Crayola

We spent a day at the Crayola Factory this week.



Besides having a pretty well unlimited supply of all the arts and crafts materials you could ever use (cutting, coloring, gluing) there were also opportunities for painting hand prints on the wall, coloring the glass in front of the dinosaurs, indoor sidewalk chalk, model magic, painting with melted wax and more!

So if you've no place to go...

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!


What a great winter we've had this year! We've finally had some real storms with snow that lasts longer then one sunny afternoon.
And while some of us love it and can't wait to go out and play in it...


(and eat it...)


There are still others who can't wait to get back in the house so they breathe once again without being bundled up so tight.

Birthday Fun

Abigail is 4!


She seemed to have a weekend-long celebration of her fourth birthday. We had cake on Friday night at Great-Grammy's, a party with some of her friends on Monday (her actual birthday), and a yummy dinner with her grandparents and Aunt Kelly on Tuesday night.

This was the first year for her to have her own friends over for her birthday. It was a ladybug theme party. Of the many activities of the morning, some included
decorating their own bug jars, going on a bug hunt in the basement and collecting ladybugs that had been scattered down there,


playing pin the spot on the ladybug,


And after pizza for lunch, decorating their own cupcakes.

Before and After - JD's Turn

Seventeen-month-old JD got his first haircut on November 24. It really transformed him from baby to boy, I guess that's why I kept putting it off. It was pretty good motivation when we were at the grocery store and another mom pointed to my kids and said to her son, "look at those two cute little girls in the cart..." Yes, it was time to get those long blond locks trimmed.

Kayak No.2

First the Frame...

This one was created with all wood, no pvc pipes this time and again, no nails or screws. It's 13ft,8inches and weighs 25 lbs.



Then the Skin...

Over the frame, it is covered with gortex material. Some staples (ok, like 300) were used to attach the material to the frame. Zach carved the paddle as well.

Then the Test...


Not only does it pass, but it's ready to take along some passengers.

Hawk Mountain

After several rainy weekends, we finally had a beautiful, sunny Saturday so we went hiking at Hawk Mountain. They had a program this afternoon about a few predatory birds, including a kestrel and a golden eagle. We also got to see a wild golden eagle from the look-out up on the mountain. Abi had a blast hiking the trails, climbing the rocks and all around her own little cave. Very little complaints from her even with two skinned knees a one sore tailbone. JD was quite content traveling in the back pack on Daddy's back. What a gorgeous day!

A New Hobby

Zach now has a new hobby...building skin-on-frame kayaks. Here are some pictures of the first one he finished a couple weeks ago. The frame is made of pvc conduit and plywood. He attached everything with string and glue, no nails or screws.




He covered the frame with a piece of canvas and several coats of laquer. His baby is 10ft long and weighs 22lbs. It's a bit wobbly in the water when sitting still, but once moving, it can go pretty fast. It's really neat!





And yes, he found walkers in a dumpster to use as sawhorses.