It's Really Really Cold

We are having quite a cold snap here! Yesterday morning it was 27 degrees below zero when we woke up (A note to our Canadian and Norwegian friends: All temperatures are in Fahrenheit). To put the outside temperature in perspective, our attached garage was at +28 degrees, so the water on the floor was frozen. Still, it was 55 degrees warmer than outside!

Chris bundled up and braved the cold weather to try a few science experiments on the deck, before the kids woke up.

First she sprayed water from a spray bottle, and made snowflakes!Then she threw water up in the air, to see if it would freeze midair.The water didn't freeze until it landed on the deck. It was funny to see it land without splashing at all.

Some friends told us later that boiling water would freeze midair, but we are not sure if we believe it....maybe we'll try that next time.

Swim Class

Last night was our first swim class. It was at the Alfond Center, which is a combination Boys & Girls Club and YMCA. The girls were very excited, and couldn't wait for class to start!

The toddler class is held in the small pool.  It is pretty shallow and also has a beach area so the kids can walk in and out.Because the kids in this class can't really swim at all, one adult is required for every child. Grandma L. is helping us with swim lessons, so that Chris can take a break from child care for one evening a week. Last night Grandma was with Kate, and Brenda was with Emily.The girls practiced blowing bubbles, kicking, and "reach-and-pulling". 

When we got some free time, Kate chose to peacefully float on her back and look at the ceiling........while Emily (in another classic example of their different personalities) chose to repeatedly jump off the edge of the deck into Mom's arms....over and over and over.At the end of the class, the teacher brought out some floaty toys to play with, and the girls pretended they were at the ocean beach.We love swim class!

Preschool Birthday Celebration

Today Emily's preschool class celebrated her birthday (since it had occurred over the holiday break). Mom, Mama, and Kate were all invited to come to the ceremony at the school.

Emily really enjoyed showing us around the classroom, and introducing her family to her classmates. After Kate got introduced, she got a little shy from the attention.During the ceremony, the kids all sat in a circle while Emily helped the teacher get out a sun and a globe. Then Emily walked around the circle while Mom read her life story to the kids (just a few sentences).Then the kids sang "Happy Birthday" and Emily got to make a little sculpture out of clay, rocks, a shell, and a feather (symbolizing the elements). Emily's friend Annie helped her carry the sculpture around the circle to show to all the other kids.It was a really neat ceremony, and we were glad that the whole family got to take part!

The Farm Show

Now that Emily is in preschool every morning, Kate gets to spend a few hours each day alone with Mama. Today they went to the Agricultural Trades Show in Augusta. It was being held in the Civic Center, which was the same place as the Kid Fair that we went to on Sunday. Kate was surprised to see that the rides had all been replaced by tractors!

They saw some great stuff, including a big horse.........pretty flowers........and bumble bees!Surprisingly, Kate liked the tractors the best. She was especially fond of this skid steer loader.Maybe Kate will be a loader operator someday....or maybe she just likes yellow?

Snowmobiling

Snowmobiling is a favorite winter pastime in Maine, and everywhere we go we see snowmobilers or their tracks. Uncle David has two machines that he stores at Nana's, and today Chris decided to take Emily for her first ever snowmobile ride.

They had a great time tearing around Nana's field.Emily even got to drive a little!

Augusta Kid Fair

Today we did something new: Grandma & Grandpa L. joined Mom and the kids at the Kid Fair in Augusta. This was kind of like a mini carnival, but held inside (which was nice, since it was snowing and 5 degrees).

The kids loved it! Emily enjoys doing anything physical, so the bouncy obstacle course was the first thing she tried.Both girls wanted to jump in the bounce house--Kate has gotten much better at this than last summer, when she couldn't really even stand up inside it.But the number one thing that Emily wanted to try was the swing ride. We had seen a picture in the paper of the swings, and Emily was very excited about it. Mom wasn't sure if she would really like it, or if it would be too scary....But she loved it! The photo below shows how high she got, and after the ride she demanded "more, more". We let her go on it twice, but she would have liked to ride the swings all day.There were also goats to look at and feed........and even a real live crocodile to see. Notice that Kate was trying to comply with the warning sign (below). Don't worry, the crocodile was not within biting distance!The girls played some carny games and even won a prize each (okay, grandpa helped a little).We all had a really great time at the Kid Fair.

Getting Outside

Today was sunny and (relatively) warm, about 24 degrees, so we decided to play outside. Getting the kids dressed for snow play is quite a process. First we have to get out all of the clothes.

Then socks and longjohns go on........followed by snowpants and boots.......snowsuit or puffs.......then mittens and hats.  Finally, we made it outside!We only got about 2" of new snow this week, but there is still plenty left from the last storm. The kids had a great time playing in it.We finally found a job for Connor to do:  Bringing the sled back up the hill!
The girls are getting around really well with their snow boots. We have little snowshoes for them too, but the snow was crusty enough so they didn't need them today.Mama tried for a new land speed record, going down the driveway in the little red sled. She got going really fast!Connor especially loves the snow. It makes him feel like a puppy again!