Snow Day!

She finally got one...her first snow day of kindergarten! School was dismissed early yesterday and we knew before bed time that there would be no school today. DD slept until 7:30, Lane rested a little longer because the poor guy had the flu Monday night. He only threw up once...but it was alot...and in my bed! Ugh! I'm not good with the flu, but have made it through yet another bout. I have such troopers for kids...they know their momma is a scaredy-cat when it comes to vomit. Anyhoo, after staying up most of the night watching a Dora movie and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, he's feeling back to his old self. He even asked me last night, "Hey Mom? Can we stay up really late & watch movies and eat freezies like we did last night? That was so fun!" Dig has always been such a happy-go-lucky kiddo!

Ryan got a snow day today, too. He's been spending some time online watching a live cattle auction. We all bundled up and waddled ourselves over to Mom and Dad's for lunch. The kids had been begging to play outside, they don't yet understand the word blizzard! Our trek over to Balvanz's reminded DD and Dig of the Little House on the Prairie episode when Mrs. Beadle, the teacher lets the class out early for Christmas break and a quick moving blizzard catches everyone off guard and several kids are stranded in the wind and snow. When we got home from lunch, we decided to get out my Little House activity book and do some fun winter activities.

Of course...the first thing on the agenda was SNOW CREAM! My dad introduced the kids to this the winter we stayed with them while Ryan was gone during the week in Southern Iowa. They love it! I just happened to have some cream left over from the rice pudding we made last night and oh it made the ice-cream taste so good! Just snow, cream, sugar and vanilla!

The kids thought it was pretty silly that the only time the Ingallses would have had ice-cream was in the winter when it was so cold outside and not during the summer when the treat would be so refreshing...they think they are pretty lucky to be able to have ice-cream any day they want!

Our next project was Ma's Clove Apples.  The activity book said that the "apple would not spoil, for so many cloves would keep it sound and sweet." Well, we had very few cloves left, so our apples will definitely spoil but it was fun and smells so good!  We decided after this 'epic blizzard' we'll head to the store and get more for another time. 

We finished off with Molasses-on-Snow Candy.  Just so happens were running out of molasses, too.  So we made just a tiny batch.  Which was just fine because the kids didn't care for the taste of it at all.  We just boiled molasses and brown sugar then spooned it over fresh (and clean!) snow until it hardened.  Our kids didn't like it, but I'm sure back in Laura's day it would have been a real treat! 

(notice the sign on my stove...'Love Grows Best in Little Houses"...Little Houses in Eldora, or Little Houses on the Prairie!...no doubt my favorite books & show of all time!)

After spending a fun day snowed in our own "Little House", I imagine how exciting, yet scary a big blizzard would have been in the late 1800's and I am reminded how blessed we really are. 

Naughty List

A few days ago Lane was watching a "seasonal show" and came running into the kitchen to tell me, as loud as he could...

"MOM! DO YOU KNOW SANTA HAS A NAUGHTY LIST AND A NICE LIST?! AND IF YOU'RE NICE HE WRITES YOUR NAME ON THE NICE LIST AND IF YOU'RE NAUGHTY HE WRITES YOUR NAME ON NAUGHTY LIST!" Um yeah...and I thought you knew that too.

Then all of a sudden I hear a very tired DD crying hard and saw her run off to her room. "I'm probably on the naughty list! I'm always naughty. I try not to be naughty but Digga always starts it!" Poor girl. I had to reassure her that she's not naughty and like we read in the Berenstein Bear book, "Santa doesn't expect you to be perfect...just good." She loves to make me feel guilty and knows just how to do it!

Side note: Drue was so excited to have a green dress that she could wear over a red shirt to be all "Christmas-y" ... I do love when she wears dresses over jeans...no really, I do. The funny thing is that Lane also wanted to wear Christmas colors. He surprised us by going to his room and putting on a navy shirt with WHITE stripes, his tennis shoes that have RED stripes on them and he ingeniously turned his summer reading program shirt from the library inside out so it was only GREEN! How could I tell him to change when he worked so hard to make sure he had ALL the Christmas colors on!

50, 50, 50!

Lane Ryan cracks us up with the things he says... He's beginning to act an awful lot like his Uncle Shawn! Definitely likes to get laughs. So here is something he's been chanting all day. You know the Hefty Garbage Bags commercials? Here's Dig's interpretation...

"stinky, stinky, stinky...FIFTY, FIFTY, FIFTY!!!"

He says the stinky really high-pitched and the 50 really deep and loud. I don't have the heart to tell him it should be "Hefty, Hefty, Hefty!" What a goof!

Happy Veteran's Day

Thank you to all of the men & women who serve or have served our country...

Especially my Grandpa Harold, Ryan's Grandpa Ray, Ryan's Dad, Arnie, several Great-Uncles and many other friends & family members!

We're off to the Veteran's Day Program this morning...and I have my very own "Red, White and Blue Singer!" I'll be sure to post a picture of her, if I can get one!

Morning Parade

It started the same day as Kindergarten. DD would try and skip stall getting to school. She'd ask every morning if we could drive by Nanny & Pa's house to see how the siding was coming along. Then we'd drive down Grandma Mary's road to do the same. We live in the middle. From our backyard we can see Nan & Pa's front yard. From our front yard, we can see Grandma "Mair's" backyard. Well, after a week of our siding inspections, we let my parents and grandma know we had been driving by their homes every morning before school. And to our surprise the next morning, we had WAVERS!

And EVERY morning since, Nanny & Pa (and sometimes Uncle Shawn) will be at the window waving good morning to DD & Dig. When Great Uncle Jim, Uncle Steve & Cousin Joey were here, they too took part in the morning parade.

As you can see...this Momma doesn't "get ready" before taking DD to school. And this brother doesn't even get out of his jammers!

We never miss Great-Grandma Mary's house either. She's always on the front step waving and yelling, "Have a good day!" to the kids. It's kind of a neat way of checking in on her, making sure she's doing ok.

I can't help but think our "Morning Parade" and the smiles that come with it are a great way to start the day, not only for the kids & I...but for the 'wavers' waiting for us to cruise on by!

My Budder

That's how Drue used to say 'brother'..." I love my budder!" Drue & Lane are exactly the same age apart as Steve and I are, 19 months...so it's fun to come across pictures we've taken at the same ages...for example,

Then came Shawn. My own real-life 'baby-doll.' Sorry, DD, you won't be getting one of those.

Happy Halloween!

Excuse the messy counter, Awana books, Costume/ sewing supplies everywhere! But, look at those cute pumpkins...and the jack-o-lanterns!

Drue was a Pumpkin Princess for her Kindergarten Fall Party. They walked around the business in Eldora. Her skirt even lit up!

Pebbles & Bam-Bam! This picture was also on the WHO-TV13 News this morning...the news caster said, "I bet those kids were chilly last night!" He didn't know we hadn't trick-or-treated yet, but, it will be chilly tonight!

More pictures to come. We beg for candy at 5 and head to New Providence for the Costume Carnival at 6:30. Should be fun!