Just call me George Henry

There is something extra special about a relationship between a father and his daughter and that is certainly true about me and my dad.  I have some of the fondest memories of my childhood spent with my dad.  While many of my friends were learning to cook, bake, sew, or do other household chores with their mothers, I was hanging out with my dad.  My mom tried to teach me those things, but I didn't want any part of them.  Of course, now I wish I had paid better attention. Anyway, my father was quite a handyman and he was constantly tinkering around the house or taking on a new project.  He was the kind of dad that spent time teaching me how to use tools, show me how to properly mow the grass, and how to safely climb ladders.  Where ever my dad was, I was sure to be hanging on his hip.  We would climb to the roof and clean the shingles or make repairs to the shingles.  I helped him build his wooden shed.  I got lots of practice with a hammer.  I learned to paint.  Many of our projects together resulted in him having to "fix" my work, but he never complained.  He always had time to allow me to "help". 

He used to tease me and say that he always wanted a son, so he affectionately called me George Henry.  I was never insulted by this.  I loved being his George Henry.  I was such a tomboy growing up, although you would never know that now.  I could climb trees, jump ramps with my bike, wrestle, and dig for worms with the best of the boys.  My dad and I would play football in the yard.  I realize now that he was gentle with me, but back then, I thought I was pretty tough. 

When you're a little girl, your dad is your first hero.  He may not wear that red cape, but you know deep in your heart that he is Superman.  My dad could do no wrong.  He was the strongest and most intelligent man I knew.  But then I hit my teenage years and my sights left my dad and turned to silly BOYS!  My rebellious streak presented itself, my stubbornness became forefront, and my dislike for my dad became obvious.  He and I had some serious knock down, drag out fights when I was a teenager.  I was such a brat.  My dad's protectiveness, anger, disappointment, and fear became paramount.  One night, in the winter, he caught me sneaking out of my window.  He swiftly picked me up by the hair on my head and threw me into the swimming pool firmly shouting that I "...needed to cool off."  These battles went on all through high school.  Although we were at odds most of the time, he was still my protector.  One night, coming home late from a date, I got spooked walking to the front door and let out a scream.  My dad was out the front door in 2 seconds flat with his shotgun.  Once he realized that a boogey may wasn't after me, he returned to bed.  I thought he was simply crazy then, but now that's just one more reason that I love him.  It wasn't until I hit my 20's that I began to appreciate my dad once again.

My dad grew up in a poor family.  He joined the military at the earliest age he could and served over 20 years.  After he retired, my dad spent the next few years working 2 jobs and going back to school.  It was during this time that our family was financially tight.  I don't remember this as my parents were so good to always make sure I had what I needed, even if they had to go without.  One thing that my dad always told me was to "pay yourself first".  Meaning, out of every paycheck, put something into savings.  No matter how big or small, my dad always did this.  Some months were tight and some months were not.  We moved to Florida and my dad had the good fortune to work for a company where by the time he retired after 20 years, he was making a very comfortable living.  My dad has always been frugal, careful, cautious, and mindful with his finances.  But, he has always been especially generous with me.  He provided my first car. He paid for college.  He gave me a beautiful wedding.  He is incredibly generous with his grandchildren. 

It doesn't matter how old I get, my dad still wants to take care of his little girl.  Until this week, our family vehicle was our red Honda Odyssey.  I love that van.  There was absolutely nothing wrong with that car.  However, it was getting up in miles and age, there were a couple of small dings in the exterior, and the interior looked like a football team that had just practiced in the mud came running through it.  But other than that, the van was fine.  Beau and I had planned to keep it for another 2 or 3 years before we wanted to incur a car payment.  We've enjoyed being car payment free for he last 3 years. 

Dad may be sometimes gruff on the exterior, but nobody could ever say he was selfish.  My dad may not want to talk about his emotions, but his actions speak loudly.  Dad and I disagree on many points and he may be very vocal about his opinions, but he supports me.  Last week, my dad GAVE Beau and I his 2011 Toyota Highlander with only 15, 000 miles.  We were so very thankful for such a gift.  God provides in many ways and through many people. We were completely unsuspecting of this gift, but we were completely excited.

 

 

 

Thank you Dad for your continued generosity.  I am proud to be your George Henry. 

Pink headbands and bracelets are all the motivation needed......

