Lots of outdoor time this week, though our best day went unrecorded. In fact, it was our best day in weeks! We visited another homeschooling family who live directly across the river from us and so we naturally call them, The Boys From Across The River. We visited their homestead and it was such a perfectly wonderful afternoon, none of us wanted it to end! The sun shone in a cloudless blue sky, the snow was so strong and icy, we walked on and on over hill and dale without breaking through. The six children and us two mamas saw an eagle, ducks, and six swans! The littlest two boys played alongside each other at the river's edge, content in their own worlds, shoulders nearly touching. My daughter tried to keep up to the three older boys who ran and hollered and investigated and spied...it was sheer delight! And, sadly, not one single photo. This wonderful afternoon will be embedded in our hearts for weeks to come!
However, there were some photos from outdoor play around here...
A visit to our neighbour's horses. Danny-boy is so beautiful, and becoming so friendly with my children. Forrest is teaching me how to feed him properly so your fingertips don't get nipped.
This is how we travel for a winter's walk. I pull littlest (or two) in the sled, though I'm trying to encourage Sunshine to walk more. This day, she walked the whole way, although we had to turn around far too soon as I didn't prepare for all her activity and she had a diabetic low. Usually, I have a juicebox, crackers, and a banana with me, even to just cross our creek into the meadow on our own property. I don't know what I was thinking to venture so far from home with just a juice! Here she is doing what she does rather frequently lately, sipping a juicebox to bring her back into range. I never would have thought I would feed my children juice boxes, let alone several in one week!!!
We ended up turning around at this point, a 15 minute walk home. It was a beautiful day, clear skies and crunchy snow. Little signs of the seasons changing are becoming apparent...birdsong, creeks murmuring, and even pussy willows peeking out!
With all this spring anticipation, Huckley heads straight to the sandbox while I look for snowdrops beneath our beloved oak tree. We will have to wait a bit longer, which is just fine, as usually the snowdrops don't arrive for another few weeks yet.
I used our shovel to clear an area for Sunshine to get back on her swing. Oh, does she soar when she is in her happy place!
And finally, the tooth fairy has made not one, but two appearances here in the span of three days! Forrest's top tooth was dangling about for weeks, and the night before Valentine's Day, it popped out. I still have to take a photo of him with both top teeth out, which is so darn cute!!! I'm having a hard time not smiling when he speaks right now...it is simply adorable!
And yet another wondrous thing...Forrest found his mama-made hat from the fall! He wore it for two weeks or so in October and then it disappeared. I usually don't worry too much about this, knowing it will eventually show up, but this time, after one month, then another passed, I sadly dismissed it as truly lost. I really liked this hat ~ my favourite on Forrest so far. Well, we were in town at the toy store, of all places, and Forrest came running over to me telling me he spied his hat...it was behind the cash register and had been for four whole months!!! Oh, lucky day!!! However, in four months my son's head sure did grow and so now, this hat has been handed down to Huckley. But what matters is that it's all in the family, right?
Have a wonderful weekend, dear friends!

