My Boy Scout!

I'm really proud of Ethan.  Saturday was the last day he wore his cub scout shirt.  He worked really hard and earned his Arrow of Light.  At the Blue and Gold Banquet Saturday, he was presented with his award and crossed over in Boy Scouts.  What a great kid!

 Receiving his awards

 Being knighted into Boy Scouts - but only after he recited the Scout Oath in front of everyone without warning.  He did such a great job and impressed us all.

 The Scout Master welcomed Ethan on the other side of the bridge and gave him his (really big) boy scout shirt!

 Todd and I are proud of him.

 We love you lots Ethan!  And now for Eagle!!!

Mimi

It's always as exciting as Christmas when Mimi comes to town.  The kids were secretly hoping Bapa was hiding in her suitcase, but the next time he comes they'll be just as happy.  Within the first hour of Mimi's arrival, an epic string game was set up and the fun continued the entire week.  It was so fun and went so fast it was kinda like she was here two hours instead of five days!

 Always reading.  Always projects.  Building, sewing, creating, imagining.

 And painting!

 While here, my mom helped the kids start filling out family history books.  She asked Cooper to describe me and this is what he said, "She likes to eat food all day long.  She likes working sometimes.  Mom lets me cracks things like eggs."  Hilarious.  And pretty accurate, though I hope he can add a few more positive things as time goes on.  lol.

 Oh mom.  We sure love you.  Thanks for sharing yourself and your magic with us.

Our February Besides the Snow

We've been loving bubble baths lately

And Oliver loves to talk on the phone

 It's always interesting when Cooper picks out his own pjs

Our pantry is coming along!  I'm so excited!!

 Madeline and I had a fun date exploring Lynden.  We found a hidden indoor "mall" with a little creek  with Koi fish and this big dutch wooden shoe.  And a Thai restaurant that smelled divine.  So fun to find!

 We enjoyed browsing the little shops and eating at Avenue Bread.  I had a REALLY good french dip sandwich.  I love french dip.

Ethan continues to love making lego creations

 And Madeline is becoming quite a beautiful pianist.  The last few weeks I wondered if she was playing or Ethan.  She's awesome!

Valentine's Day

I like Valentine's Day.  A lot.  Maybe because I'm blessed to love and be loved by so many people.

 We always have a fun and fancy family Valentine dinner.  The kids get excited about it.

 The decorations always make me happy (and LOOK! NO SNOW!)

 We spent the week filling each other's valentine bags with love notes and treats.

 Madeline could hardly stand having to do homework on such a special day!

 We had fun reading our valentine cards.

 And the chocolate baby lava cakes were delicious.  Missy used to always bring one over for Todd and me to share and I'd take her a plate of our Valentine treats.  It was a fun and delicious tradition.  So this year, I just made her lava cakes and thought of my dear friend.

 The roses from Todd are beautiful!

 Let love be at the heart of all you do.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Snow, More SNOW, and ICE!!

The rain today is doing an amazing job at melting the snow.  The end might actually be in sight!  We've been snowed in for so many days...

I found this nice addition to our winter decor...

 After the power came back on the other morning, the kids first request was to go play in the snow.  I sat on the heater vent.  It was only off a few hours, but enough to make me realize how grateful I am for our heater.

 When I heard a rumble, Oliver and I joined the kiddos outside.

 Awesome neighbor to the rescue!  We might even be able to get out of our driveway before spring now!!  He's lived here forever and said this is "almost as bad as 1968".  Oh my.  It hasn't snowed enough to even speak of in ten years.

 knee deep

 This might be why school has been cancelled...yes, that's the school under there!

 And seeing this freaky suspended icicle made me decide we were done playing outside for now.  The rain was coming and melting and freezing was occurring and this is just plain freaky!

 We woke up to no power again yesterday and a world covered in ICE

 jump roping to stay warm.  The power came on a few hours later.  Some people were without power for days.

 more crazy ice pictures

The coating of ice is gone now.  And you can almost see the road.  I can't believe it, but we might actually get out by tomorrow!  AMAZING.  Not exactly the winter we were expecting up here in Washington where it "never snows"!

Snowed In!

The last few days have been insane.  You could say we have a wee bit of snow...

 We are totally snowed in.  Roads are closed because of snow drifts and schools are closed because the buses can't make it around the hills.  The mail can't make it either.  We can't even get out of our driveway!  And people keep saying it never snows here...

 We are getting buried alive!

 But the kids are loving it!

 This is our driveway, complete with foot high snow drifts.  My van will remain in the garage for quite some time I think.

 Meanwhile, we will play outside a little and stay warm inside a lot.

I love my warm home.