Enjoying the Little Things . . .

I've had a hard time keeping the blog updated, but the last several weeks have been great. We're making a huge effort to find joy and happiness in the little things this year. There are so many amazing things right around us each day, but all too often we get caught up in the craziness of life. At any rate, we've really been enjoying the winter and each other. We've given ourselves a challenge to come up with activities for the family that can cost very little, or better yet, nothing at all. Most of our adventures weren't caught on film, but here are a few:

Homemade Valentine's ~ A huge mess, but sooo much fun! This was made by Cambrie {all on her own} for a boy in her class. Needless to say, Jason is now having him investigated. Tatum & her friend Sophia ~Tatum would eat snow all day long if I let her. She got a snow cone machine for her birthday in June, but the new thing is to run out back and fill a cup with super fine snow and drench it with snow cone syrup. Jason pulling Cambrie and Tater ~The girls love the tube rides and Hershey loves to chase after them.

Snowshoeing & X Country Skiing ~ Jason retrofitted my bike trailer with skis so that we could take the kids with. An ingenius idea, but so much more of a workout than we bargained for.

Jake ~ Enough said. He's at that oh so fun age and everything that comes out of his mouth is just hilarious. For some reason, this is the only hat he will wear. I fear he'll be 12 and still insisting on wearing this same hat. He just makes my days so unpredictable. You gotta love it. I spared you the picture of him dancing buck in Cambrie's shoes. Amazingly beautiful days & views! ~ By the way, that's our teeter totter barely sticking out of the snow.

Cross Country Skiing

Soakin' up the sun on the back deck!

Movie & Popcorn night! ~ We used the air popper for the first time and the kids were so enthralled! Tatum tells everyone that comes over about our "magic popcorn maker."

Jake Working Out ~ As I've worked hard to get back in shape before our upcoming trip, it's nice to know that I have support from my family.

My favorite ~ Jake is obsessed with glasses and is always putting on whatever spectacles he can find. He wore these for dinner the other night. Like I said, unpredictable.

So many fun moments.

Joy is not in things; it is in us.

~Richard Wagner