Small Glimpses

There are so many moments where I wonder if my kids will ever get along. Will they ever tolerate or like each other? There are so many things I pray for them and one of the most frequent is for their relationship to each other. I remember being mean to my siblings as a kid and feeling annoyed by them on a regular basis. Now they are two of the people I love the most in the world. I never would have imagined how much I would enjoy being with them as an adult. Hopefully the same thing will happen to my kids. 

Nate reads to the big ones every night before bed. Dexty always falls asleep, and tonight Piper joined him. Seeing them together like this just filled my heart up. I hope they know someday how lucky they are to have each other. 

Snow Week

My kids were off from school this entire week. All. five. days. Monday was a holiday and was actually quite fun. Leah and I took all our kids to Virginia for the day. On Monday night we got about half an inch of snow followed by freezing rain. It was quite icy, so no school on Tuesday. Some friends came over during the day and it was nice to be lazy. On Wednesday there was still some ice, so once again no school. We went over to Leahs and that helped everyone from getting too cranky. We didn't have school on Thursday, I'm still not sure why. Leah and I took the kids to the Y and CFA. Pretty much everyone we know was there. Today is a high of 19 degrees. They won't send the kids to school if it below 25, so we are all just hanging around the house. The good thing is, for the first time in seven years I am finally caught up on laundry. 

This is what happened when I told Dex to put his hamper back in his room. Let's just say cleaning is not his thing.

Our Favorite Spot

I love our neighborhood. I can't really imagine many places I would rather live right now. There are a lot of awesome places to explore, and our kids can be free and independent. A few months ago Asher started to walk around part of the neighborhood by himself. He loves the independence. Some days the thought of raising kids to be successful independent adults sounds daunting. I'm trying to prepare them one step at a time. I never want to be someone who is fearful and imagines the worst that can happen. 

Yesterday was gorgeous outside. It was about 70 degrees and sunny. We packed a picnic lunch and headed to our favorite place in the neighborhood. It was the perfect day for a walk. There is a boardwalk that leads out to a gazebo on the water. The kids like the woods that surround it. 

 Piper insisted on wearing the new dress I made her. I am so glad Nate got me a serger. Sewing with knits is my new favorite hobby.

 Sam loves to join our activities.

Weekend Fun

Saturday found us with nothing to do, which was a really great feeling. There are a lot of fun options on Saturday mornings, so Nate and I split the kids up. He went to the science center with Asher, and I took the rest of the kids to the art studio. Emmy Lu had fun walking around.

 Piper loved seeing Lucy. They were in preschool together, and Piper really misses her.

 Dex enjoys most art projects.

We all met up afterward and tried a new place for lunch. It was nice to have a day without much to do.