Did I Tell You About the Greatest Vacation EVER??

I haven't taken the time to put it down on paper, but I've been thinking about it ever since it happened. Long, long ago, all the way last year, we went on the greatest vacation ever. It started with the guessing game, the map, the road trip. It landed us at Mt. Olympus in the Dells. This is the kind of vacation that I've always looked forward to doing with our kids. The kind where we enjoy a waterpark and a thousand trips down the water slides. Where we negotiate about which roller coaster is next, and get more nervous the closer we get to the front of the line. Where the clock doesn't matter, there's no schedule and we just do the next fun thing that pops into sight. We raced go-carts, flew airplanes, ate at Sprecher's restaurant two nights in a row because we loved the food so much that we just HAD to go back for more.

 

 

On our  last day, we took a boat tour on the Wisconsin River. It was educational, beautiful, exciting all in one.

 

It was an awesome way to end our summer, and great memories to keep us warm through the frosty winter. Now, when can we start planning a return trip?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Facts About Owls

Males are a little smaller. 

At night owls pepels get bigger.

On most owls one ear is higher then the other.

~ Shelly 

A Little Cooped Up

Last night we got the call, no school on Thursday because of expected temps at 30 below. There was noisy cheering from all of the students in the house. I came up with a simple plan and it mostly worked. I promised the three amigos that we'd make s'mores AND brownies. I may have lost my mind. Fill them up with sugar on a day when we can't get outside to burn off the energy? Well...

The lure of the treat and a few hours of TV kept things mostly civil among the natives, until I got my work done. Then we made some midnight brownies. And then the s'mores, marshmallows roasted over a flame and smushed between some crackers. Yummy!

Archer very kindly spent the next hour making a batch of marvelous chicken gnocchi soup. It was definitely better than I've ever made, and I'm not just saying that to make him feel good. It really was the best ever!

We've finally settled down for the night, enjoyed our brownies, and I'm hoping they fall asleep while watching the last movie of the day.

The only question I have now is, what am I going to do with them tomorrow, when they're off of school again?

Frigid

The super-cold has finally set in and the troops may be going slightly stir crazy. What do you think?

First Run of the Year!

What a great way to start 2015! We held the first ever January One H. C. Fun Run, starting at Mamaw and Bampa's driveway. Distance is your choice, 40 feet or 4 miles. Shirts for all participants - yellow because that's our family color, and also because we could use some sunshine in the middle of the cold grey winter. I'd say it was a success, and I can't wait for our next fun run with this fun crowd!