More snow

We have enjoyed another snow day today...we actually have blue skies so it felt good to be outside. Our primary activity has been sledding. Avery would sled over and over and over again - we have to make her stop long enough for Griffin to get a turn! Griffin spent his morning collecting "ice" to put into his bucket. Unfortunately, the snow is not wet enough to stick together so we haven't been able to make a snowman - avery keeps asking if its "sticky enough now?"

watching some big boys sled down the sidewalk

Griffin's "ice"

dual sledding

enjoying some hot chocolate!

Let it snow!!!

Avery has been asking when it was going to snow this winter and she finally got her wish! It started snowing not long before the kids went to bed last night...and they awoke this morning to about 6 inches of snow! We bundled up and played outside for a while this morning and then came in for some hot chocolate! Brent has had the fire burning all day so that has added to the "cozy snow day" atmosphere! I'm sure we'll be back out there this afternoon so I'll post more pics later...

avery's snow angel (not sure why its sideways)

daddy and sissy sledding on our cardboard boxes!

our neighbor Mr John brought over his real sled for us to borrow...his kids are grown and gone so he was glad to let us use it!

Griffy was trying to figure this stuff out!

Parent Teacher Conferences

Today we had our first parent-teacher conferences for both Avery and Griffin. I felt fairly confident that Avery behaves at school and is pretty on target for her age. On the other hand, I was not at all sure how Griffin behaves in a structured environment or if he is "age appropriate." (I've learned that being a boy and being a second child both impact this - and I only have Avery to compare to...) Both children did an individual assessment with their teachers with age-appropriate testing.

For Avery, they tested things like knowing colors, shapes, sizes; ability to stack blocks in a tower, match pictures of like-items, and how high they could count. Avery was able to count to 14 before confusing her numbers and could repeat making a pattern of up to 4 (like repeat a pattern of 4 beads over and over.) She is fairly proficient in doing puzzles. She could only recognize about 1/2 of the letters in the alphabet - which surprised me - but I think she actually knows more of them than that. She holds a pen/marker/crayon correctly and is working hard at staying in the lines. Her biggest "arts and craft" challenge has been using scissors correctly! We are currently working on that at home! Her teachers said she was very observant and could instantly recognize who was missing from school that day. They said she stays in dress up clothes most of the day at school - they have even purchased a few more pairs of fairy wings because Avery wears them so much! They are impressed by her vivid imagination and creativity and said that she plays very well with the other kids.

For Griffin, they tested gross motor (hopping, climbing stairs, running, etc) and fine motor (puzzles, crayons, beads, etc.). He has no problem with the gross motor (go figure!) and seems to be ahead of the game with fine motor. He is very meticulous with his drawing - he could draw a circle and a straight line when asked - and is very particular with crafts - not messy, uses the right amount of glue, and wants everything in a particular place. They said that even though Griffin cannot say the names of all the colors and shapes, he will hand you the "orange triangle" or "blue block" when asked so apparently he knows what they are. To my surprise, both of his teachers said that Griffin sits perfectly still for circle time and that he has a long attention span when involved in an activity! (I thought school was going to be really hard for him since he is so active and rarely slows down...) But apparently, he sits and does what he's supposed to without needing much encouragement to do so. They also said that he is very social and that he actually helps other kids (ie: points out where a puzzle piece goes) without taking over. He seems to have a thing for baby dolls now too - they said he will carry 1-2 around and sing to them, cuddle them, and be really nurturing!

I dropped Avery and Griffin off at Kim's this morning so that she could watch them while I met with their teachers and then I stayed and watched her 2 while she went to Katelyn's conference. We decided to order pizza afterwards and just make a morning out of it! The girls had fun playing together and I got some good time in with Griffin.

Brent's Masterpiece

These are the antlers from the buck Brent shot over Christmas...he ordered a mounting kit online and then worked on it all day today. It turned out great! Now if I could only convince Avery that it is NOT going to hang above her bed!!

Our little...

our little...princesses??? This drives Brent crazy but little Griffin just doesn't know any better yet! A little brother will do him good!

Pasta with Chicken, Roasted Red Peppers, and Feta

So I can't remember if I've posted this recipe before...and I didn't see it listed when I glanced through old posts...so forgive me if this is a repeat! If its not, you're gonna love this one!

Pasta with Chicken, Roasted Red Peppers, and Feta

2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
1 12oz jar roasted red peppers, drained and finely chopped (you find them in the section with pickles)
6 oz Grilled chicken breast strips (I use about 1/2 rotisserie chicken, shredded)
8 oz bow-tie pasta
4 oz crumbled feta cheese
1 TBSP fresh chopped parsley (optional)

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, cook and stir garlic in 2 TBSP olive oil in skillet on medium heat for 3 minutes. Add peppers, chicken, and remaining oil. Cook 2 minutes until heated through. Toss veggie mixture with hot pasta and feta cheese. Sprinkle with parsley.

A Break in the Winter Weather

We have had about 2 straight weeks of cold weather - the temperature not really getting out of the 30's...so over the past few days, we've enjoyed a little break from the winter weather. After running errands this morning, the kids and I went to a church playground near our house to burn off a little energy. We took a picnic lunch and then played until nap time. The kids have been a little stir crazy and bored and I've been running out of inside activities so this outing was enjoyed by all!

he's really concentrating here!

would you expect her to have anything other than a princess bucket?

cheese!