a midwinter day

We awoke this morning to a fresh layer of snow...

waterworks

While in Rochester, we went swimming at a hotel near Grandpa and Grandma's house. In addition to the main pool having a huge water slide (once Logan tried it, he couldn't get enough), there was also a second shallow pool that was perfect for Owen.

rochester xmas

After getting snowed out in December, we finally made it to Rochester for belated holiday festivities. Our time was spent opening presents, playing games, and eating our weight in Christmas cookies.

Logan laughs at Grandpa's new hat.

Owen and Logan show off their Gears! Gears! Gears! creation.



Owen was excited to receive the green rubber snake he picked out at the Lake Superior Zoo.



Grandma liked the pot holder the boys weaved for her.



Logan and Great Grandma played a game of Blokus.



Owen tries out his new polar bear rug.



Ally and Owen share the bear.

jimmy's boa

Owen recently rediscovered this book so we've been reading it a lot lately. Note the "bed" that he devised for his snake, complete with nameplate, just like at the end of the book.

chess

Logan's had a renewed interest in chess as of late so we dusted off the old board and have been playing quite a bit. He taught Owen where the pieces line up and how they move so it's fun to help them play each other. Lowell Elementary just started an after school chess club. Logan got signed up and he's has been having fun playing against different people and learning more about the game.

monkey joe's

A Monkey Joe's franchise opened up in Appleton so the boys burned off their christmas cookie energy by playing non-stop on a bunch of giant inflatable stuff. After a couple of hours, we were finally able to drag them away.

wisconsin xmas

The weather cooperated and we were able to make the voyage to Appleton for Christmas and New Year's celebrations. The boys enjoyed playing with their cousins, wrestling with Uncle Trevor, building things with their new Legos, and throwing confetti everywhere to ring in 2010.

tracy's latest project

Tracy and the boys dug into her roving stash to make these felted balls for Christmas presents. We hope Gabriel and Jonah have as much fun playing with them as we had making them.

gingerbread houses 2009

This year we built a village of smaller houses as opposed to one large one. Logan trimmed the edges, Mom and Dad "glued" the walls together, and both boys decorated two houses each.

dog blog

Logan and Owen have been drawing a lot lately on the new doodles. Once a subject is selected both boys then draw their interpretation. Today's artwork features dogs.

white christmas

22 inches of white frozen fun! The snow started on Thursday and didn't really let up until Saturday so the boys spent a lot of time outside enjoying the winter wonderland.

cookie time

Can't celebrate the holidays without some homemade cookies. Tracy and the boys prepared the dough, cut out the shapes, and did the baking. Dad came home and got to help apply the frosting and toppings.

merry christmas

holiday table

Even the blizzard that kept us home this Christmas was no match for dinner by candlelight, sparkling cider, and being together at home.

handmade gifts

You don't have to look very far to see our holiday plans in action around here: painting, gluing, felting, weaving, and planting are among the activities as both boys get in on the merry making. The creativity and love that goes into each handmade gift is priceless.

just doodling

The number of MagnaDoodles in our house now exceeds the number of people. We celebrated our family Christmas early and Owen was delighted to get his own full-size model. Perfect for drawing and spelling one's name.

peepers puppet

Let me introduce you to mrs. pink. She's simple, yet so much fun. She has come to live with us along with mr. blue, ms. green eyes, and dr. green. If you haven't checked out Peeper Puppets yet, click on over now. The video brings a smile every time.

logan's holiday concert

Logan peformed in the holiday concert at his school today and did a wonderful job. The second-graders sang three selections and he was picked to be in a small group in front for the first song.

Setlist:

• Christmas A Come - Jamaican Folk Song
• Hag Shavuot - Traditional Israeli Holiday Song
• Over the River and Through the Woods - American Folk Melody/Lyrics by Lydia Maria Childs

o christmas tree 2009

Although we intended to go to a tree farm and cut our own, the arctic weather changed our plans. A quick trip to Gordy's provided a beautiful pre-cut tree that couldn't have been more perfect. The boys helped adjust the stand, test the lights, and could barely wait to unwrap the ornaments and start decorating.

construction zone

The boys have been on a building craze lately. We spend a lot of time downstairs in the family room using our Lincoln Logs and wooden blocks.

Logan poses by his recently designed log hotel.



Owen shows off one of his creations.