Nemesis

So I have been sick with some version of the flu virus twice (twice!) in the past month. Suffice it to say, January has felt like a very long month. I think this graphic sums it up nicely.

So yeah, it's been a bit rough at our house, though I'm the only overachiever that's managed to get the flu twice. Yay for me. As such, blogging has obviously taken a back seat. Which means you're all in for a fair few updates. Enjoy!

It Won't Be Long Before We'll All Be There With Snow

We've had quite a bit of snow recently, the past week has delivered at least six inches between several storms. Finn wasn't really old enough to play in it last year, and still this year he's more interested in it in theory, but we bought him some tiny snow boots anyway.

He wants to go out and play for about ten minutes before he's done. Today, after several more inches fell, Dany and Rory decided to build a snowman. Finn saw them playing after he woke up from his nap and wanted to go outside too. Then Grandpa happened to drive by, and decided to lend a hand.

Finn's contribution

And here it is, though I'm not sure what's going on with his head. Grandpa said something about him being a wizard...

Nothing beats spontaneous snowman building after days worth of storms! And a helpful grandpa is just icing on the cake.

Winter Camping

So this past Friday Maisie, Dany, and I went with my dad and my niece Caitlyn up to the property for some winter camping.

The forecast was a bit nippy, especially for Saturday, but us girls are hardy! We arrived around dusk on Friday night and hiked in to the property, since we didn't want to risk getting the truck stuck. After setting all our stuff up, Grandpa heated us up some chicken soup, and we all played Jenga Tetris. By this point, the shed was a balmy 50 degrees :).

See that tower lean!

After that, we decided to watch a movie on my iPad, something that should have been rather uneventful, but turned out quite the opposite. All of the sudden, the ladder to the loft fell down without warning, catching poor Caitlyn's arm in the process. I immediately worried it was broken, but there wasn't even a visible bruise. It could have been much worse, especially as it missed Maisie's head by just a few inches. We went back to our movie, and when it was over, got all tucked in for bed. At this point, the girls were all pretty frozen, and looking forward to burrowing into their sleeping bags.

My extremities were pretty chilly, but oddly enough, I got way too hot pretending to be sleeping, and ended up kicking off both pairs of socks, and one long-sleeved shirt. I even unzipped my sleeping bag and used it as a blanket so I could stick my legs out. When morning broke, we had been graced with about a half inch of fresh powder, and the scenery (and temperatures) were in a word, breathtaking.

The outside thermometer showed the temperature clocking in at 16 degrees! In order to get warm, we decided to go snowshoeing. My kids have never gone, and I've only been once before, so I worried it would be fraught with peril, but it was actually one of my favorite times of the trip.

The fort the men started is still intact!

That isn't to say we were all pro's or anything. Dany in particular got tripped up a fair bit, but I began to suspect she was doing it on purpose so she could play in the snow.

Maisie tripped us right before my dad took the picture; we were like dominoes

My dad was incredibly patient with everyone, and must have taken his gloves off half a dozen times at least to aid people whenever they had a mishap. Dany was the only one that lost her snowshoes, although Maisie walked right out of her boot.

After we walked around all over the property, Dad took the kids individually on rides on the snowmobile, and I buried Caitlyn and Dany in the snow. Brave souls.

Then it was time for lunch, and hanging out a little more while Dad fussed about the place.

Notice the ladder; we couldn't get it to re-latch after it fell on Caitlyn

Soon it was time to pack up and go home. The drive back was quiet, as I think most of us were pretty tired from our lack of sleep the night before, but we had a great time, and it was definitely a new adventure for all the womenfolk present. Thanks to my dad for putting up with all of us!