Fun days...Snow Days

We have had lots of snow this Winter. Quite a few snow days. One week we had two days off in the middle of the week and by Saturday we couldn't wait to get out of the house. So we made it to the Fire and Ice Festival in Somerset. When they were little, I loved going to the children's programs. The local bank gave out free books, we would sit and read and drink hot chocolate, ready to face the cold again and get some homemade soup and kettle corn.

Here are some pictures from the day. The theme was Flight 93 from the crash on 9/11.

Last weekend we stayed home most of the time. Friday was a fun night at the school and I taught some kids to play chinese jump rope. Jack had friends over Saturday and it was bitter cold. The kids and I cleaned. I made ziti for the boys and a veggie tray and they ate some Christmas popcorn that I still had here. Two moms came early to get them and we sat and talked over hot tea in my semi-clean kitchen. I like that I am friends with their friends parents. It makes me feel....safe. The boys and polite and fun.

Jack stayed over Flip's house last night, so Kate and I got our 'girl nite' and watched 'Eat Pray Love' I read most of the book, but had some trouble with the premise. It is touted as "she quits her job to travel the world to find herself" quit her job, really??? She got a dam advance for the book she was going to write on the experience of finding herself. She was already a successful author so the publisher advanced her. Give me a break. I still cried some. There was a scene where a guy is saying goodbye to his college age son and it made me think of the future when my kids leave for college. Yuck.

Kate has wanted to go snow tubing but it is so expensive for 2 hours...Her Sunday school teacher works at the state park nearby and they have sledding there. So....I made hot chocolate, hot dogs in the crock pot, kids brought snacks and I drove the Laurel Hill State Park with food, 2 sleds, one tube and 4 kids in the car. It was a fun afternoon and the boys built a fire in the fire ring there. Here are some pictures from the afternoon.

Tonight we are watching our other Netflix, season 2 of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Absolutely hilarious!! Love the story lines.

Thankful Things

Now that the holidays are over, I need to review all those things I am thankful for. Little moments over the past week that I got to enjoy as well as some bigger things that I have reflected on over the past year:

Little Things

watching Kate open her 'Pillow Pet'

Watching my brothers open the t-shirts Jack picked out for them

spending time with Krissy and the kids in the city

Seeing Matt at his swanky Park Avenue Office

texting Kathy every chance we got

watching Jack text his cousins

taking the car to the train to the subway and hiking through slush to get to the Met for the very first time

Watching Annie help Jack with his Spanish HW (yes 50 pt assignment over break)

(at first I was annoyed by this, but God helps me find the good in it and that was seeing how amazing Annie is at Spanish!)

Watching 'Monk' with Mom and Dad

getting a teapot and picture travel mug from the kids

seeing Jack read the plaques under Monet's paintings at the Met as intensely as he reads his comic books

watching Kate draw and imagine and dream

Bigger Things

thankful for my healthy children

spending time with our new-found cousins "The Warms"

looking at the empathy and perseverence my children display with our little friend with Autism

seeing that same compassion in my brothers

Trying to look at a child with a problem not as 'what if my kid were in that room' but instead 'what if my child suffered like that' and growing in empathy and patience

Thankful for the friends and family that helped bring me to where I am today and hoping I add as much to their lives as they have added to mine.