Beau and I decided a couple of weeks ago that it was time to get a swing set for the boys now that we are in our own home again and no longer renting.  We had a GIANT swing set in Florida that the boys (except for Carter as he was still pretty little) still talk about now with great enthusiasm.  But we knew we didn't want to spend that kind of money again but we needed something big and sturdy enough to handle our three energetic boys.  So we went on an Internet hunt for hours trying to find just the right set to accommodate each of the boys' desires. 

The instructions claimed that the swing set would take approximately 15 hours and 2 people to complete the build.  The set was delivered early last week and Beau was planning on building it over his 3 day weekend (he gets every other Friday off).  One of the other engineers at work made a bet with Beau that the swing set wouldn't be finished by Monday.  Beau, of course, rising to the challenge (he's a guy and that's what they do) accepted that challenge.  I was excited because I knew that meant in order to win the challenge, the boys would definitely have their jungle gym that would provide hours of entertainment completed. 

But then came Wednesday and a bleak rainy forecast for most of the weekend.  Not just rain, but flood warnings.  I was disheartened because I assumed that meant the boys would now have to wait a while staring at all the fun boxes that contained their swing set but not being able to play on it.  Knowing this new information, the other engineer had the advantage.  So he approached Beau and said that Beau could get out of the challenge if only he would wear a pink headband and pink bracelets to their next kickball game.  Several of Beau's co-workers play on a local recreational kickball team, so this would be completely humiliating.  But this other engineer obviously doesn't know MY husband. 

Thursday evening, Beau came home from work, promptly changed his clothes and was immediately working in the garage.  You see, when we moved in, most of the items from our basement and many packed boxes were placed into the garage.  Our garage was completely full, with the exception of a small path that we could maneuver through if we could twist our bodies in just the right angles.  He began moving all these boxes to the basement.  I was so excited that I helped him and before I knew it, we had everyone in the family working on this project.  Beau and I (and the 3 little boys) carried things to the entrance of the basement Zander was in charge of bringing everything down to the basement.  We all had a big job, but I think Zander's work was much more intense since he had the stairs to battle.  He did take one fall and ran into the concrete wall.  Let's just say that he was badly bruised all over one side of his body, but thankfully that was the only injury.  I had wanted the garage emptied out but the project was too large for me by myself.  I was so appreciative that Beau was working on this for me, without even asking him....until I realized his true motivation.  He needed a staging area to work on the swing set where he could remain dry for part of the assembly. Oh well, at least my garage can now be utilized for it's original purpose of housing our vehicles. 

Bright and early Friday morning, Beau was in the garage working away.  He opened all the boxes, did an inventory check, and aligned everything up into groups.  Not only did he do this, but he also labeled everything for ease and efficiency.  That's the engineering mind at work.

You may not be able to see it, but Beau wrote labels on the box for each part.



Beau's helpers (already taking a popcorn break)

 

 Step 1 of the instructions (inventory and organizing) took a couple of hours so now I was SURE the swing set was not going to be finished this weekend.  But anytime you do a project with the help of 3 little people with grabby hands and tons of questions, those projects always seem to double in time to complete.  But there was no way the boys were going to be satisfied with staying in the house and waiting to see Beau's progress little by little. 

 

Responding to a work email while working on swing set

My husband worked ALL day long.  At one point, he had a drill in one hand and his iPad in the other (to respond to a work email).  I even brought his lunch to him in the garage.  He would assemble parts in the garage and then take them to the wet yucky yard when the assembly was too large.  But don't worry, he had plenty of help from Will, Oliver, and Carter.  They totally enjoyed playing, I mean working, in the rain.  Zander, however, provided more meaningful help on this day until it was time to go to his youth group lock-in. 

Oliver was the most excited and inquisitive about the project.  He wanted to know how to read the instructions, how to put things together, and actually worked hands on quite a bit with Beau.  Oliver also made a great tool retriever and screw and bolt finder. 

Thankfully, the weather forecast took a turn for the better.  We had a mostly dry day on Saturday and Beau again worked on it all day long even into the evening hours.  Sunday became crunch time.  Between church, soccer games, and Beau coaching, our day and time to work on the set was very limited.  But, by 8:30pm, everything was complete.  Beau and Zander worked hard on this day to finish everything.  We have neighbors that just moved into us next door and they have 2 children, a 5 year old girl and an 8 year old boy, and they came over for a while to play also.  The girl has a deep affection for Will already and everyday they meet at the fence line for "conversation".  We are in trouble!!  But that's for another blog....

I am so thankful for the swing set, an empty garage, and my husband.  I do know that he would have worked hard trying to complete their swing set this weekend, but he motivation of a pink headband and bracelets helped. 

