Once Upon a Time...

...there was a family that lived up north where it snows. The family did not really like snow. When the robins came back up, they did not like the snow either.


They really wanted spring to come, because they liked to go barefoot, splash in puddles of water that were above 33 degrees, and other things you can only do in the summertime.
Then, one day, they noticed that the snow was melting. They saw pussy willows, snowbirds (both the people kind and the feathered kind), and more sunshine. They were overjoyed.

The snowman that someone had built melted and fell off the railing before the photographer could take a better picture of him.

The sunshine was warm and the wind no longer created frostbite, and that made them excited.


Now they could go wading again!!




What is spring like where you live? Has it come yet?

Happy Birthday, Hosanna!

Once again, we have a birthday! This time, it's Hosanna, who turned 10 today. Hosanna is little miss drama/the life of the party, but she can also be little miss innocence and not say a word. She has been taking violin lessons, is in 4th grade, and is in T&T (Truth and Training) in our Awana club.

I asked Hosanna to share with us her most embarrassing moment, or even a funny story, but she turned me down cold. The best I could get was that her favorite flavor toothpaste is that blue bubble gum stuff.

The Leprechaun Hat of Fame!

Church dinners + leprechaun hats + my siblings = see below.

Oh, and this is our pastor, along with the dinner coordinator.

photo credits: Marge C.

Happy First Day of Spring!!

Won't be long before Josh can start mowing the lawn again!

Josh

Josh gets this way sometimes...he just starts laughing hysterically, and it makes me laugh. I told him I was going to put him on the blog, and he started chasing me, which is why the visual quality is below the skill level of a 2-year-old, but the audio is pretty funny.

Were any of you able to make it through without laughing?!

(That's my mom, coming up to see what is so funny!)

Happy St. Patricks Day!

Irish Twist from Daniel Gardner on Vimeo.

Homemade Ice Cream

No winter is complete unless we make ice cream at least once. On Thursday, we made peanut butter ice cream. My mom mixed it up, and the "little kids" (Annetta on down, though I must hasten to add here that Annetta can hardly be classified as "little," now that she is nearly as tall as I am) did most of the work of adding snow/salt/water to the ice cream maker to freeze it.

They watched, and enjoyed tasting it before it went in. Hosanna really looks like she's shoveling it in there, doesn't she?!



Above is pouring it into the canister to be frozen. Below is our ancient ice cream maker, with the bucket of snow, box of salt... and Joshua's knees and someone's foot :)



And voila! It was as good as it looks!

How many of my readers have made ice cream? What is your favorite flavor (homemade or not)?

Which hand is whose?

Leave your guesses in a comment. They are all of us kids, and each kid once.

Happy guessing!

Icicles

When the phone rings...

Okay, by popular request (okay, okay, one person...whatever...), I present "Have You Ever Wondered What Happens When the Phone Rings?"

(Some parts may be enhanced slightly)

1. Phone rings

2. All members of the family who answer the phone converge around the phone. I use the term "converge" loosely here.

3. A verbal exchange occurs, as follows: "I'll get it!" "No, I'll get it...I got here first!" "That's okay, I'll answer." "I will." (Et cetera)

4. A scuffle ensues, which results in one person grabbing the phone. Said person then rushes into the entry way to render the appropriate greeting (it varies as to who answers), and presses the phone halfway to her eardrum in order to hear the person on the other end above the disappointed chorus of those who didn't get the phone this time.

5. If this side of the conversation sounds interesting, several kids form an audience and hang around listening intently.

6. Once the conversation is over, the phone-answerer is swamped with questions such as: "Who was that?" "What did they say?" "Really?" "Why?" "When?"

7. Life returns to the normal abnormal :)

Definition of "Long Day"

When Josh and Katrina both fall asleep on the couch!