Frozen Lake Pepin

With outage schedule in full force around our house, we don't get to see a whole lot of Jake right now.  He has Saturdays off and we have been trying to do something fun as a family to make the most of the time we do get together.  This last Saturday we didn't really have a plan for what we were going to do, but just wanted to get out of the house.  So we started driving not really having a destination (sometimes that is the best kind of drive, at least in my opinion).  We ended up driving around Lake Pepin.  It sure is a different drive in the winter verses the summer or fall when the roads are absolutely crazy with other cars.  And you can see the river much better since the trees have no leaves.
Anyway, when we got around to Maiden Rock on the Wisconsin side we could see tons of people out ice fishing on the lake.  Jake found the boat dock that the people were using to get out on the ice and drove us out too.  At first we just parked on the side of the lake and walked a little ways out onto the ice with the kids.  Abbie was scared to death, when we parked the car we were on the ice and we told the kids that and to be careful because it would probably be slippery.  Abbie would not move once she was out on the ice.  She was sure that she was going to fall right in.

Here she is tip-toeing around because she was scared.

Here is her smile to prove that after some convincing she had a good time running around out there too just like the other kids.  

It was a bright sunny day as you can tell and we had a hard time getting good pics of the kids because no matter which way you looked it was too bright.  

This is one of my favorites they were trying so hard to help me get a good one.  Too bad all I had was my phone to take pictures with.

But we did manage at least one decent one.  

I took one of Jake since everybody we saw looked at him like he was crazy, but then he gets that a lot here because he always wears shorts unless he is at work.  

And he took one of me when I was trying to take one of him.  

Here are a few more of the kids running around like crazy people.  Good thing all of the ice fishers were way out there still because the kids were being totally crazy.

After playing around for a while, we loaded back into the car.  Then Jake drove us further out onto the ice and I have to admit I was nervous being that far out on the water in the car, I don't know why exactly but I didn't like being in the car out on the ice.  Being on foot felt much safer, but I'm sure it really is.  

With no real plans we ended up with a really fun afternoon.  The kids have already asked if and when we can do it again.  I don't know if we will get another chance this winter, it is just too warm.  The ice won't stay thick enough for much longer.  

One last picture from our day.  Jake had on his toes shoes and when I noticed his footprints I had to take a picture of one.  It looks like someone was walking around barefoot.

Snow Fun

This winter has been a little light on the snow.  There have only been a couple of snowfalls that have actually amounted to something the kids could actually go out and play in.  I'm told that this winter is extremely mild for Minnesota and not to get too comfortable because next winter will be much worse.  All I have to say is "we'll see".   We had a snow storm at the end of January that finally amounted to enough snow to play in.  The kids excitedly bundled up for a fun afternoon in the snow.  They had a great time trying to build an igloo.

I even let them use my bread pans to make the ice bricks for the igloo.  Too bad there wasn't nearly enough snow.

I told Ashton he had to hold still so I could get a picture of him.  This is what I got, not exactly what I had in mind, but at least he isn't blurry like he was in most of the others.... 

My rosy cheeked girl.  

They stayed outside for a couple of hours.  But even Abbie never complained about being cold.  

Gratitude

I read this quote on another blog the other day and it really stuck out to me.  Sometimes I feel like I focus in on the things that I don't have WAY too much and forget to be thankful for the things that I DO have.  Just thought I would share....

Gratitude is a quality I have found in every happy person I know. It is a quality that instantly makes a person more likable and more at peace. Where there is an abundance of this virtue, there is happiness. Where there is an absence of this virtue, there is often sadness, resentment and futility .... If we only look around us, there are a thousand reason for us not to be happy ... the more we focus on the things we don't have, the more unhappy and more resentful we become.  -- Joseph B. Wirthlin (Live in Thanksgiving Daily, Ensign, September 2001)

Something Green

It may be winter in Minne"snow"ta but something green is growing in my house. (That sounds a little scary I know, but it's a good thing) I got a small herb garden from "santa" and just couldn't wait until spring to plant my seeds.  I figured they would be inside and protected from the cold so they should grow, right?

Yup, they grew!! I am so happy that I have a little something green in my house since everything around looks like the background in this picture.  Gray and white.  Now I can have fresh cilantro, basil and oregano whenever I want.  Well, maybe not yet, but definitely soon.  It makes me happy to have a little green these days, can't wait for spring to come.  Too bad I'm told it isn't very close yet....

Last Meal

A spur of the moment shopping indulgence during my last grocery shopping trip turned into a fun family tradition that we started Wednesday night.  Normally I go to the grocery store with as few people as possible because that translates into less money spent.  Less kids begging for things = Less junk in the cart.  But Tuesday, Jake had the day off and he, Abbie and I headed out to the store.  We were browsing the meat section looking for any good deals we could find on beef, when Jake happened upon some crab legs that were on sale.  We decided to go ahead and splurge this once since we hardly ever eat food like because it costs so dang much.  Then I had to come up with a way to fit it into our dinner menu. (That I had already planned out for the next weeks)  Not to hard, but still.  Then the perfect plan came to me.  Why not have a fun "last meal" before Jake has to start on the outage schedule at the power plant.  That is happening next week, he will be working 6 days a week, 12 1/2 hours a day (that ends up being 75 hours a week) until the first part of April.  Working that much leaves little time for anything else and the kids really end up missing their dad by the end.
So Jake and I have decided that right before each outage at the plant we will have one super fun meal like this.  A "last meal" of sorts to celebrate family meals together until work slows down and life returns to normal....  And boy was it ever a hit with the kids.  They ate every last bit of crab they could dig from the shells.

It was a fun night and I can't wait to come up with what we will do for the next "last meal" I only have 6 months or so to come up with an idea.