Jonas has arrived!

Thankfully, Pat arrived home on Friday just as the first flakes were falling.

On Saturday, Kateri and Sebastian were thrilled to see how much snow had fallen! Kateri was especially excited to go out in the snow.

Kateri went out to help Papa-bear with the shoveling as the snow fell.

Kateri loved every bit of the snowstorm.

From eating the snow, to getting rides in the sled!

Sebastian, on the other hand, absolutely HATED wearing his gloves, his snowsuit, his hat, his boots and was having a tearful meltdown before we even made it outside.

Once we finally got outside, he hated the falling snow and the wind in his face, he had no interest in the sled or walking around the driveway, or playing in the snow. He ONLY stopped crying while in my arms! Not what I was expecting at all!!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 





 Post shoveling:

Sebastian helped test the icing for the cinnamon rolls.

And here is the accumulation on the deck as of Saturday:

Very cold and very deep!

Perfect for baking and games!!



Siblings and friends

(and enemies, but we will just focus on the friendly side of things ;) )

Sharing a favorite activity

I heard them laughing while I was baking something in the kitchen, and looked downstairs to see them engaged thus:

You just never know what will strike their fancy!

Kateri then carried both baskets up so that they could each have one.

This definitely captures their goofy friendship!

Firm in the belief that they are completely hidden from sight.

 

They have been playing together more and more, and it has been interesting and encouraging to see the shift from the need of my constant attention, to more independent play with each other.

Pre-Jonas and Snow-Dreaming

We have had some strong winter dreaming these days! Kateri has taken to wearing her snowsuit at all times, regardless of the weather outside!

 

The other day, she was very thrilled to study and organize the seaside treasure box from Mormor, and of course she just had to wear the snowsuit while doing so!

 

 

One of the most thrilling discoveries was that there was still sand in the sand dollar.

 

 

Sebastian also wanted to take part, but he tends to lend a destructive hand in these sorts of endeavors, and so he was banished to the other end of the table with his own activities!

 

 

After organizing everything, just so, Kateri took all the little treasures out, and put only rocks in the box. She told me the rocks are her favorite to organize!

 

(Thank you again, Mormor, she has spent hours in the past few weeks playing with this!)

 

 

 

How times have changed in one short year! I just came across these pictures from about a year ago, and had to include them:

 

So excited to be out in the snow!

Sebastian, too young to even sit up! how much has changed!

But still happy as ever!



And now: The kids were both beyond thrilled with the meager one inch of snow we got earlier this week.



"Are YOU ready?? I'm ready!!"

Was it necessary for Kateri to wear her full body snow suit in this light dusting? Absolutely, no other options could even be considered in her eyes.

And she insisted that Sebastian wear his.

Sebastian enjoyed exploring the yard, and Kateri stayed the entire time on the deck, enjoying snow which tastes just like "CANDY!".

At table

I was especially looking forward to the big snowstorm because if they were this excited for a paltry dusting, how would the react to FEET of snow?

Battlefield Hike

Right after Christmas, we went on a beautiful hike at the Battlefield. We usually only ever go during the winter in order to avoid the rampant deer tick population, but with all this mild weather we have been having, I was a bit concerned that we may run in to a few!

It was so warm, that even very light long sleeve shirts felt hot! Kateri has been able to do a lot more hiking of late, and she really enjoys her newfound freedom.

Not in the stroller

However, being only two, her legs do occasionally need a break, and so she has devised a way to enjoy the benefits of the stroller without necessitating the straps or the troublesome climbing in/climbing out routine.

She jumps on the front for a quick ride, and then quickly hops off once she is ready to run again. Perfect for her and perfect for parents pushing the stroller!

Sebastian, on the other hand, looks longingly at the freedom his sister is enjoying, but he has to wait until the very end of the hike. Once we get to the boardwalk, he is free to run!

And they're off! 

Quickly distracted by the interesting sites directly off the boardwalk.

What does Kateri see? It must be something really worth looking at!

