Hogle Zoo

We made sure to visit Hogle Zoo with my dad while we were in Utah. It was a beautiful- almost warm! and sunny day and we had a blast. This zoo is huge compared to ours and it took almost all day to see it all. As you can see, Wells gave it two thumbs up!

Grandparents

Our trip to Utah killed several birds with one stone. Not only did Josh get to do some skiing with his family, but the kids were able to visit with all four of their grandparents. Here are my parents, getting to know my kids. I think they were impressed by Nora's new reading skills. That's right, she taught herself to read in time to wow grandma and grandpa on both sides, little smartie-pants!

Valentine's Day

I know I'm late in posting this, but we left town shortly after Valentine's Day and just got back yesterday. We had our traditional visit from cupid who left some treats for the kids at the end of their heart trails. For dinner, I tried fondue. It was an interesting outcome. I think the chocolate was a smashing success- the only setback was not enough strawberries. Let's just say I will try something different for the cheese fondue next year.

Crafts

These snowy days have certainly exhausted my idea bank for indoor activities. I think these little bird houses were worth the $1.50 I spent on them. Today we rode scooters and played ball in the gym at church. It was actually Josh's idea because Wells asks to ride his scooter EVERY day and is always THROWING things. The kids loved it. Why didn't he think of that months ago??? Afterwards we drove around the temple while Wells dosed off in an actual TIRED sleep, like from real physical exertion. What bliss.

The Tower

Yes, this really is the most exciting thing that's been happening around here lately- oh, that and me FINALLY starting to recover from this horrible headcold that I've had. Fingers crossed that no one else follows me!

SNOW

I would be remiss if I didn't record the amazing amount of snow that we have been getting this winter. It is almost unreal. Every week it's at least another foot on top of all the non-melted snow that has already fallen. I have been putting off playing outside with the kids this week. I don't know why but I think it has something to do with Wells wanting to come in as soon as we get all bundled up and out there. We braved it today while Josh was shoveling from the last storm. It was so fun! Wells played happily for the hour and a half that we were outside and didn't complain once. We even got to hook the kids' sled up to Josh's truck and take them for a spin down the cul-de-sac. Wish I had gotten some pictures of that! The only down side was the freezing rain that fell constantly until we were all SOAKED. You can't tell, but Josh had to stand under an umbrella to take these pictures for us.

Family Photos

I can't believe how long it has taken me to post these family photos. My good friend (and amazing photographer!), Liz Wertz took them for us in late November in exchange for some babysitting that I did for her adorable girls. It was the best bargain of all time! We love how they turned out, long over-due (especially the ones of Josh and me- I think it's been several years since we have gotten a good photo of the two of us...) and just in time for our Christmas cards!

Dog Races

On Saturday we decided to go check out a dog racing event not far away. It ended up being really cool. The kids got a little cold after a while but didn't complain too much. Our only regret was not having snow shoes. The snow around here is so deep that if you fall through, you really fall. At one point I was sunk in almost waist deep. Bringing the kids' sled was a good move. Wells even took his afternoon nap on it. It was the second annual mushing event in Ipswich and we decided that if we're here next year, we'll definitely go again- hopefully with snowshoes- and a bigger sled...

Disney On Ice

For one of Nora's Christmas presents, I took her into Boston to surprise her with Disney on Ice. The show was any little girl's dream come true, complete with princesses, ice dancing, music and amazing special effects. Although I didn't get any pictures in the actual arena, I did take some on the train getting there. I also managed to get some short video clips to help us remember the magic. I'll have to post a few of those sometime when I'm feeling up to it.