The snow from the outside

Where to start with snow like this...

Snow storm after snow storm.

It started with a storm that brought 36 inches of snow to Waterford. The 2nd storm brought about another 16 inches but hard to tell because it came with ferocious winds that caused drifts that where many feet high.

The roads around Waterford have been closed so the plows for the development are no where in sight.

Jeremy's ATV plow cannot do drifts that are 5ft nor can a regular snow plow so we waited on special trucks to come in.

The snow has been so deep that Jeremy opted for his waders when working diligently to clean the snow.

Carter and Luke trekked outside for some fun.

Had lunch in their snow fort.

Jumped off the snow mounds.

The dog loves the snow. Luke said she looks like a carousel, going up and down and up and down. She finds the highest pile of snow and sits there like king of the mountain.

Jeremy cooked up some dinner after digging out the grill.

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Brayden was outside in spirit, he was showing his support with his snow removal shirt.
And I was there, taking pictures of it all.

The snow from the inside

We have done just about everything we can think of to pass the time. Carter and Luke played the Wii and watched lots of movies.

What to do with little boys who have snowed in for over a week?!

Games, just about every game we own.
Puzzles, lots and lots of puzzles.











They dressed up...





Put on a show for us.






Taught them how to properly vacuum.


They built forts, requiring lots of pillow and blankets. I let them put the portable DVD player in a fort.












We hosted a neighborhood snowed in potluck and movie exchange. A chance to have actual human contact.

Another snowy weekend

A weekend of snow...

We knew that we would not be going anywhere the following day because of the snow. We treated the boys with the option of staying up late. They were thrilled. They cozied up by the fire with Brayden. As I was putting Brayden to bed they moved to the couch. By the time I came back down, they were wiped out asleep on the couch (it was only 8:15 p.m.)








In the morning the boys played outside. Carter loves it. Luke does not like to be in all of the clothes because he has a hard time moving. I attempted to keep them outside longer by offering hot chocolate. Carter found it best to cool his.

Just about every five minutes there was this little face banging at the back door asking to come in. I would tell him to play a little bit longer and he would go for another five minutes and then return.

Brayden was wiped just by holding down the house.

Carter has some big news...

Doug and a Goose

Jeremy's friends, Doug and Ryan aka Goose, from college came out for a weekend of hunting.
Here are the highlights.

The Hunt 2010 from Carrie Jenkins on Vimeo.

Student of the Week

This week was Carter's turn to be the Student of the Week for his first grade class.

The highlights...

Get to be line leader for the week.

Lunch with the principal.

Make a poster all about yourself that is put up in the classroom.

On Carter's poster (click on it for a larger image)...

He wants to be a zoologist (changed from a zoo keeper because he does not want to clean up the animal's poop). He is a star because he is kind. He shows others he cares by pushing Brayden (picture of him pushing Brayden in his wheelchair)

Future Bowlers?

Carter and Luke were invited to a bowling birthday party. It was a rowdy (but well behaved) group of 1st grade boys. They all had a blast. The Wii bowling gave Carter and Luke some skills.

And guess who had the highest score...the youngest player, Luke! He was thrilled!

Carter's first ever basketball game

It was the start of basketball season. This was Carter's first ever basketball game. Surprisingly the kids did great and actually scored quite a few points. Carter's team won!

A party for the dogs

Gander and her sister, Maddie, had a little party for their 1st birthday.

It really was an excuse to have cake and ice cream. The boys had fun.

The dogs had their own ice cream treat.

Oh this kid!

Luke is a kid who needs his sleep. He turned five this fall and I can still get him to take a nap most days for at least 2 hours. When he is awake he is on full throttle so a lot of sleep is a necessity.

I know the the days of naps are fading away (nap time = mom time, hard to let that go).

A dark cold wintry afternoon seemed like good nap day to me. But shortly after closing the door to Luke's room I heard some noise. I let it go for about 20 minutes or so and then I opened the door.

I found him...in all his randomness...an incredible hulk fist on one hand, star wars lightsaber in the other, a soccer medal draped around his wrist, chuck e cheese crown on his head, bob the builder belt. He was ready for something.

And I looked a little closer. Stamps on his face. I neglected to notice that his new spiderman watch, he got for Christmas, had a stamp on the lid. Luke thought some stamps on his face would look nice.

The Udvar Hazy Air and Space

An adventure for Winter Break (meaning: get us out of the house!), we headed to the Udvar Hazy Air and Space Museum for the day. We were joined by my Grandfather, my father and the boys' cousin Mekayla.

We wandered the giant hanger and found a plane just like what my Grandfather flew in WWII, as part of the Army Air Corp. He flew a B-29. It was great to hear all about the plane he was in and the stories of the war.

We couldn't leave without a doing a flight simulator.

Christmas Day

After opening presents at home we headed to MD.

Luke was waiting "patiently" to open presents.

We spent most of the day in MD. Lots of opening gifts, food and chaos (Brayden blocked out most of it, while getting in some good cuddles).

Christmas Morning

Carter came into our room at 4:45 a.m. and asked if it was time for Christmas yet. He tried to go back to sleep in our bed but it was a lost cause. A little before 6:00 a.m. Luke woke up ready for Christmas.

By 7:00 we had breakfast, everyone was up and we were opening presents. They were so excited.

THE gift this year was ATVs for Carter and Luke.

Christmas Eve

We head to Jeremy's parents for Christmas Eve.

Some yummy food, singing and presents.

Then headed to a Christmas Eve service. It was one of the most enjoyable Christmas Eves we have had in a while.

Christmas fun

What to do when stuck because of all the snow?

Make a gingerbread house.

Take a walk in the snow to give presents to friends, making fun special deliveries.

And we watched lots of Christmas movies, made Christmas cards, played games, etc.