More Thanksgiving Break Fun!

Besides our feast (see previous post for those details) we had a lot of fun taking a break from school. Poor Bart had to work most of the break, but that didn't stop us from having all the fun. Jacob made some crafts at school and was so sweet when he came home and gave one to Anna. She was so pleased to have something from him. In the picture of the turkey he is holding it is hard to see, but each feather has something he is thankful for on it. I loved reading it--mostly different family members and food. Super cute. They also had fun putting some Thanksgiving stickers onto a background and re-creating the first Thanksgiving. Thank you to Anna's primary teachers for sending that home. It kept them busy for at least an hour. Really, thank you so much. Here are their "crafty" pictures:

My 2 Turkeys with their 2 turkeys.

Anna and her sticker picture

Jacob helped her place everything and

I listened to him telling her as much

as he could remember from school. I love

to hear how they remember or interpret things.

They crack me up.

Quite possibly the best part of the break for the kids came when it began snowing. So much excitement in the air. "Now it is really winter, Mom", squealed Jacob. I was such a great Mom though if I do say so myself. On Saturday afternoon there was finally enough snow to sled down the hill across the street. I was getting everyone ready to head to Costco for a few things we needed. Bart was at work, but we looked out and could see all these kids out there having fun. I made a fantastic decision to let the kids sled BEFORE Costco (it all goes back to bribing and bargaining for what you want and need). I somehow managed to get Rachel out of the bath, 2 kids into snow gear that I had to search for, put Rachel down for a nap, bundled myself up, got the sled out, and went outside to play. I kept checking on Rachel every few minutes, but other than that, I loved watching them sled. Last time Anna was too afraid to go down the big hill. We walked down a bit and let her start on a smaller hill. Jacob was such a good brother to her and held onto her so tight and talked to her so she wouldn't be scared. Before too long, she conquered that big hill. I was so proud. We also made snow angels, had a snowball fight and chase, and laughed and laughed. When we were done with a good lunch and some hot chocolate we piled in the car for a trip to Costco. The kids were so tired that all 3 sat in the cart while I handed them samples, didn't ask for anything extra, and were so cute the whole time. See, compromising does work. Okay, enough narration, here are the pictures which is what people really want to see anyway!

My favorite picture of the day. Pure Joy.

Making Snow Angels-I didn't know it was such a serious effort, but Anna's face shows the amount of work and the real way to make a good angel. Did I mention I used to wear this outfit?

A few views of the hill. It is a HUGE climb. Jake later said, "Man, my legs sure are tired." Probably because he ran up the hill at least 25 times and carried the sled every time. Anna tried to help, but it just didn't work out. What a great brother he was to her. I was very proud.

MY BIG MUSCLE MAN!

What a great Thanksgiving Break. Mom sure was glad to get back to normal today though.

Jacob and Anna, not so much. They missed each other today.