Austin's Birthday

Austin's birthday turned out to be one of the few "warm" days of January. Its mostly been in the single digits for a high and often gets down to negative (I'm talking in Fahrenheit!). But Austin's birthday actually got a few degrees above freezing and felt nice and warm to us. I decided to take all the kids ice skating in the morning, but of course Austin had to work and couldn't come with us. The morning is a nice time to go because all the other kids are in school then. It was especially nice this time because in-person school recently started so the rink was practically empty. 

 
 

When we got done skating we went and picked up Austin and took him to McDonalds for lunch. (But since the restaurants are all closed except for drivethru or take-out, thanks to COVID restrictions, everyone had to eat in the car). After the kids and I finished their school in the afternoon, they got busy making brownies for Austin's birthday treat.

Heidi learned to play the happy birthday song on the piano and she played while we all sang along, then we all enjoyed some brownies. Austin graciously sat and acted like he was having the time of his life since his birthday celebration was more for the kids than for him ;) Because we all know he'd rather have Festool

And because one of Austin's friends asked, here is a birthday interview for Austin:

Who is your favorite person? all my kids

What is your favorite color? green

What is your favorite thing to watch on TV? Woodworking videos

What is your favorite outfit? wool slippers

What song do you like the best?Audiobooks

What is your favorite cereal? Reeces Puffs (aka Broccoli Puffs)

Who is your best friend? Keely

What do you want to do when your grow up?TBD

What is your favorite book? Crime and Punishment

What are you really good at? Talking

Where do you wish you could go on vacation? Russia

What would you buy if you had a lot of money? Wodworking tools

What is your favorite dinner? McDonalds

If you could have a wish, what would it be? More wishes

What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? Rocky Road

Who do you want to be like? Myself

What do you like to do with your friends? What are friends?

What do you hope you'll get to do before your next birthday? Make some stuff

What is your favorite thing to do? Making stuff

What are you proud of? My children

What are you afraid of? Nothing, ever

What is your mom's favorite thing to do? Argue with me

How strong is your dad? Pretty strong

What does your Dad do best? Think

What does your Mom do best? She's thoughtful

What do you like best about your Dad? He's reliable

What do you like best about your Mom? She's spontaneous

Snow Day

 

We have been pretty low on snow around here. Because we are so close to all the Great Lakes, we get rain or snow several times a week almost year round (maybe a little less often in the summer), so it has snowed many times over this winter, but they have all been light dustings, on only and inch or so- not enough to really play in. Earlier this week we got a huge snowstorm making up for all the snow we've been deprived of this winter and we were so excited to get it! By the time it was done snowing, there was at least a foot of snow on the ground and it was much deeper in some areas where drifts had formed. Here are the girls first going out into our backyard.

The boys set to work in the front yard stopping to play. Natalie loves to get pulled around on her sled and Asher is always happy to oblige her. And all the boys were good at shoveling, but their main goal was to build up their snow forts, with clearing the driveway being only a secondary goal. I had to help them a little and Austin went out after they were all done to make sure a path was at least cleared for me to pull out of the garage.

Natalie only lasted for a little while outside before she was ready to come in for some hot chocolate. Look how rosy her little cheeks get when she's out in the cold! All the kids came in eventually for their hot chocolate, but they went out again later and have gone out throughout the week to work on and play in their forts.

 

Skating

 

We have been skating a few times this week. The first time only Heidi and Trevor skated because we only had skates in their sizes. Leif came along to help take care of Natalie and they spent most of their time drinking hot chocolate to stay warm (Asher was with Austin). Afterward, we went to a used sporting store to get skates for Leif and Natalie and Heidi decided she'd rather have figure skates than hockey skates.

Asher came along on our second outing to help Trevor skate while I helped Natalie. I was surprised at how fast Trevor picked up skating and was much better on his second time than on his first. Leif hadn't been in a few years, but picked it up again quickly (thanks to rollerblading) and Heidi only needed a little adjustment to get used to figure skates. 

Before we went for the third time, we stopped by the sports store and got some skates for Asher. He picked it up again just as quickly as Leif did and both older boys had a great time, not wanting to leave even after almost an hour in single digit temperatures. The girls on the other hand complained almost the whole time- I was freezing too! I made them skate while their brothers had fun, then we broke out the hot chocolate and eventually headed home.

 

I think we'll be spending a lot of time on the ice this winter since all the kids seem to enjoy it (especially when its not 20 degrees below freezing) and its something good to keep everyone active.

New Year 2022

Asher and Leif are often just as excited for New Year's Eve as Christmas. For the past few years they have been allowed to stay up until midnight and they love the games and treats before everyone else goes to sleep too. This year we got a new game called Dutch Blitz for Christmas and played many rounds of it over Christmas break and especially on New Year's Eve. We also had a pandoro- a "gold bread" cake from Italy (they are much easier to find in Canada than in the US). Here is Asher putting the powdered sugar on it. 

Since Trevor can't have the cake due to allergies, he had graham crackers instead and spread maple butter on them.

 

The kids also enjoyed poprocks as part of their treat- just a silly thing to make the night more memorable :)

Austin made dutch babies (German pancakes) for the kids for New Year's morning breakfast, like he has for the last several years.

All the kids love this breakfast, but I never make it, so they have to wait for Near Year's day or some other special occasion for Austin to make it for them.



Unfortunately, Trevor can't have this breakfast because it has butter in it, so he begged me to make him crepes. Once I made some for him, all the other kids wanted them too, so they ended up with a double delicious breakfast.