A Snowy Washington Winter

I has snowed a handful of times here this winter!

But, we are not surrounded by Minnesotans, 

nor to we have the MN Department of Transportation here.

So, when we got a couple inches the other day 

and it was between 26 and 30 degrees out, school was cancelled! 

Good thing we carried snow shovels across the country four times.

They finally came in handy!

Oh...and my little boys are total Minnesotans.

They were out in shorts, t-shirts, and no socks on the neighbors trampoline 

when it was 34 degrees with snow on the ground.

Love, Us.

Animal in the Bath and the Sun

As I've mentioned, "Animal" is one of the nicknames for this maniac that is sticking.

She is so much like the Muppet in her hairstyle and her language, that it is inevitable!

She is such an Animal!

These pictures were taken during the two minutes of her life 

that she has allowed a hair thing to keep her hair out of her eyes.

She was enjoying the sun in the library.

It hasn't been nearly as dark as I was expecting it to be, 

but we still enjoy every moment we get of direct sun!

Love, Us.

The Mattress Fort

I guess I have heard of such things, but I had never actually seen on in real life.

The kids got on a kick where they were determined to build a box fort.

This always makes me cringe a bit. 

To me, it just sounds like a huge mess for weeks in the toy room 

and the complete use of all forms of tape in the house.

Thankfully, they were inspired to forego the boxes and just make a mattress fort.

They loved it!

In fact, they loved it so much that they played and slept in it for days.

I didn't get a picture of the entire thing, but it was a two-story fortress, 

and I would have loved it as a kid!

Here are the kids "inside" the lower level.

Yes. Princess slept in the fort as well.

The Fort also led to some intense "Family" play.

T had me take this picture and print it off so that it could be displayed in their mantle. 

She thought it was funny that the husband was so much shorter than the wife.

Love, Us.

Prepping for Lent

We didn't get all of our Lenten plans in place before Ash Wednesday.

But, after a few days, everything was in place.

Here is a sneak peak at Librandi Lent 2018.

The one thing we did do on Ash Wednesday was the Crown of Thorns.

We have decided that this year it is Cha-Cha's Crown. 

Every toothpick removed is a child's prayer said for our dear Auntie.

We hope to empty it in record time this year!

Our bean jars were out on Ash Wednesday, but it took several days for me 

to take a few minutes to ponder how I wanted to "do" them this year.

This year, every act of love, whether tiny or huge is one bean this year.

Mom and dad, however, has the ability to add some "extras" into jars in the evenings after bed, 

if we saw some very impressive acts of love throughout the day.

Yes. They will turn in to jelly beans on Easter!

About a week into Easter, T and I finally took a few minutes to put up our Stations.

They fit perfectly all around our library, with a candle beneath each.

It keep the Littles much more "focused" on the Stations when they 

know they are able to blow out a candle after each one has been prayed and pondered.

We have printed out our prayer and sacrifice sheets, as well as our Lenten maps to Easter.

One final "plan" I did at the beginning of Lent was to organize our Bible movies so that 

whenever the kiddo want to watch an "extra" movie during Lent I have the next one ready to pop in. 

That way, hopefully, they may begin to know their Bible timelines 

as well as they know the Star Wars timelines! 

Love, Us.

Mardi Gras!

Our Chapel on post hosted a Mardi Gras pancake feed.

Joe had to miss, due to work, but the kiddos and I enjoyed the festivities.

Some of us took in a bit too much sugar for that time of night.

Here, in vivid imagery, is the result when we got home.

Love, Us.

Neighborhood Fun

We are very much enjoying our new neighborhood.

The kids are constantly at the park.

And, when they are not, you can be sure the doorbell 

will soon ring with a neighbor kid asking them to come out.

Here is our dear neighbor, Hannah, with a little "friend" that her and Patch found one day.

And...we held the first garage sale of the season!

Totally fail (it was in the 30's)... but it was fun.

Love, Us.

Oma's Visit

We had the joy of spending a few days with Oma at our place.

She was in the area helping out Hayli, 

and then we borrowed her for a bit before she flew back.

It was a simple, but joyful, visit.

Love, Us.

Boy Haircuts

I failed to take before pics, but you can get a general idea by seeing the remains.

I think I'm slowly getting better at these little boys' heads!

Love, Us.

Fr. Baer and Dr. Briel

It is only February, and already two great souls have left us.

Both Fr. Bill Bear and Dr. Don Briel were powerful individuals 

who were very dear to both Joe and I. 

They formed us spiritually, intellectually, and morally.

May they rest in peace.

Love, Us.

The Marriage Event

This January, with a lot of help from one of the Chaplains here on post, 

I planned a marriage event for my fellow CWOC ladies, along with their spouses.

It was great!

Love, Us.

Our Backyard Hobo Town

So, we have had our small tent in the backyard almost since we moved in. 

It has been a constant source of fun and imagination.

A few weeks ago, it became the center of a small civilization in our backyard.

Sorry about the horrible picture through the upstairs screen, but you get the general idea.

We had even inherited a shopping cart, which was a very fitting addition to the "town".

T, of course, made it a baby transporter.

Love, Us.

E-V Ballerina

Thérèse had some fun with Evangeline and asked me to document the cuteness.

She loved standing on the heater so it would blow her skirt.

You can also see her saying her favorite word in January: "Ooooo!"

      

      

   

Love, Us.

Chambers Bay

So... for months Joe was always talking up this place called "Chambers Bay". 

I, being me, was leery to get up and go there 

whenever we had a free afternoon, like he wanted to.

I should have listened earlier, though.

It really is a beautiful walk...and I love walks!

It also has a pretty great view of the Sound.

We will be going back there often now.

Love, Us.