winter

 Philip has been making storage shelves for Lego, so that the Lego can be neat and tidy and off of the floors all the time

 Under the snow was a super icy stretch on a steep hill.

 Kinda fun to try some "snowboarding" and other tricks.

 Hard to stop at the bottom though!

 Girls in books.

 Happy homeschooling mother. I'm told I look this grumpy all the time. :p

 More snow for sliding!

 Daniel the king, who's also a soldier?

 Working hard on copying a painting.

 Time to start some plants...trying to use equipment we already have on hand. Way too much spritzing required to keep the seedlings moist -- don't miss a day!

 Matthew made a fancy set up that makes the balls all fall and roll systematically.

 Five crowns. Lotsa fun!

 We had a few chickens attacked by an unknown predator. Maybe a mink? Maybe a rat? While two chickens were inside being monitored, Matthew took them outside to get fresh air...they seemed perky and bored, after all, despite the trauma their bodies had.

 Nice deep snow to play in!

Early February

 Toothless girl

 We had some warm weather, can't skate, but you can go boating!

 (well, float your boat, at least)

 Evelyn has become an avid UNO player. She played for several months with anyone who would join her.

 And Calvin and Hobbes became very popular, still haven't been able to get them to stay in the library.

 More UNO. And handsome Nathan.

 That's better.

 Matthew made a paper airplane launcher.

 It worked very well, but not when posing for the camera.

Working hard on school...

 After the thaw came a freeze. Complete with freezing rain. Skating was great fun -- who needs a rink now?

 It was kinda fun to zip around the patio!

 The kids even went on the trail around the property.

 Daniel made a blanket, pillow and bed for his teddy. Melanie helped him when he was stuck. I didn't even know he was using my sewing machine. MY machine!

 More skating.