Play Date

I had choir practice this morning. We are working on some difficult Easter music and had to miss our normal rehearsal this week due to it being missions week. I think things went well and we should be all set with one more practice.

We met some friends at a local school. We enjoy using the playground equipment. The school is usually pretty quiet on Saturday, but there must have been some event going on because the parking lot was full.

The kids had a great time playing and I enjoyed myself chatting with my friend. It is so nice to refresh with some nice conversation.

Dan scoots through the tunnel

Dan checks out the little slide
Gabe's impression of the sloth
Lunchtime
Rachel and Hannah

Baby Jonathan

We made a library run after our play time and then headed home. We had a nice quiet late afternoon as everyone was tired from all the playing. It is so nice that the weather if finally getting nice enough to spend long periods of time outside.

Random Moments

This week was pretty quiet, not too much going on. Brian was home a few mornings because of late night flights. We love having him home, but it sure throws off our homeschooling schedule. We also had some minor colds, so we had one "sick day".

All of the kids love to be read to. We try and fit in at least a little bit of lap reading time. Of course, my lap isn't big enough for everyone.

One day, Gabe suggested an "activity". This usually entails him dragging out some of my scrapbooking stuff and a lot of cut and paste. The Littles had fun.

Hannah and Dan seem to think this bookcase is perfect for bunkbeds.

Gabe and Bessie work on making some cards for upcoming birthdays. I am glad that my scrapbooking and stamping equipment is being used. It has been ages since I have needed it.

Gabe just love the "Snoopy and Red Baron" computer game. He has made it all the way to the end and started over again. He doesn't have the right equipment, but often improvises with hat, gloves, safety goggles and scarf.

Not sure what was going on here, except lots of noise with my pots and pans.

Farm Seasons

This block will go on a quilt with a farm theme. This one was a fun one to stitch. The ladies on my stitching group are keeping me busy this spring!

A Visit to the Museum

We had a wonderful relaxed morning yesterday. It was so nice. There have been so many changes in our family since the Littles have come home and I have missed those lazy quiet weekends. I am feeling like we are finally starting to get back to some of the things we enjoyed in the past.

We did some chores and then had an early lunch. The NY State Museum in Albany was our point of destination for the afternoon. Bessie and Gabe had been asking to go for some time. We weren't too sure how the Littles would do, but decided to give it a try.

Everyone did great! We brought the stroller and Dan did ride some at the end. The kids were genuinely interested in the exhibits, they walked nicely, no running and were relatively quiet and very well behaved. It was so very nice.

The museum has displays of New York natural history including animals, rocks, industry and recreation. I loved the rocks and the birds are also a big hit with me. The kids enjoyed the animals and the discovery area which had lots of hands on things.

One of the many rocks on display
Watch out for the bear!
The kids enjoy the discovery room(the cases in the background contain insects)

Digging for fossils
There is a large display covering the Native American peoples of New York, including this great longhouse.


Watching a video on whales
(Gabe looks a bit grumpy, but he said he was just getting tired)
The most difficult part of the visit was the exhibit on 9/11. There were artifacts from ground zero set around a very large room. They was a firetruck that was on the scene when the towers collapsed, partially crushed and burned. There was large structural pieces along the walls and part of the landing gear from the airplane. Pieces of clothing and badges from some of the fireman were in another case and there were video scenes and news broadcast playing of that day and the days that followed. It was very sobering. Bessie asked to leave. She said it was all just so sad and it was. I would like to come back to this room, perhaps alone and linger a bit more.


Brian made Italian subs for dinner and we had ice cream sundaes for dessert. Yum!

Overall, it was a very good day for us. Each time we try something new with the Littles, we are not sure how they are going to do, but with each success, we gain more confidence to try new things. I feel we are on an upward spiral toward being more like the "old" family.

The Palace

I wanted to post a few pictures of The Palace Theater. These do not do it justice, but you can see the gilt work, scroll work and fancy paintings. It is a wonderful place to see a show and just to admire the craftsmanship of years ago.

Albany has some wonderful old buildings and thankfully, there is a lot of interest in making sure they are preserved.

There are many of these paintings on the ceiling

This is taken from the back balcony are looking out

toward the front hall entrance

Mercy Me

Bessie and I went to a music concert last night with a group from our church. It was so much fun. It was held at a local theater that is quite old. They have refurbished the whole place and it is beautiful.

We saw Mercy Me, Audio Adrenaline and Aaron Shust. The show was very good, although louder than my taste prefers. I love Mercy Me and Aaron Shust was good. Audio Adrenaline is good, but a lot more heavy metal than I like, but Bessie thought they were great.

Mercy Me always puts so much more into the show then just the music, sharing a lot of personal testimony.

It was great to be able to spend the time with Bessie. She does so much for Brian and me, helping with the kids and doing things around the house, that I was happy to be able to do something that I know she would enjoy and being able to do it together was even more special.

We had very good seats upfront in the balcony, which in this theater is quite close. It was a great night.

Mercy Me

Spring Week

We had a good week. The kids are working well during their school time and that moderating weather allows them to spend more time outside. It was great to see March 21st come and the beginning of spring. We still have a lot of snow, but it is melting quickly with the warmer temperatures. Instead of coming in because they are cold, the kids come in because they are soaked. It is amazing how much water they can find.

Dan works threading some beads

Hannah loves the lacing cards
"See what a nice job I do"
Gabe teaches Rachel how to play Parchessi

Dan and Hannah watch the action

Snow Cleanup

Mom and Dad have been out visiting my sister in Ohio since last week, so they missed this last snowstorm. We knew that their driveway would be in need of cleaning or they would not even be able to get into the drive when they got home.

