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Blog, boys, Family, holidays, kids

Winter wonderland


From the time the snow started falling last night, the boys were asking to go outside to play.

As much as I wanted to be inside and warm, I decided to take them out this afternoon. So as soon as Kingston and Evangeline were napping, we started layering and layering. That’s the part I do not like about playing in the snow. Finding enough clothes to keep us warm. Or even worse, the aftermath; shedding all the wet, cold layers while you’re shivering and confined to a tiny area (so you’re not tracking snow everywhere.)
We lasted maybe 30 minutes, which was plenty for me. I was actually the one to convince them to come inside because Kai’s exposed arm was turning bright red.
Kai looked like he should be in “A Christmas Story.”
kids in snow gear
His favorite part was throwing snowballs. This is when he was throwing one at me.
little boy laughing
It was hard to take pictures with frozen hands and gloves.
mom and little boy
Liam had fun making snow angels and running around
boy making snow angels
mom and boy
I got one lame picture of all 3 of us before the boys ran away to play some more
young mom with 2 boys
I taught them the art of catching snow on their tongues
young boy sticking tongue out
Liam found it easier to just pick up the snow that had already fallen
boy eating snow
And then we attempted the whole “blow the snow for a cool picture” bit. Didn’t turn out too well
boy blowing snow
And because I think red lipstick and snow just go together
jessica roberts

We followed it up with some more hot chocolate, a space heater, and a couple of warm Sherpa blankets. Now as long as they keep the roads clear, I can deal with the snow for a while longer–from the warmth of my living room.

Blog, Family, holidays, kids

Christmas Tree Forest


Winter weather. I do not like it. Today we were supposed to go spend some time with a sweet new family from Rockport. But because of this “huge winter storm,” we decided to hold off until next week. Although, I now realize we would have been fine.

Knowing we would be home all day, and that Don would be sleeping late because of a meeting, I decided we needed to do SOMETHING to keep the boys entertained. So first, I turned on Pandora and started some Christmas music and then I came up with a simple project.
What I came up with:
We used the leftover waffle cones from Kingston’s birthday party. I melted some white almond bark and added some green food gel. Then I rolled the cones in the almond bark.
colorful sprinkles
boy smiling

We let them dry. Then we used the leftover almond bark as our “glue.” We used leftover Halloween candy (skittles and dots) and some sprinkles to decorate the trees.

little boy decorating
toddler boy decorating
christmas project
And then, of course, we had to take pictures with the finished products.
little boy candy christmas tree
boy and homemade candy christmas tree
kingston 2
3 boys
Then we set them on a platter and sprinkle our “snow.” (Powdered sugar)
liam kai kingston 2
That is our one and only Christmas decoration this year. I love Christmas decorations. But I want to start fresh with all our decorations. I know I shouldn’t hold off all the time, saying “we will wait until we get a new house.” But I don’t want to purchase items, only to be unable to use them in a future house. So for now, we have our Christmas tree forest. At least our cleanup will be easier than everyone else’s.
P.S. I was able to do this with the boys because Evangeline has recently turned into an amazing sleeper. Going to bed around 9 and usually not waking up again until 10:30am-noon. Today she slept until 11:30!
After lunch, I surprised them with some hot chocolate.
boy and little brother drinking hot chocolate

Kingston was excited. I’m pretty sure he didn’t get any last year.

toddler drinking hot cocoa
Evangeline even joined in on the fun. And she loved it!
baby girl
Now we’re just relaxing and watching Christmas movies.
And now I will end with a super cute picture of our little miss, right after she woke up. Such a happy girl!
cute baby