Snow - and lots of it!

By the time I get home from work at 4pm, it is already getting dark outside. But, the kids need to get out, so I have been bundling them up and taking them out. It takes me about 15 minutes to get them dressed, and another 5 for me. At best, they last about 20-30 min outside before cold noses and fingers have them crying to go inside again. I discovered that I can pull both of them at once, in different sleds, because one has a really long rope.

I just completed a Trauma Nursing Core Skill course over the weekend. It was really interesting and I think I will find the skills applicable on almost a daily basis. There was a written and practical skill evaluation at the end. I was anxious about the skills, but I passed it! Yah!






We tried to make a snow man yesterday. The snow is too dry however, so it is more of a snow pile with jelly bean eyes and a touque and scarf and pencil arms. I am not sure what the purple jelly bean on the snowman's forehead is intended to be.

We had reached the 20 min mark by the time I took this picture. Evelyn is in a very cranky mood. She is crying at me "don't take a picture of the snowman!".




When we have not been outside, we have been baking muffins. Evelyn loves to help mix the batter and count the measurements with me. She is also in charge of putting the liners in the muffin tins. I also made muffins with my "little sister" at the school this week. It went really well. I think we may move into cooking and baking after we finish scrapbooking. We shared some of the muffins around to the staff (Ryan just went into the staff room and filched some while we were handing them out) and received many compliments.


This pic is posted mostly because I like it and because Evelyn is actually LOOKING at the camera! She is just starting to do this again. I am very excited.

If you are thinking to yourself "She looks a bit green between the eyes" you are not seeing things. She somehow managed to make the bridge of her nose contact the edge of the coffee table. She was leaning on it with her knees on the couch and elbows on the table, next I know, she has a big scrape and bruise. No bleeding, and no pain after a few minutes, nothing moves that shouldn't, so I'm sure it is not broken.

In this picture, she is enjoying a piece of Halloween candy. She loves the suckers the most. I have been impressed by how readily she shares her treats with us. As soon as Ryan or I finish our supper plates, Evelyn will pipe up and ask "Do you want a Halloween treat?" Then she will go and pick one out for us.



We all received a little package in the mail from Ryan's sister Dawne. She recently spent her birthday in Hawaii and sent us some treats. Ethan LOVED the necklace made of 'kookie nuts' that have a delightful hollow sound when they are knocked together. They were intended for Evelyn, but they will be shared ;-) You can see he is drooling quite a bit. I think he is working on his left upper front tooth. Evelyn had taken a liking to the Hawaiian flower style bib that was intended for Ethan. She has been wearing bibs again at her request to keep her shirts cleaner. I must say, "I'm cool with that!"

Ethan is crawling like a pro now and is very fast. We played catch with the nut necklace. He was really into the game because of the neat sound that the nuts made when they hit the floor.






He is determined to feed himself now. He refuses to let us feed him at all. This has resulted in some mess (obviously) but also in him actually eating less food. The only way he will accept a spoon from Ryan or me is if we pretend to be a train. An airplane will not do the trick. It must be a "Ch-ga, Ch-ga, Woo-Woo!" Works every time!

He has also started to give out hugs to Ryan and gets really excited to see him. He can stand on his own for about 2 seconds. And he is working on how to climb out of the playpen he is closer to success on that front than I am comfortable with.

He and Evelyn have started to play together for up to 20 or 30 minutes without any issues or screaming. Most of the time Evelyn does not want him near her, so she has taken to closing the door to her room and playing for a long time in there. We have decided to allow her to have that alone time and not force her to play with her little brother.

This conversation just happened about 5 minutes ago:

Me: It's lunch time and Ethan is still napping. Ella, would you like to go wake up Ethan?
Evelyn: Mmm Hmm! I love Ethan!
she pitter patters down to his room, opens the door and says "Good morning Ethan! Did you have a good sleep? It's lunch time now!" Then, speaking to me "Ethan had a good sleep." Then, speaking to Ethan, "I love you Ethan!"

Now, I have to go and feed them.....

These are some pics of the view from our back, front and side yards with a close up of an old dog house roof to show the snow accumulation.