Oliver is very intently working to help daddy with the telescope.

The smile says it all!!

Caught Zander sleeping on the job!

 

Carter turns 4

This week is quite a busy week.  We are closing on our house, continuing to pack, preparing for a garage sale, intently listening to the news as we are waiting for all the details to unravel regarding the Boston Marathon Bomber, and oh yes, Carter's 4th birthday. 

I have to admit with all the things going on right now, it was kind of hard to have the right mindset to celebrate Carter's special day.  Our family have been moving at a fast pace lately, and taking time to slow down and switch gears is proving much harder than I thought.  But celebrating the life of Carter is far more important than these others events. 

Since Carter turned 3, we have seen some sweet changes.  He is finally potty trained!!  That was a huge feat in of itself.  He is more independent.  He doesn't "get into things" as often.  He plays well with his brothers, most of the time.  He shows signs of compassion and empathy.  However, being the baby of the house, Carter still enjoys BEING the baby of the house.  As big as he is, I sometimes forget his age.  But when he is lying on my lap with his thumb in his mouth and his fingers playing with my hair, I see the baby he once was.  He is 58 pounds of pure baby!!  But I love every bit of him!! 

Living Godly

Living Godly means so many things to different people.  The way I interpret it means that living Godly affects every aspect of my life, from my thoughts, my actions, parenting, being a wife, how I handle our finances, how I react to someone who is different than me or with whom I disagree, and yes, even how I drive.  It means putting God first, above my family and myself.  When God is first, then everything else seems to fall into the right places.  Even though I strive to place God on top, I mess up in every one of these categories, probably daily.  But one of these areas in my life rises to the top of the "I did it wrong" list more often than anything else.  I have always had a bad relationship with money.  From the time I had my first job at 17 and even until recent years, I have a history of spending every dime I had available.  That wasn't much of a problem when Beau and I both worked, had one child, and a modest home. 

When Beau and I were both working, enjoyed having job security, and replenishing income, it became easy to slip into a feeling of self-provision and being a self-made person. It also became easy to lose appreciation for all the things that God had provided. 

We are called to be fiscally responsible, stewards of our money, live without debt, go without at times, and rely on God's provision.  After all, everything that we have is ultimately given to us by God and it is our responsibility to care for all that which has been given.  Don't we cherish gifts given to us by our spouses or children?  God's gifts to us should be cherished as well.  Wouldn't things be a little better if we all had the mindset that less is more and more is waste?  Perhaps!

 A little over 6 years ago, God started working hard on my faith and obedience.  Changes were coming, but I was resisting.  We had just bought another house, the house where we were planning on growing our family through private adoption.  We were both working, enjoying a very comfortable lifestyle, and just after we closed on the house (literally within days of the closing), Beau came to me and said the he was feeling led to assist me in becoming a stay at home mom.  WHAT?  I was in no way open to this suggestion because I loved my job (most of the time).  But it was a very stressful and very busy business and one that often took me away from my family on weekends and evenings.  But God knows me.  He knew he needed to change Beau's heart first so that Beau could in turn help me.  God knows my stubborn streak, my defiance, my all too often closed mind.  Apparently I was so closed minded about this change that Beau had hinted at it many times prior but I completely dismissed the idea.  I didn't even have any recollection of his hints.  My mind was focused on my career, Zander, and working on all the paperwork to get us to that adoption.  All the while, spending money on the new house, buying new clothes so that I was dressed appropriately for my job (which of course included new jewelry to match the outfits), and eating out all the time because naturally I was often too tired to cook after work (not to mention my culinary skills were severely lacking).  My jewelry fetish became so bad that I would often times buy jewelry that caught my eye and then have to go buy an outfit to match it.  Ridiculous? 

But after a lot of prayer, trust, and obedience, I began to see the need for me to stay home.  I didn't have the luxury of staying home when Zander was born, but I was becoming very excited at the idea of staying home with our new addition to be.  This reduction in income was our first major leap of faith and lifestyle change.  It now meant that we had a new house with a large mortgage payment and now on only one income.  I had to learn to cook because eating out all the time was not an option.  Clipping coupons and shopping sales became priority.  Trips to Disney and buying things for fun would be extremely limited from now on.  But I was happy and embraced this change.....at first.  However, I still had occasional "retail therapy" sessions and I convinced myself that I still NEEDED many things that I didn't really need.  So, I was still buying in surplus and spending more money than necessary.  But we were able to remain mostly debt free during this time. 

