Winter Happenings

 We welcomed the new year with a massive amount of snow... it was crazy, fun and beautiful! The boys thought it was incredible to wake up to such a spectacular sight! We ended up getting 10 inches in one day. So much snow!! 

It was coming down fast!

They loved playing under this tree like it was a snow fort

Evidence of our snow fall.

Having a blast!

My sweet snow loving boys!

He loved using his new snow board

We felt like we were in Narnia.

He was so proud of his snowman. 

Over Christmas we read "Little House at Christmas." Many times they talk about making maple syrup candy when it snows. The boys and I made a mental note to do this if it snowed this winter, so when it did they quickly reminded me to set out a pan to collect our snow. It was so fun- and it actually worked! It doesn't look the best, but it was yummy!

Watching the candy harden

Dropping the maple syrup into the snow.

Our finished results 

We also celebrated a big birthday this winter... Chris turned 40 the second week of January. The boys had a blast celebrating their "old" dad. 

Happy Birthday!!!

Jack used his Christmas money to buy a bird feeder. It has just been the coolest thing. We put it on the window by our dining room table so we can watch it while we eat and do school. It took a few days for the birds to try it, and he was getting so disappointed. But once they got used to it, they haven't stopped coming. Our favorite is to see the cardinal. Occasionally we get a silly squirrel to visit and the boys just love watching him. It has been so entertaining to watch the birds (and squirrels). 

In February we celebrated Chinese New Year... we always go get Chinese food, and we usually go to Panda Express because the boys will eat here without complaining, but we did something new this year. A few months ago, Chris was out with the boys and he had a craving for Chinese food. So he found a new place. They walked in and it had one table. The boys absolutely loved it... the staff treated them like royalty and loved serving them. The boys thought it was the best place and it was all they talked about for weeks. So, for New Years, we knew we had to go back. Since they only have one table, we made reservations. When we walked in, they were so excited to see us! In true fashion, they kept bringing us little extras and a special cake for Abram. We just had the best time and can't wait to go back next year!

The Chinese New Year parade was canceled again this year, so we went to this amazing lantern exhibit at the Kennedy Center. It was beautiful to see all the lanterns lit up, but it was freezing!

Abram tried something new this year... he asked to play basketball. He absolutely loved it! He had the most encouraging and kindest coaches. He loved all the boys he played with and had a blast. Even though they lost every game, he had a great attitude and always looked forward to practices and games. 

Our boys love celebrating Valentines Day! Its such a simple holiday, but they love all the little things we do to celebrate. Its so fun to see them get excited. Every February 1st, we start adding a heart to their door and by Valentines Day, they have 14 reasons why we love them. They love reading them every morning! I try to make every meal special... we had heart shaped cinnamon rolls for breakfast, a heart pizza for lunch, and spaghetti (red and white) for dinner. They also helped me make a yummy trifle to share with their papa for dessert. 

We ended our winter with a trip to Virginia Beach.  We have two sets of friends who live there and getting ready to move, so while they are close we wanted to see them. Of course, we had so much fun visiting them I forgot to take pictures... but I did take pictures of exploring Norfolk, a yummy biscuit place we went to for lunch and a fun hike we took. 

Walking around Norfolk on a chilly night.

Eating lunch at the Handsome Biscuit... so good!

We hiked at First Landing... well over 5 miles. The boys always impress us! We were excited to see the famous Rainbow Sheen. It happens on the water, but only during the winter. It was beautiful!

We had an eventful and busy winter, but to tell the truth I am so ready for some warmer weather. It has been a cold one!! 

Our Christmas Season

We had such a wonderful Christmas season... full of traditions and a few firsts. We had a great month celebrating our Savior's birth.

The weekend after Thanksgiving it always begins for us- we decorate our tree and the inside and outside of our house. Its such a fun weekend- talking about when and where we got special ornaments. I love reminiscing with my boys. 

So, a story I always want to remember... one evening we were heading out to Costco and Jack spoke up from the back seat and said, "I want to go all out with our Christmas decorations this year." Chris' eyes lit up as he turned around to Jack and replied, "You want to go all out, Jack? We will go all out." So before going to Costco, we cleared Home Depot out of their Christmas decorations. Jack (and Luke and Abram) loved our decorated house so much! The only thing missing from this picture is the wreaths that Chris hung from our windows. Our house looked so great this year! 

December first is the start of our Christmas countdown. This year we did three things every day: we put together a part of our Christmas village, we opened and read a Christmas book and read from our Jesse Tree devotional and put up an ornament. The boys do a great job of taking turns, but they love it when it is their day to open, assemble and hang up! They also get a special present on December 1st. They get new Christmas pajamas, a new ornament and a Christmas activity book.  Such a great way to start the season. 

We started a tradition for Chris a few years ago, he gets a white envelope present. Instead of a gift for him, we use that money to help a family in need during Christmas and it is presented to him in a white envelope. This year we sponsored a family who has a family member in prison. The boys loved knowing that we were surprising a boy and girl with gifts because their parent couldn't shop for them this year. We gave the daughter a Barbie House, scooter, sheets and a new comforter. And for the little boy, he received monster trucks, blocks, shoes and a jacket. The boys enjoyed reading their list and figuring out what they would like. 

A first for our family this year was singing in our church's Christmas production. The boys attend choir every Sunday morning after Sunday school, but for the whole semester they have been telling us they didn't want to sing on stage at church. Our church had four performances. Chris and I told them they need to sing at least once and they agreed. However, all three of them loved it so much. They ended up singing in all four performances and now they are looking forward to singing in the Easter performance! 

A few more "first" things we did this year was to have gingerbread pancakes for dinner (yummy) and then we headed out to look at Christmas lights in our pajamas. We made popcorn and cranberry garland. We have been reading lots of books this season where they string popcorn and cranberries and the boys had a great time trying it and then stringing it up on their miniature tree. And we also went to see the Christmas fireworks on the Potomac River at Mount Vernon. It was pretty spectacular! 

For the fifth year in a row, my parents and my sister's family have come to us for Christmas. We always look forward to their visit so much! We have a blast together whether we are sight seeing, eating (which we do a lot) or our yearly Christmas traditions. This year we took them to the Air and Space Museum (Jamie's favorite), to the National Zoo (the pandas were out and playing), to the top of the Washington Monument, to see the train display at the National Botanical Garden and on a hike to Scott's Nature Preserve. 

Learning about space suits... the boys were fascinated and asked great questions. 

The whole group outside the museum. 

Before seeing the pandas! 

The waterfall at the end of the hike. 

Making cookies with Aunt Julie

Decorating with the entire family

Our yearly cousin picture with the cookies!

At the top of the Washington Monument

From the top you could see the Lincoln Memorial,  White House, Capitol Building, and the Jefferson Memorial. It was pretty neat. 

Being silly!

These trains were pretty cool!

We had to wait a good while for the train to be right on top of them, but it finally came!

We had a sweet Christmas morning, its always fun being together. The boys were amazing this year and actually waited until 9:30 to open gifts. Pretty crazy! 

Just the boys

Our family

The five grandkids with the grandparents. 

Another first for us was taking the boys to While Sulphur Springs for their Winter Retreat over New Years. We had such an amazing time there this summer, we knew we would love their winter programs, too. In addition to meaningful adult and kid programs, we watched amazing fireworks on New Years Eve, went on a hayride, made crafts, and made some good friends. So glad we decided to go! 

Looking forward to a wonderful 2022. Excited to see what adventures we will take together and how the Lord will surprise us and take care of us.