We of course had to stop every few feet to look at some fascinating leaf or twig, a squirrel scampering up a tree, or a bird flitting through the trees.

It is easy for me to feel frustrated at the meandering and unpredictable paths of a 1.5 year old, and the temptation to scoop him up and continue onwards is always there.

Then again, how can you say no to that face?

Soon Kateri and Pat were far ahead of us, and Sebastian was so thrilled to be able to go at his own pace and look in wonder at all of nature around him. Many people passed us, but soon I noticed an elderly couple who were hiking behind us, and were going at his pace (perhaps just slightly faster), stopping to point out interesting sights, enjoying the warm weather, and taking the time to really drink in the beauty around them. It really struck me how both Sebastian and the couple, of all the many people there, were so happy and content to just drink in all the little aspects of the marsh and woods that so often I ignore! Although we are often called to be efficient, to move quickly and accomplish a lot, it is so necessary (especially for me!) to take a page from these little ones and wise ones, and slow down to appreciate all that God has blessed us with.

He found a walking stick, which soon broke in half

But that didn't mean it lost its purpose! Its purpose just changed.

So thankful for the beautiful nature around us, the warm weather we have been blessed with (though some snow would be nice!) and the lessons of little munchkins!

George Washington's Birthplace

We were blessed to be able to take advantage of the gorgeous weather today and head down to Pope's Creek. It was absolutely beautiful and so mild!

There is nothing like several days of gloomy clouds and rain to make one really appreciate sunshine and warmth!

Wrigley came along with us, we didn't realize that dogs are prohibited on the grounds of the plantation! Lucky for us, we were able to finish our hike prior to having Wrigley banished!

Treasures found on the hike

The water level was very VERY high, and the ground was saturated in many areas. Thankfully most of the path wasn't too muddy. 

However, one of the boardwalks was completely under water!

Pat went out to check the depth . . .

Which was something Kateri could NOT resist! Since we don't buckle her in, she was able to jump out of the stroller before I could stop her!

Sebastian also wanted to take part in the fun, but thankfully he was buckled in nice and snug!

At the very end of the loop, when we were almost back to the initial bridge, we came upon an area of the path that was entirely submerged in water! It was much deeper then it looks in this picture:

At first I was certain we would be forced to turn around and retrace the entire loop, especially since the double stroller is cumbersome and wide and would be difficult to navigate through woods!

Pat was not daunted and blazed a new trail!

Kateri and Pat's victorious smiles on the other side:

Sebastian enjoyed the off-roading experience as well.

When we got back to the plantation, we let Sebastian out of the stroller to get some energy out, and boy was he a happy kid!

Freedom!

Kateri and Sebastian were able to see some of the livestock.

These cattle were enormous.

And Sebastian could not take his eyes off of them.

Eventually we did drag him away to see the horses, which were rather shaggy and needed a nice brush down but were very friendly,

Kateri was very careful to hold her hand flat as she fed him grass

Sebastian of course has no fear of horses, and kept trying to have the horse eat the 3 or 4 blades of grass that were squeezed tight in his little fist. Thank goodness the horse was very gentle and I was able to intercept him most times!

The kids were also thrilled to see some sheep and little lambs

They were expertly gathered into a group and herded out of the pasture by, not a border collie, but a park ranger and his clapping hands. (Same park ranger who gave me a very strict admonition Not to feed the livestock, for SAFETY REASONS.) He also told us Wrigley (who was behaving very well, thank you, and not disturbing nor being disturbed by the livestock) was Not Welcome. Oops! I almost lifted Kateri and Sebastian over the fence with the order to run and chase the little lambs, but decided against it at the last second!

Sebastian did have fun just running down the path.

But the level of fun was exponentially increased by the presence of puddles!

There are quite a few gorgeous trees on the property!

I kept asking Sebastian if he wanted me to carry him~ he had been walking for quite a while at this point, and every time he would run at me with a big smile and then swerve and run right by me with great glee!

So thankful for this beautiful Sunday! I think it is safe to say that we are all Redskins fans today, Go Skins!