I loved my home.  It was the place where we were called to foster.  Between our private adoption and state adoptions, our family grew by 3 children in this home.  I always believed that God blessed us and our home because of our obedience to Him regarding our call to foster.  Even though we were living on one income during this time, we always managed to have everything we needed. 

Then the next big change occurred and this was a hard lesson.  Beau and Zander moved to New Hampshire and I stayed behind in Florida for nearly 9 months to complete our final adoption.  It was during this time that our expenses more than doubled.  We had 2 homes, 2 sets of utilities, and 2 households to provide food.  Beau and Zander ate out frequently, the propane bill to heat the house in New Hampshire was astronomical, and I did a lot of damage to our budget in Florida.  I began shopping ALOT.  It made me feel just a little bit better.....for a moment, until the guilt set in.  When that happiness left me, I was back in the stores spending money that I didn't have.  By the time our 9 months were over, Beau and I (mostly me) had put us deep in debt with no ability to pay it off. 

Over the last year, Beau and I had serious "coming to terms" lifestyle change.  We cut back more than we have ever done so previously, we are living on a strict budget, I haven't even set foot inside of a clothing store (to shop for myself) in 6 months.  I have managed to purchase things for my children without finding that "oh such a cute outfit" for me.  I don't even allow myself the indulgence to glance at the women's clothing and jewelry.  And guess what?  I am still alive!!!

I say all these things, which probably seem like I am droning on and on, to come to my point.  I can truly say that I appreciate where I am and what I have.  We came to a place recently where we decided that we needed to make New Hampshire feel like our permanent home and actually buy a house.  We live in a town where property values are high, population is low, and schools are excellent.  We are thankful for the last two.  We were used to living in a larger home in Florida and had occupied every single square foot of that property.  I like things to be spread out, no clutter, and clean and organized.  For the past 2 years, we have felt cramped and cluttered.  Although much of our stuff is still in the basement, I have felt confined.  We had been looking online for the last year or more at properties for sale.  We knew we couldn't replace our home in Florida with one here, but we needed to find a decent property that we could afford.  But looking at the property values online and seeing what little we got for the money, I was becoming discouraged.  I had come to the conclusion that we would only be able to afford a very modest property that would require a lot of work make it habitable.  I was accepting this reality, but all the while, praying like crazy for God to direct us, show us, and make that ONE special property available for us.  With some outside assistance from family, a major reduction in our debt, a continued strict budget, we were able to get qualified for a new mortgage (all while continuing to rent out our house in Florida at a small loss).  We were told that what we qualified for was the the bottom tier of Hollis housing, meaning, our dollar wasn't going to buy us very much.  I was at peace with that because I knew how important it was to be a homeowner again and to keep the kids, especially Oliver, in the same school district so they could flourish. 

There were literally only a handful of properties available, with air conditioning, in our price range to look at.  We looked at 3 homes and when we came to the last home, Beau and I gasped in excitement.  There may have been a few tears on my part because as I viewed this property, I was able to envision our family living very comfortably in this home.  We were looking at a home that was almost the same size as our home in Florida.  My heart fluttered with excitement.  We have owned several homes previously, and although I was thankful for each of them, never did I have THIS feeling.  It was a sincere feeling of gratitude for our God.  In His infinite wisdom, He knew the perfect house for us and made it available just when we needed it.  I know His plan is far greater than mine, so I don't know why I always go to a place of doubt and worry first before I trust Him.  And doesn't the Bible say,

Ephesians 3:20

" Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us"

 

 

Now, we pack, organize, get rid of lots of things, think about decorating, painting, and all the fun stuff you get to do when moving into a new home.  I understand now that living UNDER our means has much more value than having STUFF.  I realize that the decorating of the new home will be a long process because unless we can pay for it in cash, we simply don't need it.  I am excited and anxious.  But mostly, I rest in God for He provides and His timing is perfect. 

 

 

Our New Home to Be
 

 

 

Zander's Birthday

This week, Zander and his entire 8th grade class went to Washington DC for a week long trip.  They visited the Kennedy Center, The National Monument, saw a play, the National Cemetary, walked down Pennsyvlanvia Ave, and enjoyed a dance party on the boat.  It was during this trip that Zander turned 14. 

This is such a difficult age as Zander struggles between being a man and a child.  I get to see glimpses of both.  We see moments of maturity, moments of good decision making, times of planning for his future.  Although these times may be fleeting, I cling to these moments in hope that they will become lasting. 

