Fence Line

We took a walk around our property this morning to check out the fence line in preparation for new cows this spring.

It was a little brisk and drizzly outside, but we didn't mind.

When we got to the pond and creek, we discovered it is frozen. The kids had fun sliding around on it. At one point we caught Marcus running and sliding on his tummy. I'm not sure if he meant to do it but he came up laughing. Another moment missed on video...shucks.

Careful, Careful...

The kids helped Daddy pick up sticks and move tree limbs off the fence.

It was a very productive morning.

Still no snow

One good thing about no snow is we have not had time to get the leaves off the grass yet. In past years when we have failed to remove the leaves, it usually resulted in no grass in the spring and summer. So, Marc and Emma took advantage of another mid-40 degree day to remove the leaves.

It took a few hours and Emma was there the entire time. I finally had to call her in for lunch and nap and she was so upset. She said "Why do you need me Mom?" I told her she needed to eat and nap and she responded very tearfully with "But we aren't done yet!" I felt really bad, she really wanted to help Daddy finish.

Marcus joined in the fun for a little while. He was behind Daddy every step of the way. If he could have lifted the lawn mower bins and poured the leaves over the fence, he would have done it.

The kids were outfitted with Daddy's ear muffs to protect their ears and all (you'll notice above Emma has a mircrophone on her's...those are Daddy's race car ear muffs...she was pretty proud to be wearing those). What a great morning it was for them (and for me too...I got my house all clean with Olivia's help).

Blackmail

Marcus says "I'm cute Momma!"..."why, yes you are!"...(someday he's gonna regret this).

The Search

So, it's nearing the end of January and we still have NO SNOW! We decided today we have had enough of a winter without snow and went searching...we just knew we would find it! And we did up in the mountains. Look at that smile on Olivia's face...it was definitely worth the drive (which was only 15 minutes by the way).

We actually went up to the local ski hill. The kids have never been to a ski hill and they were fascinated.

The scenery was beautiful. We walked around for a while and took it all in.

The morning wouldn't be complete without a taste of the snow of course.

Emma has been wanting to play in the snow since it started getting cold. Her gloves got wet right away so I let her borrow mine.

The kids even tried to make snow angles. Emma started it and Marcus messed every one of hers up as soon as she stood. We finally got him on the ground to make one of his own; he thought it was pretty fun.

We ended with some hot chocolate and snacks. I think we might have to look into buying some skis after this adventure. They were all begging to ski just like all the other kids we saw. Maybe taking them to the ski hill wasn't such a good idea.

Final Farewell

We ended our visit to Sequim by going to the beach, one of Grandpa Chip's favorite places to be. We took advantage of the beautiful scenery for a cousin picture. This is Riley, Tanealya, Taylor holding Olivia, Emma, Marcus and Aiden.


The kids were so excited to be at the beach.

Emma immediately searched for big shells. She found a lot and wanted a bucket to put them in...unfortunately, we didn't come prepared, but she was ok with that.

Olivia just walked around and enjoyed the beautiful day.

This next series of pictures should have been a video, but I was not prepared for this. Mommy gave strict instructions prior to leaving the car that no one was to get wet. Marcus was so excited to see the water.

Kneeling won't be bad, right? Oh, the water actually comes up to meet me, Mommy might not like this.

Ok, I'll just walk along side, that won't hurt, right?

If I run, it makes a cool splash and I just love how the water keeps getting closer to me.

Oh well, let's just jump right in...this is a blast!

Ok, it's a little cold...Mommy is not going to be happy with me...

Brr...believe it or not, he was laughing. He was soaked from head to toe. His boots were filled with water.

After getting Marcus dry and changed, we ended with some lunch and then headed home. It was a wonderful visit to Sequim, more than likely our final visit. It was a lot of fun walking down memory lane and we will cherish every moment.

Reunion

Yesterday morning we took some family photos. You know how it goes, you pretty much see each other at weddings and funerals. These are some of my relatives on my Dad's side.

This is my family with Grandma (minus my brother and Marc...they both had to work and could not attend).

This is my Dad's immediate family. Sherman is the youngest, Sheila is in the middle, and my Dad is the oldest. Here they all are with their Mom...aka my Grandma. It was wonderful to see everyone again and also to be there to support my Grandma.

In Loving Memory

This is my Grandpa Chip Zalewski with my beautiful Grandma. Grandpa Chip married my Grandma when I was very young and he is the only Grandpa on my Dad's side that I've ever known. Chip was a very sweet man and a hero to our country. He had the best stories from his life which we all enjoyed to hear. He was also a farmer and he loved to crab. I will never forget the great crab feasts Grandpa Chip would make for us when we came to visit.

Grandpa Chip (Henry "Chip" Zalewski) passed away on January 3, 2010 at 89 years old. We are truly blessed to have known him and call him Grandpa. I will cherish his memory forever.

This weekend the kids and I went with my family to Sequim WA to say our goodbyes to Grandpa Chip and also to celebrate his life. We started at the cemetery. The kids did very well, Emma even placed a flower on Grandpa's coffin at the end of the ceremony. It was very sweet and brought smiles to everyone's face. I'm sure Grandpa Chip was grinning from ear to ear as well.

We then completed the celebration at the church with a full Mass and nice reception. We love you Grandpa Chip! You will forever be in our hearts and memories!

Weds Night Treat

The kids gave us little baggies of hot chocolate mix complete with marshmallows and peppermint candy for Christmas (thank you DeeDee!). Tonight they reminded us about them and asked if they could have some too. Luckily, there was one baggie left...yes, we did enjoy the others...so we said "of course!" They thought it was as Yummy as we did!

We let them use the real mugs for their treat.

Marcus slurped and then said "AHH" with every sip...it was hilarious...he surely can put on a show.

He sure does love his Daddy. So sweet!

Overall the hot chocolate received a "two thumbs up" review.

Back to Reality

We had such a great time with Nana and Papa this week. They arrived last Sunday and left this morning.

Marcus really wanted to go with them. This morning Marcus and Papa ate breakfast together and read the paper. So cute.

I really got used to having them around. It was nice to have dinner made, help cleaning the kitchen, help with the kids and company when the kids went to bed. I'm sad it had to come to an end but I know my sister's kids missed them terribly so I guess we'll let them go back home :-( Starting tomorrow; it's back to reality, daycare, work, etc, etc. Thanks again Nana and Papa! We really appreciated you coming all this way in the winter to watch the kids for a week.