mail complete with a wax seal. She spent a couple weeks making the most perfect gift for her dear friend: a milkweed friendship pillow. She gathered the milkweed silk in the summer and used it as stuffing for this beautiful pillow. Kaylynn has such a generous heart, and I love to see her gift in action.

And of course she was requested to come in full costume (a Victorian tea) so this is the outfit she picked out...put together with pieces from her dress up box.

And of course, Josefina had to get dressed up and attend the tea as well.

Kiddo fun!

Christmas Crafting

We enjoyed crafting most of our Christmas gifts this year, although I think next year we will start sooner. We made soap, lip balm, fun hair things, letter tiles, bean bags, and so much more! Here are some pics. I know these posts are lacking explanation, but I am just trying to get caught up and share all the pictures.

Jeremie's Faces

When Jeremie gets a hold of the camera, it always provides a good laugh for the rest of us! I hope you enjoy too!