This past year, I have watched Zander grow several inches taller, eat enough food for a small army at one sitting and then ask for dessert, turn into a much more social being, begin to have more opinions about everything, have more of a global awareness; and yet, still believes that at times, the world revolves around him.....all the makings of a teenager.   The moments spent in deep conversation with him varies, but when they do occur, I seize them.  It is so important to have regular dialog with your children, but as they grow older, it seems to be harder to do. 

With our family dynamics, it is sometimes hard to have meaningful time with each child.  However, Zander and I do enjoy going out together...just the two of us.  He and I always have a good time and we genuinely like each other's company.  In between the laughter and silliness, I hear his confessions, fears, failures, desires, hopes, and dreams.  I truly cherish these times. 

I pray that God continues to work in Zander's heart.  I know God has a big plan for Zander and I will wait patiently until it is revealed.  Love you son. 

What a week I'm having....and it's only Wednesday

I'm sure you have had one of those weeks.....one where from one day to the next, it just keeps getting worse.  You think to yourself, tomorrow just HAS to be better, but then it's not.  Well, my week is shaping up the same way.  My troubles started last Thursday and we're still cruising along with a quick momentum into "Badsville". 

 I have a certain teenager who decided on Sunday to have a negative attitude and claim that he really didn't want to have to put too much effort into things because he "didn't feel like it."  So, as a result, Beau took good care of that attitude and, viola, my house became clean at the hand of that teenager.  Although the result was pleasing to me, the events that led up to that were not.  Now, I will say that this was an unusual behavior for Zander, so I am hoping this was a temporary moment of teenagerism. 

We are in the process of packing, painting, and getting things ready for a garage sale.  Beau is working late almost every single night.  As a result, my house looks like a tornado has come through.  For a girl that likes things neat and tidy and for a certain 5 year old boy who needs things to be consistent and orderly, this is causing serious havoc on our senses.  Oliver is excited about moving and has finally seen the inside of our new house to be, however, the change and the disruption to our normal lives is creating an atmosphere that he is not comfortable in.  His frustration is brewing, his patience is ceasing, and his anger is erupting.  In an effort to include him, I asked for him to decorate all the boxes as I pack them.  That entertained him for a moment, but no longer has the effect I was looking for.  At school, he has been unable to control his outbursts.  The littlest of setbacks causes him great discomfort.  As a result, we have had some very tension filled drop offs and pick ups at school over the last week.  I mean, kicking, screaming, thrashing, crying moments (not all of them from me :) )  His sensory issues have become heightened and so yesterday, he decided that he WOULD NOT wear his snow pants to play outside during recess.  So the teachers, indulging him, allowed him to go outside, but only on the pavement.  He was fine with that, but played in the puddles instead.  Picture this.....wet pants, 30 degree weather, small breeze.....he was frozen.  Oliver proceeded to get into my vehicle (because recess is the last thing they do at the end of the day before parents pick up their children), strip down to his underwear, and get into his car seat.  All of this while screaming, shivering, shaking the car, and melting down.  As bad as this sounds, the morning was even worse when it was time to drop him off at school.  That meltdown was all over a hat.  Completely ludicrous...but apparently very important to Oliver.  Sunday, at church, he had a complete meltdown during service because I handed him a purple crayon instead of a green one.  That incident led to us leaving during the middle of service.  Typically I have much mercy and compassion for his sensory issues, his need for things to be a certain way, his desire to fixate on things, but this past week has been difficult to embrace his "behaviors".  The ironic point to all of this is that the main purpose we are moving to Hollis is so that we can keep Oliver in the same school so that he won't have any interruption as he enters Kindergarten. 

My youngest child is currently going through a clothing fetish.  He has found great pleasure in changing his clothes multiple times during the day, only to place his previous clothes in the dirty clothes hamper.  My laundry is piling up exponentially.  Carter has also developed a very talented habit of beat boxing.  It was cute the first 100 times, but now, I find it generally annoying.  It's hard to concentrate or to have a conversation on the phone as Carter dances by making these unusual sounds from his mouth and shaking his booty.  But, at least he is happy!!!

