Matching shirts, matching dental floss in their Easter eggs! These middles have a strong bond. Our annual at home Easter egg hunt on Sunday evening was highly anticipated even though it was cold and snowing in the yard. The eggs were filled with coupons of all kinds and some wonderful…

My neighbors have built an amazing wall out of snow that encircles their fire pit. They’ve named it “Snowhenge II.” Snowhenge I came into being last winter during lockdown as a way of connecting with their friends in the cold outdoors. Snowhenge II is really something! There are two entrances…

The Devious Snail actually asked me to take this picture because the school yearbook staff asked for a picture of his bicycle for their transportation page. It turns out that The Devious Snail is really the only kid who rides his bike to school every single day, rain, snow, sleet…

We were in the car driving to an appointment. I asked if he could grab something for me, but then realized that it was in a bag in the middle seat of the van, and Mr. TOF was riding in the front passenger seat. “Oh well. We can just get…

Here are some things I’ve recently been learning: My cello vibrato is actually happening! I’m so happy! It took me more than five YEARS to figure it out and I thought it might not actually ever happen. We’ve had a lot of cold weather, and while it hasn’t been as…

My recent winter days have been filled with wonderful child-centered activities. We were blessed by a special energetic guest who stayed with our family for four weeks in late December and early January. She was full of life, light and joy everywhere she bounced, and now that she has been…

I love the silence of a heavy snowfall. It is always surprising that so much stuff can be falling from the sky and not make any sound. I love fresh snow! Once it starts to snow, it can just keep snowing and snowing every few days and I am a…

Waiting for siblings to show up for the annual “stand in front of the door on Christmas Eve” picture. Side note: It was 45 degrees on Christmas Eve! This was the warmest ever annual stand-in-front-of-the-door picture. People were barely even shivering.

Better to post late rather than never! Thanksgiving was a multiple day frenzy of family.

The first weekend in December we packed up and drove to the other edge of the state to see YaYa’s college Christmas concert. I had been looking forward to it for months, because I have gone to this special concert numerous times in the past, and it never fails to…