Hibernation

For a family who loves the outdoors, winter (particularly one as glacial as this) can be quite the challenge. December's excitement has passed and we have settled into our warm nest, finding much to keep us occupied while Jack Frost rattles the windows and sends the birds flocking to the feeders.

Naturally, there has been a lot of reading...


... several figure skating lessons (a recently declared hobby of Bella's)...

...and a few projects as well. This one tapped Bella's fascination with all things magical: crystal culture. Not only that, but I snuck a science lesson in there too (thanks Gran!)...

But I have to admit, when the lights go out they are pretty magical...

(Thanks to the color-changing LED light!)

Old Man Winter did give us a brief respite from the cold, one that coincided with Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. In the words of Dr. King, "Life's most persistent and urgent question is: what are you doing for others?" To honor his legacy, and the beautiful sunny skies we were blessed with that day, we donned gloves and headed outdoors on litter patrol...


Despite the "Ewww!" Factor, Bella embraced the opportunity to make a difference. Back at home, a conversation about Haiti led to a donation to Soles for Souls. It seemed trivial given the level of destruction that befell this island nation, but the ripples? They may travel far. A spark of compassion is being cultivated and that could change the world.

We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.
-Marian Wright Edelman

Holiday Recap

"Why the lack of posts?" you might ask. Well, let me explain it this way: A year ago, as I sat on this couch downloading pictures and updating my blog, Will lay peacefully beside me doing nothing more than smile in his sleep. Today, during the short time I have been sitting in the very same spot, he has gleefully and with much determination removed every book from every shelf in the living room and is now intent on helping me type, or at the very least, see how his finger fits in each port on the back of my laptop. What a joyful mess!


I can say that I have never been more grateful to be so incredibly busy. With the camera always close at hand, I have continued to commit these moments to more than just memory, although the photos seem to linger on the memory cards while I rush off to avert the next near disaster (at present moment an attempt to join the cats in their enclosed cat bed).

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Will's birthday falls on the first day of winter. We had planned to celebrate with family and friends, but instead received a beautiful blizzard (we enjoyed the party a few weeks later). So we had fun in the snow...



... and spent the evening enjoying the anticipation of Christmas.




We did manage to dig out a few days later to take a day trip to the city where our little man was born.


The joy of celebrating Will's birth and the enchantment of Christmas made this a magical time of year.

We became suspicious...

....when there were no sounds from the play area for a few minutes. So we peeked in to find out what the siblings had been up to for the last five minutes. We found Bella testing out her new sketch book and Willem posing, almost peacefully, occasionally peering over Bella’s shoulders to check on her progress. We grabbed the camera in an attempt to capture the moment: