Ice Skating 2020

This past Monday, our local ice skating rink offered free skating for all during Winter Break. We're always up for an adventure and last year the kids enjoyed this a lot. I attempted to take all 4 of them myself, which didn't turn out too bad, but was a bit crazy! It's usually more fun with friends. Andrew had a hard time at first but got the hang of it and was really going fast by the end. Leah was bold right from the start and confident that she could do it all! Abi was a little hesitant but did just fine, using the handles most of the time.

And Jacob-- I didn't even put skates on him because I knew he wouldn't like it, and it was a good thing. He wore his boots on the ice but didn't even want to put the least amount of effort into NOT falling. He was purposely falling even though I was holding his hand the whole time! Probably he didn't like being cold? He was miserable. UNTIL-- his friend from preschool showed up, and suddenly all was well in the world. He and Collin skated together and finally Jacob smiled. Just as it was time to go. :)

Winter Days

This year for New Year's we decided to do something a little different and took a family trip up to one of our favorite museums in Burlington. We usually have a season pass, as they change exhibits every 6 months or so. This time they had a chemistry-type exhibit. There were lots of hands-on things to touch! It was not at all busy that day and we loved our new little tradition.

Jacob's favorite is always the water table. We could leave him here for hours.

Everyone loves the kinetic sand table.

And they got to dissect an owl pellet, a great addition to our homeschool studies! They found a ton of tiny bones inside, since the owl doesn't completely digest what he eats.

 The rest of January and February have been filled with every-day routine. Like tying Dad up during AWANA Game Time! :)

We had snow cream. We realized not many Vermonters actually do this, so it must be a mostly southern tradition, but it's really good ice cream!

And school! Jacob love, love, loves coloring with markers. He will do pages a day!

We painted Greek pots on paper bags.

We spent some time with Leah & Abi's friends Mackenzie & Natalie.

And Leah won the Homeschool Spelling Bee! At least 15-20 other kids of all ages participated and she made it all the way to the end. I was so proud!

And of course we enjoyed the pile made by the snow plow at the front of our driveway. Jacob has truly enjoyed being in the snow this year.

2019 in Review

It's that time of the year again-- time to reflect back upon all the things that happened in our lives this year, no matter how big or small they may seem. Time slows down for no one and these kids prove that every day!


January

We took a trip to the Outer Banks to visit Grandma & Grandpa. Brett went to a conference while we stayed and played, and even celebrated a late Christmas with Grandma & Grandpa.

February

February and March are usually slow months, filled with snowy, cold days in Vermont, but we managed to get in a lot of schoolwork, and some ice skating with our homeschool friends.

March

March is sugaring season, and we visited a local sugar shack to enjoy some maple treats and watch the syrup being made.

April

What February and March lacked, April picked up the slack. Abigail had surgery to have her tonsils (and adenoids-- again!) removed, in hopes that she would get some better sleep and thus be able to think more clearly. She recuperated within a day or two and the very same week she started her brand new gymnastics class, a hobby she's grown to adore. And Jacob had his annual MRI & follow up with neurosurgery. He's seizure-free for the 2nd year in a row, and developing perfectly normally!

At the end of April we celebrated our first Passover feast as a family, getting dressed up and pulling out the nice china. And of course we took our annual family Easter photo.

 May

May was the busiest month for kids' extracurricular activities! Our homeschool co-op enjoyed a trip to the Shelburne Museum. We had a lot of fun learning with them this year!

Andrew earned his red belt in taekwando-- signifying 3 full years of the sport. He's now only 6 months away from black belt!

The same day as the red belt testing, the girls had their dance recital-- Abi's 2nd recital and Leah's 6th? They both did great!

And baseball season kept us traveling all over southeastern Vermont, in rain or shine!

The kids also got awards for excellence in AWANA, each of them finishing all the verses in their books. They love going to club and memorizing God's word!

June

Summer always means a trip to Goody's for ice cream! Of course this wasn't the only time we enjoyed the summer weather with treats! We also had Vacation Bible School at church, Jacob's first year in a real group.

 July

Our first time enjoying our new camper as a family was in July, a trip close by but filled with memories and an awesome hike up Mt. Philo for some awesome views!

Andrew turned 9, and celebrated with a sleepover with his two close friends a Pikachu birthday cake.

We finished out July with a trip to Word of Life Camp, one of our family's favorite time's of year. Leah and Andrew each at their own camps, but us having a blast with the two youngest at our own camp.

 August

Fair & Field Days is another tradition we look forward to every year, and this year Grandma & Grandpa got to join us. The Maple Tent is a favorite, and the rides were a huge hit for everyone this year!

 Our first day of our 8th year of homeschooling! It's always fun to start with fresh books and fresh supplies and a new schedule for the day.

And a first for us this year was a broken bone. Leah broke her arm on the playground at our church's Labor Day picnic. Just in time for her 11th birthday! She had surgery to set it and wore a cast for about 6 weeks, which went by really quickly and easily for everyone.

September

Brett & I went on our annual Pastor's Retreat, this year only an hour away in Vermont. It's always a great getaway and we get spoiled away from the kids.

Jacob started going to 3-year-old preschool at the local public school. He was shy about it at first but really warmed up and loved going to see his friends 2 days a week. Later in the month, we celebrated his 4th birthday with a little family Paw Patrol party.

October

One of the most memorable parts of our year was our trip to Washington, DC. We met Grandma & Grandpa there, and we got to see tons of awesome things! Of course the Museum of the Bible was one of our favorite, but I really couldn't pick a favorite photo from the week!

Halloween was wet but we enjoyed trick-or-treating with our friends and Trunk or Treat at church as Cruella deVille, Iron Man, Supergirl, and Spiderman.

Abi celebrated her 7th birthday with a mermaid cake and 2 friends over for a sleepover.

November

In November we celebrate Brett's birthday with whatever yummy cake I can come up with. We took our annual family photo in the fall leaves, shortly before we saw the first snow of the season (the first year Jacob tolerates going out in it). Later we celebrated Thanksgiving around our table as a family and the next day we found our family Christmas tree.

 December

And of course the end of the year brings the Christmas season and all it's charm! Look how much they grew from the beginning to the end of the year!