We headed over to their house after lunch on Sunday. We parked in the driveway across they road as this is a seasonal place and knew that no one would be there.

Brian went right to work on the drive and I worked on the steps at the various doors. The kids had a great time playing in the deep snow. Mom and Dad always get more snow and it stays a lot longer than at our house, so they had a lot of snow.

Bri loves Dad's new snowblower. It has all the bells and whistles, including heated handlebars.

Dan had a tough time getting around, so Bess helped him out. He could barely walk anywhere except in the driveway.

Gabe and Bessie tried to work on a tunnel. The piles were plenty high enough, but the snow wasn't quite packy enough.

We finished up the the job and then headed back home. I'm sure Mom and Dad will be glad to able to make it to their garage when they get home after the long drive home.

PS-I'm so sick of winter pictures and I am sure you are too. I am not going to post anymore this year unless something really wild happens. Of course, that might mean no pictures for awhile! LOL

Rerun

Another major snowstorm hit us overnight leaving us with about 15" of snow. After our 70 degree weather on Wednesday, this was a bit disappointing. Oh well, it is only March. We often get large storms in March, but the snow doesn't usually last for long.

Our backyard

The fence behind part of my perennial garden
The kids are enjoying the new snow
Gabe being goofy, or is he pretending to be an Ostrich?

Brian spent quite a bit of time this morning cleaning up the driveway and making paths out to the woodpile, chicken coop and bird feeders and of course, making paths for Gracie the dog.

The kids had fun playing out in the new snow. The sledding wasn't as good because of the water at the bottom of the hill. Even though it is cold, there is a little trickle of water running under the snow at the bottom of the hill and it makes a mess.

It is almost 7pm and it is snowing again. The weather people are saying we will get a backlash from the storm and may get 3-4 more inches of snow.

Come on spring!

Another Sign of Spring

This little guy made his appearance today. Like the Red-winged Blackbirds and the Peepers, the chipmunks are a real harbinger of spring. They hibernate in our area and we don't see them all winter. Spotting him today makes me think that despite the forecast for cold weather and snow this weekend, spring is on the way.

Raging Waters

Yesterday was a very warm day with temps in the 70s. In the afternoon, it started to rain. Add to this that we still had a lot of snow and you have a recipe for flooding. We are up on the hill, so we don't suffer from any flooding, but lowland area often do.

Today the temp is only in the 40s and it is still raining. We are expecting much colder temps and some snow over the next couple of days.

Gabe and I took a walk to check out how the river was going. It was so fun to see the raging water. I love watching water anyway and the many seasons of the river that runs near our home are always interesting.

The raging falls. Last week this was all frozen. As we watched from the bridge, a huge floe of ice came down. Somewhere up river the ice must have let loose. I love it! The ice chunks you see are as large as washing machines. There were a couple of pieces as big as cars. You can also see how far above the normal level the river is. there are trees and bushes in the river.

The end of the line. This is the reservoir that the river empties into. The reservoir is still very frozen. We saw people still ice fishing today. The water had run over the ice depositing it's load of ice chunks on top of the reservoir ice.
Our yard is very wet. There are huge puddles all over. Within a day or so, these will have all soaked into the ground, but today it is a swamp. Gabe looks like he is contemplating whether there might be any fish in there or not.

Warm Wonderful Wednesday

Oh, what a glorious day out it was today. At one point right after lunch the temp was 72 degrees. The sun was warm and so delicious to sit under. My skin soaked up every ray. What a balm to my winter weary soul. I just love the sun.

We had a good morning of school and everyone seemed excited by the warmer weather. The kids made comment of the rapidly melting snow and the large puddles that were around the yard.

After lunch we all ventured out and spent a couple of wonderful hours enjoying the warm air and sunshine. What a wonderful break from he bitterly cold weather of the last several weeks.

The kids dug the bikes out of the storage shed. They had to get through quite a bit of snow, but they were determined. There was enough bare ground in the yard to make this effort worth it. Bessie, Gabe and Rachel peddled around and around the yard. Gabe and Rachel were especially excited as the bigger bikes that they found difficult to ride in the fall were now easier. I guess they have both grown over the winter.


Bessie and Gabe were in short-sleeves, but the Littles did not think it was that warm. Bessie wanted to go barefoot, but I thought it a bit early for that. She hates shoes!

There was still plenty of snow to play in and so many puddles. The water seemed to be a big draw for all the younger kids.

Hannah has gained so much more confidence this past year. She never would have climbed to the top of the swing set and here she is doing it with ease. She of all the kids is more cautious and careful. She is also our most tidy. She can play outside all day and not get dirty. I still can't figure out how she does it. She plays with the water and mud, but doesn't seem to get any on her. It is really quite amazing.

I brought my stitching outside and enjoyed the whole scene. The kids were so happy, the birds were singing and spring was definitely in the air.

The icing on the cake was the arrival of the bluebirds. I heard them before I saw them. The males general arrive early...mid-February, to scope out the good nesting sites, but I hadn't seen any this year. Today, the male and the female arrived to check out the bird boxes. I was thrilled. We watched them for quite a while as they went from the pool fence to the trees to the bird box. I hope they decide to stay. Last year was the first year we did not have a successful hatching of bluebirds. They have very strong competition from the English Sparrows, which are not a native bird. We will hope for good success this year.

The male bluebird

(sort of blurry, but still so beautiful) Checking out the box by the pool fence