But last night was the clencher.  We were out late, which is highly abnormal for our family on a school night.  Beau worked late, and then we went out to dinner.  He just knew that I had a bad day and was mentally and physically drained.  So he offered to take us to dinner, even though that's against our current budget.  He's good like that.  Dinner went surprisingly well and the kids were very well behaved.  Afterwards, I slipped into the grocery store to get a few staples.  On the way home, Carter fell asleep.  I woke him up, because goodness knows, I can't lift HIS dead weight.  He was clearly groggy and disoriented.  I told him to put his shoes up and as I was carrying in groceries, I heard the one thing that all parents never want to hear.  William said, "Ooooh, yuck."  I looked at William's face, saw his nose scrunched up in disgust and his lips forming a shape of disbelief.  I immediately found the source of Will's disgust.  Carter had proceeded to pull out his shoe drawer in the bench and pee in it.  He though he was at the toilet.  The only appropriate response I had at this time was to laugh hysterically.  You know the kind of laugh I am talking about.  One where I had become insanely outdone, worn out, hit a wall, overwhelmed, and flat out tired.  The kind of laugh of surrender and the kind of laugh that allowed me to get out all of the previous days' frustration.  It was quite cleansing.  The harder I laughed, the harder Will just stared at me.  He was expecting me to jump in immediately and correct the situation as I normally would.  But I couldn't.  I found humor in this because I had been too stressed for too long. 

I sincerely hope today is a better day. 

Snow Storm Nemo

The snow was just under the top of our mailbox from the snow plow. 

My first winter in New Hampshire was very uneventful and I was very thankful.  I believe that God was subtly breaking me into the frigid temperatures and driving in the snow.  We did have temps in the teens last winter and I remember staying bundled up in the house ALL the time.  William literally carried around a blanket and sometimes two blankets every where he went (that includes the bathroom).  The blanket carrying began in September (which really isn't cold, but for a Florida boy, he was freezing) and went all the way through May of the following year. 

Even Zander had some fun in the snow.

This year, we have had cooler temperatures and for longer periods of time.  I now only use a jacket if it is less than 40 degrees outside (if I'm not actually going to have to get out of the car).  Will no longer requires the use of a blanket 24 hours a day.  Now, we only snuggle up in the evenings with our blankets.  We have actually had a little bit of accumulation of snow.  I have had several opportunities to drive in the snow.  I have had the experience of walking carefully on the ice.  I haven't fallen yet, but I know it is just a matter of time.  Just this week, I had the misfortune of driving in my first sleet and nearly sideswiped a car as I was turning into a parking lot.  I thought I was going slow enough, however, I quickly learned as I was only inches from her door that I was not. 

I am the driver in New Hampshire that slows down the other traffic.  I am the Florida driver that is probably going to get my share of horns honking at me because I am overly cautious (even down right scared to drive in the stuff).  All of you experienced New Hampshire drivers, just in case you didn't know, you can honk at me all you want but it will not change my speed.  In fact, I may even slow down ( I am kind of stubborn that way)  Sorry.  However, I can weather a hurricane better than you guys.  So, somehow that makes us even.  Maybe?


Anyway, I digress.  Back to the blog.....

During my first winter in New Hampshire, we experienced an abnormal early snow in October 2011 and we lost power for several days.  Because our pump hooked to the well needs electricity, we also lost water.  So we were cold, in the dark, and had no running water.  Although we enjoyed the down time and the snow play, we were miserably cold and having no running water was very inconvenient.  The no water thing was what put me over the edge. 

 

Sooooo, this year, anticipating the possibility of now power and water, Beau stocked up our pantry and our water supply.  I had all the laundry completed so we would have plenty of clean layers to put on in the cold.  We charged our phones, laptops, iPad, and travel DVD player.  We were PREPARED.  I was actually kind of looking forward to the down time again.  The time where we would all sleep in the living room together by the fireplace.  Play games.  Just be.  But, instead, we only received about 2 feet of snow and suffered NO power loss.  Beau and Zander had some wonderful bonding time outside as they worked the snow blower.  (Insert sarcasm here).  All kidding a side, Zander was a good sport and overall was eager to be helpful. 

We had plenty of snow this time for the boys to really enjoy playing outside.  They made their first snowman and Beau and Zander helped the others build a fort.  Normally, I would have been outside playing with them, but I took this opportunity to enjoy some quiet time inside.  I got to play some music, fold laundry, mop all while NOT being interrupted.  And yes, I did enjoy this time to myself. 

Even though we didn't have the downtime that I was hoping for, God still provided some needed family bonding time.  Poor Boston took a huge hit in the storm and I pray they can recover soon.  I am thankful for our safety, health, and fun time this past weekend. 

Standing inside their fort and in front of their snowman.