First Dinner on the Porch

It hasn't been so pretty around here lately. These photos were taken on Saturday.

 Our vehicles are taking a beating from the driveway. Welcome to mud season.

 Spike still can't get to his dog house. Not that he's complaining.

 The hens are happy with the warmer temps.

 Today was a VERY warm day, even reaching up into the 70s in some places. Wayne, Cole, and Heather had dinner for the first time this year on the porch. You can see in the background that a lot of  the snow disappeared today.

First Boil

 The ground is still snow covered, but we've been enjoying mild temperatures. The sap has finally begun to run, which is good news for sugarmakers everywhere. And good news for Wayne, Cole, and Heather!

Heather takes her first taste of sap of 214.

 It's so nice to be outside without hats and mittens.

A fresh batch of maple syrup has led to Wayne making pancakes again for Sunday breakfast!

This is a weird picture.

10 Times Around the Sun

My grandmother used to refer to our birthdays as trips around the sun. Seems fitting, especially for Cole, who is so interested in space and astronomy. Cole has now made 10 trips around the sun.

His friends William and Zephyr came over after school.  They played for a while, had a trackster ride, and then it was time for dinner. Cole's favorite things: meatloaf, mashed potatoes, salad, and watermelon.

 We were a little crowded around the table. Zephyr and William were charming and entertaining. They had lots of stories to share about their lives.

 After dinner, the kids played a little more while the adults let the meal settle before diving into cake and ice cream.

 Cole asked for lemon layer cake. The frosting is lemon buttercream.

 Heather helped light the candles.

 William, Cole, and Zephyr.

Happy 10th Birthday Cole. We love you so much.

Congratulations Wayne!

You may remember from a previous post that Wayne has been composing some music after school as part of the Vermont Music Online Mentoring Program. Students may choose to submit a composition for possible selection for the Opus 28 concert, where they will be performed by professional musicians.

Around 80 student compositions were submitted this year,  20 are chosen for the performance. Wayne's piece, Resonance, was one of the ones chosen.

On April 30th he will travel to Ludlow and spend the day working with members of the VSO as they rehearse his piece. He will also attend various music workshops. A dinner is provided, and in the evening, the concert.

Here is a really cute video that sums it all up. This video was used for fundraising, and fundraising is now over for this event, so send no money, please. Also, there won't be any familiar faces. It was made locally, but not at our school. I just think it's a very entertaining video,  and explains the whole process better than I can.

And this is the final version of Wayne's composition that he submitted for the Opus 28 Concert.

Joanie's Birthday and First Day of Spring

Two major events happened this week: Joanie had a birthday and spring began.

Wes bought a cake and Heather blobbed on something that is supposed to say Happy Birthday Joanie, but the tube of  writing gel proved to be difficult to work with. It's the thought that counts.

 Joanie opens a couple of gifts and cards.

 Meanwhile, this is what the first day of spring looks like in Vermont.

 And here are just a few random shots of daily life: at piano lessons on a Wednesday afternoon, with 3 lessons in a row, we're in it for the long haul. It's a good time to catch up on some reading, get homework done...

Practice spelling words and rocket math...

...or do some artwork. 

Hope you're having a good weekend.

Happy St.Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day.

A leprechaun gave Patches a hat. 

Winter Fun: Part 2

Last weekend I took Wayne and Cole to Burke Mountain for their first ski lesson. It was a beautiful day and the last day of our vacation.

 Learning the basics.

For the first lesson, they like them to learn without poles.

After learning the basics, they line up for the j-bar.

 An interesting point: Cole did not fall at all while skiing, but he did manage to fall off the j-bar twice.

 They went up and down the j-bar about a million times.  If we had rented helmets, they could have gone on the lift, but when I signed up for rentals, I did not realize that helmets were not included in our package price, and actually cost quite a bit extra. I figured they'd be ok on the j bar slope without.

So in this picture below, you can see they guy in blue, behind the orange fence. He was their instructor. It was a group lesson, but luckily it just worked out that W and C were the only ones in that group! Wayne is just behind him and Cole is lower, looking like he's trying to stop.

They both did a great job. I was amazed at how quickly they learned. I thought of Estelle and Lena as I marvelled at some really young kids zipping around comfortably on their skis and snowboards.

 Back home, more xc skiing.

Then on Wednesday, a big snowstorm hit our area, causing us to have 2 days off from school.

Spike and I went for a snowshoe and met up with Joanie.

 Thursday morning, our 2nd snow day home from school, playing in the snowbanks.

 Heather and Cole buried Wayne in the snow.

 Spike was worried about Wayne being buried.

So, we've been making the best out of these last weeks of winter, but we are fresh out of syrup and looking forward to sugar season.