Thanksgiving 2020

 This was a quiet Thanksgiving, which felt a little sad, but it wasn't too bad. I enjoyed making all the food and creating something, even if it was edible, since I feel like most days I am doing lots of consuming/purchasing and not doing much creating. 

Benjy helped me make rolls a few days before. He loved using the dough knife to cut up the extra dough.

The boys helped decorate the menus we delivered along with a meal to a few people from the ward. 

There is just something very satisfying about baking and cooking things from scratch. I enjoyed the experience more than otherwise because Michael took the kids from underfoot, which was super helpful. Frankly I think you can celebrate with any food (we had Thanksgiving at a Japanese steakhouse one year, for example) but it is also fun to make the traditional foods.

Apple pie, chocolate pie, and mini crustless pumpkin pies.

The kids accommodated my desires and got dressed in collared shirts--Robbie even helped Benjy put on a button-up shirt and Clara wore a skirt. Each of the kids helped prepare parts of the meal, which I loved as well.

Carving the turkey.

The day after, we went on a hike up in Shenandoah. We were sad Clara chose not to join us, but the boys had a fun time.

It was only a mile but had great views and lots of rocks for the boys.

We spent a little too much time climbing and messing around and ended up finishing in the dark, which was a little exciting.

Benjy was grateful for any time he had out of the backpack.

We even saw a black bear crossing the road as we drove up. So cool.

Michael's 42nd Birthday

 Michael celebrated the big 42 last week. His main gift was a hot tub that he's been hoping for for many years. It has not failed to deliver. We've all enjoyed it, as a matter of fact, despite the annoyance of towels and paraphernalia during the wintertime. :-) For breakfast we ate sausage and eggs and homemade toast. Michael spent the day (Sunday) in various meetings and several tithing settlement interviews, and he said it was his best birthday yet.

Heavy heavy hang over with a couple of shirts.

We sure love this guy.

I made brownies for his birthday. Black bean brownies, to be exact, which no one suspected (I could taste them, but it wasn't too bad), although the whole time I was just grinning foolishly. Michael has been trying to eat less refined sugar/flour, etc., so this recipe fit the bill. Not sure I'll make it again, though. Sometimes a real brownie just can't be beat.

A visit from Nana and Bapa

 Despite our recent travels during COVID, Nana and Bapa were still willing to visit us the end of October. It was a very sweet visit. I appreciated their time while Michael was gone to Melody and Matt's sealing (he had a terrific visit and we are so happy for them), especially since it was Halloween. They took each of the kids on an individual date, which the kids really valued, and we enjoyed just doing the usual projects and activities around the house. (I was particularly grateful for Mom's help organizing the food storage room since it was a real mess before she helped me kick my rear in gear.) Michael and I even got to get away for two nights to the Salamander, a lovely place up in Middleburg in northern Virginia. That was a real treat. 

We all took a lot of photos, so here is a bit of a photo dump.

Bapa took this cute pic of Robbie making eggs with Henry looking on. Henry is also learning to make scrambled eggs.

Bapa also kept me company at Robbie's last soccer game when, in Michael's absence, I gave out awards to each of the soccer players.

Our Halloween meal.

My mom and dad held down the fort while I took the kids out trick or treating.

Henry in the couch fort. 

Dad and I went out to breakfast, and Mom and I (wish I'd gotten a pic, Mom!) got lunch together. 

On Henry's date, they went to the park and had a treat at McDonald's.

A kid at heart.

On Robbie's date, they went to the park as well and also got McDonald's.

Climbing at the park.

They took Clara to get a treat and went to Target on their date. Here they are at Oakdale Park with all the kids while we were gone on our getaway.

The long-awaited (for Michael) hot tub was delivered while my parents were here, so we got to try it out. Fun fun!

Selfie with Nana.

Bapa and Benjy spent lots of time together.

The family enjoyed root beer floats while we were gone on our getaway.

Lots of book reading.

And they loved looking at pictures on Nana and Bapa's phones. Also taking pictures on their phone without their permission (ahem, Benjy).

Cozy by the fire.

Time with Robbie.

On Sunday, Nana used clay with the big kids while Bapa played with play dough with Benjy.

Bird memory game while I went to visit two of my ministering sisters.

Never too old for a lap . . .

. . . right?!

Thanks again for coming!

Halloween 2020

 Despite my hopes that Halloween trick-or-treating would be canceled due to COVID and my efforts to convince the kids to stay home and eat candy, we geared up for the annual tradition and ended up having a good time. Michael was out in Utah for Melody and Matt's sealing, so my parents graciously agreed to come up and help out. 

This year we were spooked by a teenage zombie, a ghost, Superman, and a lion.

For the ward Halloween party, both the boys were ghosts, but it was hard for Henry to see out of it so we opted for Superman that evening.

And really, can a lion get any cuter than that? Nope.

Our Fall New England Adventure part 3

 The last part of our trip was a stay at Liberty Hill Farm in Rochester, Vermont. As we researched the trip, we had wanted to stay at a working farm, so we (mostly Michael) googled various options and chose what seemed like a good fit. It was.

The farmhouse was built in 1824, and the current owners started inviting guests (originally Vermont skiers) into their home in the 80s as a way to bring in more income during a low in the dairy industry. They've continued that tradition for over thirty years.

Liberty Hill Farm is part of the Cabot Creamery co-op, a farmer-owned company based in Vermont. It was really fascinating to learn about how they test their milk for protein and fat, how they test the cows and bulls to make the best matches, and what is involved in the whole process. So interesting. A whole different way of life.

Our host, Beth, is in the back, and she was very kind. Each morning and night she made us a delicious and huge meal. Normally, outside of COVID, they eat with the guests, but sadly they weren't able to. We didn't have any other guests in the farmhouse with us, so we enjoyed it all to ourselves.

The rooms were so cute--this room was where the three kids slept (except for the first night when the boys were too hyper and had to be separated). Benjy slept in another room in the pack 'n play. Since he didn't get to take any naps during the day, mercifully he was tired enough at night to stay in his bed and not climb out.

Our room was so cute. I accidentally left my wedding rings on the dresser and they mailed them to me! (I forgot to mention that we left Benjy's glasses on the whale watching boat and they mailed them back to us as well. Phew!!)

The first morning we were there, the boys were like, "What are we supposed to do?!" And I didn't really know. But as time went on, we found our groove, and the boys felt more comfortable wandering around the farm. 

First order of the day was helping bottle-feed the newborn calves. It was surprisingly hard since the bottles were heavy and they hadn't really gotten the hang of it and kept trying to bite the metal fence instead.

Michael jumped right in to help by taking out the milk buckets for the calves that didn't need to be bottle fed. They licked those buckets completely dry.

Thanks to barn boots of every size that we could pick from, the boys were well-equipped to wander in the mud and enjoy things like these swings and the barns.

They milk about 120 cows a day, and they also have calves, other heifers (a cow who hasn't had a baby and therefore isn't yet producing milk), bulls, and dry cows (a cow that isn't being milked because she's pregnant and about to give birth). Even though it is quite a science, it is still messy. So. much. poop. and. pee.

These barn kitties--among others--became a highlight for the boys.

Good thing the cats were patient.

Very patient.

Very, very patient.

This cow had just licked my jacket.

Dang!

Clara wasn't a big fan of all the mud and cows, so she spent quite a bit of time on her Chromebook doing schoolwork and watching Disney. 

It was super fun when Beth's grandkids came over to play--the eight-year-old granddaughter helped show the boys the hayloft (so much hay!) and the two-year-old and Benjy were two peas in a pod.

I loved this huge corn field. I took Benjy and Henry out here and Henry could whack cornstalks to his heart's content without my having to get on to him not to hurt anything or dig in the wrong place. Made me really want to get some land.

We took the boys on a relaxed hike one afternoon.

Wouldn't want to go on an adventure with anyone else.

Another highlight was visiting a raptor rehab center. People around the country send in permanently injured birds of prey, which the Vermont Institute of Natural Sciences uses to help educate people. 

I had never been so close to a bald eagle. 

This canopy walk at the raptor center was amazing.

This "nest" represents an eagle's aerie.

We climbed the stairs up to an even taller tree house. The view was spectacular.

Again, made me want to get land or have a place besides parks with playgrounds to take the kids. Made me want to get the boys out not just in the backyard (which they do every day) but out in just the forest.

Despite the challenges of virtual school and losing a couple of things, I couldn't have asked for the trip to go any better.