365Project.2016 | Weeks 6–8

So much life lived in just three weeks. We've had snow days. And sick days. Long days. Fun days. School days. I'm so thankful for these munchkins I call mine. Every day brings new adventures. ♥

Day 32. Hannah discovered the face paint tucked away in a craft bin ... it dovetailed nicely with our studies on early American history. :)

Day 33. I'm so thankful for our homeschool group. What a blessing they've been in helping us to really settle and connect in our new home. This week the kids learned about "pointillism."

 And Peter and Nathan turned "free play" into a building opportunity. :)

 Day 34. Sneaking a peak out the window ...

 Or maybe playing with peek-a-boo with Mommy! :)

Day 35. I'm so proud of Peter!! He's improved so much in his reading this year! We found a series a of books at the library called "On My Own History" which has provided great reading material ... the content is interesting (i.e. non-fiction), but it's still on a solid 3rd-grade reading level with a larger font size. He's not quite ready for chapter books yet, but these have been an excellent stepping stone.

And yes, the Little Miss has decided that she enjoys flying airplanes just like her brothers ...

Day 36. My cutie all bundled up! The deck is nice for providing fresh air sans mud. ;)

Day 37. And then we got bit by the board game bug! :) Ticket to Ride got pulled out on Saturday, and something new followed almost every day for the next week!

 Peter did an amazing job designing and building a Lego remote control car!

 And after 11+ years of trying, I successfully made pizza from scratch! Thanks for the recipe, Carolyn!

Day 38. And then sickness hit. Daddy covered the bases while Mommy spent most of Sunday in bed. A random virus complete with fever, chills, headache, sore throat, and stuffy nose marched its way through most of the family over the course of the next week. Thankfully no one was seriously ill, but we're definitely glad to be feeling better again.

By Sunday afternoon most everyone had crept downstairs and Dominion was the game of choice ...

 

Day 39. What a blessing to see the Lord's timing. This was our "Sabbath" week of school. Planned as a break before I ever knew we'd be sick. SO thankful to be able to recover with a slower paced schedule and not feel like we were getting "behind" while doing so.

I came downstairs after my shower and found the big kids already launched into their first round of Clue. :)

We also had fun using what we learned about pointillism in art class to create special Valentine's cards for friends and grandparents. :)

I. Love. His. Smile. ♥

 We tweaked the technique for Abby. ;)

Day 40. Tuesday's game of choice was Settlers of Catan. :)

Abby keeps herself occupied while the big kids play ... 

 

Day 41. Even Mommy sat down for a game of Dominion on Wednesday ... :)

And much to my chagrin, I realized while going through pictures that Peter managed to wear the same shirt five. days. in. a. row.  !!!!

Day 42. The snow returned and Peter had fun testing his Lego car in the elements.

Day 43.  The sun and snow on the hillside were beautiful!

 #thoseeyes ♥

Day 44. We were thankful to be feeling better by Saturday, and we enjoyed celebrating Valentine's Day a bit early since Daddy had to work Saturday evening and most all of Sunday. Yes, we do like Dominion. :) And yes, card holders make it SO much easier for younger players!!!!

 My littlest bookworm ...

Lupper ...

 Dessert ... :)

Day 45. The weekend was bitter cold. Wind chills on Saturday were in the -30's. However, by Sunday the wind had stopped and we enjoyed a beautiful drive to church ...

The incredible stillness and beauty of a frozen winter morning simply cannot be captured on camera.

 But, it's worth the attempt. :)

 Day 46. What better place to read than lying on your best friend? ♥

 Hannah had fun getting started on the woodland animals crochet kit she received for Valentine's. :)

 Day 47. Homeschool group was canceled due to snowy weather, but we still enjoyed spending the afternoon with friends. :)

 

Day 48. SO. Thankful. for my big helper!!! Hannah-bug was more than happy to oblige when Abby randomly requested a bath Wednesday afternoon. :)

 And she's completed the first month of her weather blanket! :)

Isn't it pretty?!?!! :)

Day 49. The weather this last week was crazy ... it snowed. Then warmed up. Then it rained. Then it got cold and the rain turned to ice. Then it warmed up just a little bit. Then it got cold and snowed again. Everything contrived to leave a solid coating of ice and snow on all of the tree branches. It was beautiful!!

Meanwhile, life continues much the same indoors ... Abby's not saying many words yet, but she's definitely making lots of sounds. :)

These two crack me up. :) Abby's personality is very similar to what Peter's was at the same age, and he definitely seems to have a special connection with her. I love seeing them play together. ♥

 And yes, this little lady was super pleased with herself for putting her puzzle together!!!! ♥

Day 50. Did I mention that Abby's personality is similar to Peter's? Yep. That would be her. Trying to climb up the cabinets. To reach Toby's dog treats. Oy vey!

Daddy's had some super long work weeks these last couple months and that included 3/4 of Valentine's weekend. So, we decided to get creative and turned another late Friday night into a Mommy-Daddy (+ Abby) dinner date. Mommy fed the big kids and had them basically ready for bed by the time Daddy got home about 8:00, and afterwards we ate and played games together. It was nice. :) And our littlest cutie was good for some giggles along the way. :)

 

 Day 51. Speaking of our littlest one ... she l.o.v.e.s. peppers. Green peppers. Orange peppers. Red peppers. When given a choice between a donut and green pepper, she chose ... green pepper. No complaints from Mommy!! :)

And such be our days. :)
Thankful for grace and strength in the midst of it all.