When I Was A Kid

Any one who went to Maurice RiverTownship Elementary School and remembers my dad as a teacher, Mr Fitzgerald, will remeber these....

My kids had some loose change and discovered these today. It's rare that I let them purchase candy but knew they would share and knew they'd be gone pretty quick.

As they were smacking their lips with the variety of fruit favors, I had a rush of memories of my dad as a teacher; the stories his students would share about my dad sneaking life savers during the school day, the funny stories of when his mouth got dry without them and the piles of life savor "books" he would get as gifts during the holidays.  

What wonderful memories brought in a little colorful package by my sweetie pie kids!

Mamma Don't Watch Me Hill❄️

We love sledding.  The kids love the excitement, love getting the energy out on cold days, and there are lots of smiles and giggles!  Living in New Hampshire leaves lots of the fluffy white stuff for some winter outside fun!  This hill is in our own back yard...the kids are always saying Mom look at me...but our hill today is fast, icy and full of obstacles---hence the name--"Mamma don't look Hill"!

Joe is giving it a go at snowboarding....something he is determined to be good at.

Jason spinning down the hill!

Devon telling me his story.

Mike preparing a new way down...my adventurer.

This one is so crazy...one of his rare moments standing up.

Kiara catching a snack....

Harmony making her way back up the hill...I stand up and then I fall down...here is the standing up part.

Some of the older kids are trying their hand at snowboarding and love the challenge.  It's all good...they love the thrill and I love the energy expended between our daily tasks.

Hoping you are finding a bit of outdoor fun these days!

Cookie Baking

Yum! Oma is visiting for the holidays and made today cookie day!  Lots of little fingers put lots of sugar on lots of cookies--cheery and bright!

Opa played cards with the older boys teaching a new game.

Fun memories in the baking and making!

Parelli Level 1

This past week, we had a different kind of celebration! Because the lack of snow here in NH...we've been able to continue our horse program.

At our last lesson, the kids were tested and are able to complete all tasks in level 1 of our Natural Horsemanship program. It was exciting news!

Our Christmas Celebrations

Merry Christmas!  Today was a beautiful time of celebration and family time...a slow day...a good thing.

Michaela joined us after work this morning. We read from Luke, opened our gifts, and ate lots of yummy food.

The kids have spent their day building, playing games, reading and the older ones went to see their first movie in a long time--The Hobbit.

We are very grateful for this day. 

Happy Birthday Jesus!

My Hearty Kids

Today was cold...not as cold as our last lesson but still cold.

They were out there in the cold with their horses...brrr...what troopers they are!  They made some big strides today...I did the driving and they did EVERYTHING else!

So proud of them at their Parelli Play Day!

Turkey Day and Then Some

Our plans to visit family were delayed because of this...

A great big snow storm...heavy snow that came Wednesday and brought with it downed trees and power lines. We lost our power around 9 pm and had it back around 3 am. The snow stopped around them and we cleared the driveway and the barn area and hopped in the car.  On the way we picked up Jess and her friend Thanksgiving--a 42 pound turkey that was donated very graciously by friends of hers. And no...that is not a typo.

We met the our family at Cracker Barrell after 8+ hours in the road and had a delicious meal. We then headed back to my folks place for dessert.

Another exciting thing, we delivered a new puppy to my folks. Her name was Emily and she is a puppy of our dog Ellie who had been recently surrendered in Connecticut.  They were excited to meet her.

Emily looks so much like our Ellie. They are very much a like in their nature and it was fun to compare them.

Oh Saturday, we got together again at the Lowmans to celebrate. This is where Jess's friend, Thanksgiving, came into play... He cooked all night the night before and was tender and delicious. He was huge ...we had lots of meat for the crowd.

We traveled home on Sunday...as we drive north...despite many detours because of traffic--it was stunningly beautiful.  It was so good to be back home!